scholarly journals Historical reconstruction of background air pollution over France for 2000–2015

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa Real ◽  
Florian Couvidat ◽  
Anthony Ung ◽  
Laure Malherbe ◽  
Blandine Raux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Chemistry Transport Model ◽  
Hourly Data ◽  
Background Measurement ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Background Air

Abstract. This paper describes a 16-year datasets of air pollution concentrations and air quality indicators over France. Using a kriging method that combines background measurements of air quality and modeling with the Chemistry Transport Model CHIMERE, hourly concentrations of NO2, O3, PM10 and PM2.5 are produced with a spatial resolution about 4 kilometers. Regulatory indicators (annual average, SOMO35, AOT40 etc…) are also calculated from these hourly data. NO2 and O3 datasets cover the period 2000–2015, as well as PM10 annual data. PM10 hourly concentrations are not available from 2000 to 2007 due to known artefact in PM10 measurements. PM2.5 data are only available from 2009 because of the lack of measurement stations before. The overall dataset has been evaluated over all the years through a cross-validation process against background measurement stations (rural, sub-urban and urban), to account for the data fusion between measurement and models in the method. Results are very good for PM10, PM2.5 and O3. It shows an overestimation of NO2 concentrations in rural area, while background NO2 values in urban areas are well represented. Maps of the main indicators are shown over years and trends are calculated. Finally, country exposure and trends of three main health related indicators: yearly averaged PM2.5 NO2 and SOMO35 are calculated. The DOI link for the dataset is http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5043645 (Real et al., 2021). We hopethat the publication of this dataset in open access will facilitate further studies on the impacts of air pollution.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Effects of the Spanish National Air Pollution Control Programme on Air Quality

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta G. Vivanco ◽  
Juan Luis Garrido ◽  
Fernando Martín ◽  
Mark R. Theobald ◽  
Victoria Gil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Air Pollution Control ◽  
The Impact

During the last few decades, European legislation has driven progress in reducing air pollution in Europe through emission mitigation measures. In this paper, we use a chemistry transport model to assess the impact on ambient air quality of the measures considered for 2030 in the for the scenarios with existing (WEM2030) and additional measures (WAM2030). The study estimates a general improvement of air quality for the WAM2030 scenario, with no non-compliant air quality zones for NO2, SO2, and PM indicators. Despite an improvement for O3, the model still estimates non-compliant areas. For this pollutant, the WAM2030 scenario leads to different impacts depending on the indicator considered. Although the model estimates a reduction in maximum hourly O3 concentrations, small increases in O3 concentrations in winter and nighttime in the summer lead to increases in the annual mean in some areas and increases in other indicators (SOMO35 for health impacts and AOT40 for impacts on vegetation) in some urban areas. The results suggest that the lower NOx emissions in the WEM and WAM scenarios lead to less removal of O3 by NO titration, especially background ozone in winter and both background and locally produced ozone in summer, in areas with high NOx emissions.

scholarly journals InMAP: a new model for air pollution interventions

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 9281-9321 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. W. Tessum ◽  
J. D. Hill ◽  
J. D. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Chemical Information ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Annual Average

Abstract. Mechanistic air pollution models are essential tools in air quality management. Widespread use of such models is hindered, however, by the extensive expertise or computational resources needed to run most models. Here, we present InMAP (Intervention Model for Air Pollution), which offers an alternative to comprehensive air quality models for estimating the air pollution health impacts of emission reductions and other potential interventions. InMAP estimates annual-average changes in primary and secondary fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations – the air pollution outcome generally causing the largest monetized health damages – attributable to annual changes in precursor emissions. InMAP leverages pre-processed physical and chemical information from the output of a state-of-the-science chemical transport model (WRF-Chem) within an Eulerian modeling framework, to perform simulations that are several orders of magnitude less computationally intensive than comprehensive model simulations. InMAP uses a variable resolution grid that focuses on human exposures by employing higher spatial resolution in urban areas and lower spatial resolution in rural and remote locations and in the upper atmosphere; and by directly calculating steady-state, annual average concentrations. In comparisons run here, InMAP recreates WRF-Chem predictions of changes in total PM2.5 concentrations with population-weighted mean fractional error (MFE) and bias (MFB) < 10 % and population-weighted R2 ~ 0.99. Among individual PM2.5 species, the best predictive performance is for primary PM2.5 (MFE: 16 %; MFB: 13 %) and the worst predictive performance is for particulate nitrate (MFE: 119 %; MFB: 106 %). Potential uses of InMAP include studying exposure, health, and environmental justice impacts of potential shifts in emissions for annual-average PM2.5. Features planned for future model releases include a larger spatial domain, more temporal information, and the ability to predict ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations. The InMAP model source code and input data are freely available online.

Improving the Protection of Children Against Air Pollution Threats in Romania � The RokidAIR Project Approach and Future Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-846
Author(s):  
Hai-Ying Liu ◽  
Daniel Dunea ◽  
Mihaela Oprea ◽  
Tom Savu ◽  
Stefania Iordache
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Quality Maps

This paper presents the approach used to develop the information chain required to reach the objectives of the EEA Grants� RokidAIR project in two Romanian cities i.e., Targoviste and Ploiesti. It describes the PM2.5 monitoring infrastructure and architecture to the web-based GIS platform, the early warning system and the decision support system, and finally, the linking of air pollution to health effects in children. In addition, it shows the analysis performance of the designed system to process the collected time series from various data sources using the benzene concentrations monitored in Ploiesti. Moreover, this paper suggests that biomarkers, mobile technologies, and Citizens� Observatories are potential perspectives to improve data coverage by the provision of near-real-time air quality maps, and provide personal exposure and health assessment results, enabling the citizens� engagement and behavioural change. This paper also addresses new fields in nature-based solutions to improve air quality, and studies on air pollution and its mental health effects in the urban areas of Romania.

scholarly journals Morpho-Physio-Biochemical Attributes of Roadside Trees as Potential Tools for Biomonitoring of Air Quality and Environmental Health in Urban Areas

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 236
Author(s):  
Ha Na You ◽  
Myeong Ja Kwak ◽  
Sun Mi Je ◽  
Jong Kyu Lee ◽  
Yea Ji Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Biochemical Parameters ◽  
Lipid Peroxide ◽  
Platanus Occidentalis ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Species Specific

Environmental pollution is an important issue in metropolitan areas, and roadside trees are directly affected by various sources of pollution to which they exhibit numerous responses. The aim of the present study was to identify morpho-physio-biochemical attributes of maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba L.) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) growing under two different air quality conditions (roadside with high air pollution, RH and roadside with low air pollution, RL) and to assess the possibility of using their physiological and biochemical parameters as biomonitoring tools in urban areas. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate, photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiencies, and photochromic contents were generally low in RH in both G. biloba and P. occidentalis. However, water-use efficiency and leaf temperature showed high values in RH trees. Among biochemical parameters, in G. biloba, the lipid peroxide content was higher in RH than in RL trees, but in P. occidentalis, this content was lower in RH than in RL trees. In both species, physiological activities were low in trees planted in areas with high levels of air pollution, whereas their biochemical and morphological variables showed different responses to air pollution. Thus, we concluded that it is possible to determine species-specific physiological variables affected by regional differences of air pollution in urban areas, and these findings may be helpful for monitoring air quality and environmental health using trees.

scholarly journals Contribution of Local and Transboundary Air Pollution to the Urban Air Quality of Fukuoka, Japan

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 431
Author(s):  
Ayako Yoshino ◽  
Akinori Takami ◽  
Keiichiro Hara ◽  
Chiharu Nishita-Hara ◽  
Masahiko Hayashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Gaseous Species ◽  
Transboundary Air Pollution ◽  
Local Air Pollution ◽  
The City

Transboundary air pollution (TAP) and local air pollution (LAP) influence the air quality of urban areas. Fukuoka, located on the west side of Japan and affected by TAP from the Asian continent, is a unique example for understanding the contribution of LAP and TAP. Gaseous species and particulate matter (PM) were measured for approximately three weeks in Fukuoka in the winter of 2018. We classified two distinctive periods, LAP and TAP, based on wind speed. The classification was supported by variations in the concentration of gaseous species and by backward trajectories. Most air pollutants, including NOx and PM, were high in the LAP period and low in the TAP period. However, ozone was the exception. Therefore, our findings suggest that reducing local emissions is necessary. Ozone was higher in the TAP period, and the variation in ozone concentration was relatively small, indicating that ozone was produced outside of the city and transported to Fukuoka. Thus, air pollutants must also be reduced at a regional scale, including in China.

scholarly journals Top-Down NOX Emissions of European Cities Based on the Downwind Plume of Modelled and Space-Borne Tropospheric NO2 Columns

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 2893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem W. Verstraeten ◽  
Klaas Folkert Boersma ◽  
John Douros ◽  
Jason E. Williams ◽  
Henk Eskes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Inventory Data ◽  
Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Chemistry Transport Model ◽  
European Cities ◽  
Tropospheric No2

Top-down estimates of surface NOX emissions were derived for 23 European cities based on the downwind plume decay of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) columns from the LOTOS-EUROS (Long Term Ozone Simulation-European Ozone Simulation) chemistry transport model (CTM) and from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite retrievals, averaged for the summertime period (April–September) during 2013. Here we show that the top-down NOX emissions derived from LOTOS-EUROS for European urban areas agree well with the bottom-up NOX emissions from the MACC-III inventory data (R2 = 0.88) driving the CTM demonstrating the potential of this method. OMI top-down NOX emissions over the 23 European cities are generally lower compared with the MACC-III emissions and their correlation is slightly lower (R2 = 0.79). The uncertainty on the derived NO2 lifetimes and NOX emissions are on average ~55% for OMI and ~63% for LOTOS-EUROS data. The downwind NO2 plume method applied on both LOTOS-EUROS and OMI tropospheric NO2 columns allows to estimate NOX emissions from urban areas, demonstrating that this is a useful method for real-time updates of urban NOX emissions with reasonable accuracy.

scholarly journals Pre-monsoon air quality over Lumbini, a world heritage site along the Himalayan foothills

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipesh Rupakheti ◽  
Bhupesh Adhikary ◽  
Puppala S. Praveen ◽  
Maheswar Rupakheti ◽  
Shichang Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
World Heritage ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Pollution Transport ◽  
Heritage Site

Abstract. Lumbini, in southern Nepal, is a UNESCO world heritage site of universal value as the birthplace of Buddha. Poor air quality in Lumbini and surrounding regions is a great concern for public health as well as for preservation, protection and promotion of Buddhist heritage and culture. We present here results from measurements of ambient concentrations of key air pollutants (PM, BC, CO, O3) in Lumbini, first of its kind for Lumbini, conducted during an intensive measurement period of three months (April–June 2013) in the pre-monsoon season. The measurements were carried out as a part of the international air pollution measurement campaign; SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley – Atmospheric Brown Clouds). The ranges of hourly average concentrations were: PM10: 10.5–604.0 µg m−3, PM2.5: 6.1–272.2 µg m−3; BC: 0.3–30.0 µg m−3; CO: 125.0–1430.0 ppbv; and O3: 1.0–118.1 ppbv. These levels are comparable to other very heavily polluted sites throughout South Asia. The 24-h average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations exceeded the WHO guideline very frequently (94 % and 85 % of the sampled period, respectively), which implies significant health risks for the residents and visitors in the region. These air pollutants exhibited clear diurnal cycles with high values in the morning and evening. During the study period, the worst air pollution episodes were mainly due to agro-residue burning and regional forest fires combined with meteorological conditions conducive of pollution transport to Lumbini. Fossil fuel combustion also contributed significantly, accounting for more than half of the ambient BC concentration according to aerosol spectral light absorption coefficients obtained in Lumbini. WRF-STEM, a regional chemical transport model, was used to simulate the meteorology and the concentrations of pollutants. The model was able to reproduce the variation in the pollutant concentrations well; however, estimated values were 1.5 to 5 times lower than the observed concentrations for CO and PM10 respectively. Regionally tagged CO tracers showed the majority of CO came from the upwind region of Ganges valley. The model was also used to examine the chemical composition of the aerosol mixture, indicating that organic carbon was the main constituent of fine mode PM2.5, followed by mineral dust. Given the high pollution level, there is a clear and urgent need for setting up a network of long-term air quality monitoring stations in the greater Lumbini region.

scholarly journals Impacts of emission changes in China from 2010 to 2017 on domestic and intercontinental air quality and health effect

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqiang Zhang ◽  
Drew Shindell ◽  
Karl Seltzer ◽  
Lu Shen ◽  
Jean-Francois Lamarque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Health Effect ◽  
Premature Deaths ◽  
Concentration Changes ◽  
Emission Changes ◽  
Related Mortality

Abstract. China has seen dramatic emission changes from 2010, especially after the implementation of Clean Air Action in 2013, with significant air quality and human health benefits observed. Air pollutants, such as PM2.5 and surface ozone, as well as their precursors, have long enough lifetime in the troposphere which can be easily transported downwind. So emission changes in China will not only change the regional air quality domestically, but also affect the air quality in downwind regions. In this study, we use a global chemistry transport model to simulate the influence on both domestic and foreign air quality from the emission change from 2010 to 2017 in China. By applying the health impact functions derived from epidemiology studies, we then quantify the changes in air pollution-related (including both PM2.5 and O3) mortality burdens at regional and global scales. The majority of air pollutants in China reach their peak values around 2012 and 2013. Compared with the year 2010, the population-weighted annual PM2.5 in China increases till 2011 (94.1 μg m−3), and then begins to decrease. In 2017, the population-weighted annual PM2.5 decreases by 17.6 %, compared with the values in 2010 (84.7 μg m−3). The estimated national PM2.5 concentration changes in China are comparable with previous studies using fine-resolution regional models, though our model tends to overestimate PM2.5 from 2013 to 2017 when evaluated with surface observation in China during the same periods. The emission changes in China increased the global PM2.5-related mortality burdens from 2010 to 2013, by 27,700 (95 %CI: 23,900–31, 400) deaths yr−1 in 2011, and 13, 300 (11,400–15,100) deaths yr−1 in 2013, among which at least 93 % occurred in China. The sharp emission decreases after 2013 bring significant benefits for reduced avoided premature mortality in 2017, reaching 108, 800 (92,800–124,800) deaths yr−1 globally, among which 92 % happening in China. Different trend as PM2.5, the annual maximum daily 8-hr ozone in China increased, and also the ozone-related premature deaths, ranging from 3,600 (2,700–4,300) deaths yr−1 in 2011 (75 % of global total increased premature deaths), and 8,500 (6,500–9,900) deaths yr−1 in 2017 (143 % of the global total). Downwind regions, such as South Korea, Japan, and U.S. generally see a decreased O3-related mortality burden after 2013 as a combination of increased export of ozone and decreased export of ozone precursors. In general, we conclude that the sharp emission reductions in China after 2013 bring benefits of improved air quality and reduced premature deaths associated with air pollution at global scale. The benefits are dominated by the PM2.5 decreases since the ozone is shown to actually increase with the emission decrease.

scholarly journals Healthier breath for all and everywhere – Urban air quality monitoring experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Gajic ◽  
D Dimovski ◽  
B Vukajlovic ◽  
M Jevtic
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Urban Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring ◽  
Residential Areas

Abstract Issue/problem Increasing attention is being paid to air pollution as one of the greatest threats to public and urban health. The WHO’s Urban Health Initiative points out the importance of collecting data and mapping the present state of air quality in urban areas. For citizens, such engagement is enabled by the appearance of personal air quality measurement devices that use crowd-sourcing to make measurement results publicly accessible in real time. Description of the problem As a way of contributing to air pollution monitoring in their town, three PhD Public health students conducted over 40 measurements between the start of June and end of August 2018 on various locations in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. Measurements were performed using AirBeam personal air quality monitoring devices and their results presented as μg/m3 of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and automatically uploaded to the internet using the Air-casting app. Results Measurements conducted in public transportation vehicles returned the rather high average value of 40 μg/m3, where coffee shops and restaurants scored an even higher value of 48,67 μg/m3. The lowest average air pollution levels were registered near the Danube river bank (5.67) and in the parks (6), while the sites near crossroads or in the street showed average air pollution of 8.33 μg/m3. Residential areas where smoking is present during the day reported 2.5 times higher PM2.5 values than those without smokers (33.8 and 12.78 μg/m3). Lessons Bearing in mind that the air quality is considered as a serious health risk in urban areas, results of this pilot investigation suggest potential health risk for citizens living in urban areas. The negative effects of combustion and smoking on air quality are strongly highlighted, as well as the positive impact of green areas and parks near residential areas. Key messages Air pollution exposure as a serious health risk in urban areas. Crowdsourcing as a way of air quality monitoring has great potential for contributing to public health.

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