Verifiable emission reductions in European urban areas with air-quality models

2016 ◽  
Vol 189 ◽  
pp. 617-633
Author(s):  
A. N. Skouloudis ◽  
D. G. Rickerby
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Numerical Modelling ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Emission Reductions ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Emission Limits

The first and second AutoOil programmes were conducted since 1992 as a partnership between the European Commission and the automobile and oil industries. These have introduced emission reductions in Europe based on numerical modelling for a target year. They aimed to identify the most cost-effective way to meet desired future air quality over the whole European Union. In their time, these regulatory efforts were considered an important step towards a new approach for establishing European emission limits. With this work, we review the effectiveness of forecasts carried out with numerical modelling and compare these with the actual measurements at the target year, which was the year 2010. Based on these comparisons and new technological innovations these methodologies can incorporate new sectorial assessments for improving the accuracy of the modelling forecasts and for examining the representativeness of emissions reductions, as well as for the simultaneous assessment of population exposure to cocktails of toxic substances under realistic climatological conditions. We also examined at the ten AutoOil domains the geographical generalisation of the forecasts for CO and NO2 at 1065 European urban areas on the basis of their population and the local population density.

scholarly journals The role of emission reductions and the meteorological situation for air quality improvements during the COVID-19 lockdown period in central Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 13931-13971
Author(s):  
Volker Matthias ◽  
Markus Quante ◽  
Jan A. Arndt ◽  
Ronny Badeke ◽  
Lea Fink ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Quality Improvements ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
Emission Reductions ◽  
Meteorological Situation ◽  
Weather Situation

Abstract. The lockdown measures taken to prevent a rapid spreading of the coronavirus in Europe in spring 2020 led to large emission reductions, particularly in road traffic and aviation. Atmospheric concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5 were mostly reduced when compared to observations taken for the same time period in previous years; however, concentration reductions may not only be caused by emission reductions but also by specific weather situations. In order to identify the role of emission reductions and the meteorological situation for air quality improvements in central Europe, the meteorology chemistry transport model system COSMO-CLM/CMAQ was applied to Europe for the period 1 January to 30 June 2020. Emission data for 2020 were extrapolated from most recent reported emission data, and lockdown adjustment factors were computed from reported activity data changes, e.g. Google mobility reports. Meteorological factors were investigated through additional simulations with meteorological data from previous years. The results showed that lockdown effects varied significantly among countries and were most prominent for NO2 concentrations in urban areas with 2-week-average reductions up to 55 % in the second half of March. Ozone concentrations were less strongly influenced (up to ±15 %) and showed both increasing and decreasing concentrations due to lockdown measures. This depended strongly on the meteorological situation and on the NOx / VOC emission ratio. PM2.5 revealed 2 %–12 % reductions of 2-week-average concentrations in March and April, which is much less than a different weather situation could cause. Unusually low PM2.5 concentrations as observed in northern central Europe were only marginally caused by lockdown effects. The lockdown can be seen as a big experiment about air quality improvements that can be achieved through drastic traffic emission reductions. From this investigation, it can be concluded that NO2 concentrations can be largely reduced, but effects on annual average values are small when the measures last only a few weeks. Secondary pollutants like ozone and PM2.5 depend more strongly on weather conditions and show a limited response to emission changes in single sectors.

scholarly journals Air quality management planning (AQMP)

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4-2) ◽  
pp. 667-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjarne Sivertsen ◽  
Alena Bartonova
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Quality Management System ◽  
Atmospheric Dispersion ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Air Quality Management ◽  
Training Requirements ◽  
Effective Manner

In most urban areas of the world, particulate matter (PM) levels pose severe problems, addressed in several policy areas (air quality, climate change, and human health). PM presents multiple challenges due to the multitude of its sources, spanning many sectors of economic activity as well as nature, and due to the complexity of atmospheric processes involved in its transport and secondary formation. For the authorities, the goal is to assure minimal impacts of atmospheric PM levels, in practice represented by compliance with existing regulations and standards. This may be achieved through an air quality management plan (AQMP). In Northern America and in parts of Europe, comprehensive research programs have guided development of AQMP over the last forty years. This cumulated experience can be utilized by others who face the same problems, but have yet to develop their own substantial research base. The main purpose of the AQMP development process is to establish an effective and sound basis for planning and management of air quality in a selected area. This type of planning will ensure that significant sources of impacts are identified and controlled in a most cost-effective manner. The choice of tools, methods and input information is often dictated by their availability, and should be evaluated against current best practices. Important elements of the AQMP are the identification of sources and development of a complete emission inventory, the development and operation of an air quality monitoring programme, and the development and application of atmospheric dispersion models. Major task is to collect the necessary input data. The development of the AQMP will take into account: - Air Quality Management System (AQMS) requirements; - Operational and functional structure requirements; - Source identification through emission inventories; - Source reduction alternatives, which may be implemented; - Mechanisms for facilitating interdepartmental cooperation in order to assure that actions are being taken; - Institutional building and training requirements This paper offers a practical guide through the different parts of the air quality management and planning procedures.

scholarly journals Source influence on emission pathways and ambient PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution over India (2015–2050)

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 8017-8039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandra Venkataraman ◽  
Michael Brauer ◽  
Kushal Tibrewal ◽  
Pankaj Sadavarte ◽  
Qiao Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Biomass Combustion ◽  
Anthropogenic Source ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Future Economic Development ◽  
Future Air Pollution

Abstract. India is currently experiencing degraded air quality, and future economic development will lead to challenges for air quality management. Scenarios of sectoral emissions of fine particulate matter and its precursors were developed and evaluated for 2015–2050, under specific pathways of diffusion of cleaner and more energy-efficient technologies. The impacts of individual source sectors on PM2.5 concentrations were assessed through systematic simulations of spatially and temporally resolved particulate matter concentrations, using the GEOS-Chem model, followed by population-weighted aggregation to national and state levels. We find that PM2.5 pollution is a pan-India problem, with a regional character, and is not limited to urban areas or megacities. Under present-day emissions, levels in most states exceeded the national PM2.5 annual standard (40 µg m−3). Sources related to human activities were responsible for the largest proportion of the present-day population exposure to PM2.5 in India. About 60 % of India's mean population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations come from anthropogenic source sectors, while the remainder are from other sources, windblown dust and extra-regional sources. Leading contributors are residential biomass combustion, power plant and industrial coal combustion and anthropogenic dust (including coal fly ash, fugitive road dust and waste burning). Transportation, brick production and distributed diesel were other contributors to PM2.5. Future evolution of emissions under regulations set at current levels and promulgated levels caused further deterioration of air quality in 2030 and 2050. Under an ambitious prospective policy scenario, promoting very large shifts away from traditional biomass technologies and coal-based electricity generation, significant reductions in PM2.5 levels are achievable in 2030 and 2050. Effective mitigation of future air pollution in India requires adoption of aggressive prospective regulation, currently not formulated, for a three-pronged switch away from (i) biomass-fuelled traditional technologies, (ii) industrial coal-burning and (iii) open burning of agricultural residue. Future air pollution is dominated by industrial process emissions, reflecting larger expansion in industrial, rather than residential energy demand. However, even under the most active reductions envisioned, the 2050 mean exposure, excluding any impact from windblown mineral dust, is estimated to be nearly 3 times higher than the WHO Air Quality Guideline.

scholarly journals The impact of ship emissions on air quality and human health in the Gothenburg area – Part II: Scenarios for 2040

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 10667-10686
Author(s):  
Martin O. P. Ramacher ◽  
Lin Tang ◽  
Jana Moldanová ◽  
Volker Matthias ◽  
Matthias Karl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Health Effect ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Future Scenarios ◽  
Port Area ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Shipping is an important source of air pollutants, from the global to the local scale. Ships emit substantial amounts of sulfur dioxides, nitrogen dioxides, and particulate matter in the vicinity of coasts, threatening the health of the coastal population, especially in harbour cities. Reductions in emissions due to shipping have been targeted by several regulations. Nevertheless, effects of these regulations come into force with temporal delays, global ship traffic is expected to grow in the future, and other land-based anthropogenic emissions might decrease. Thus, it is necessary to investigate combined impacts to identify the impact of shipping activities on air quality, population exposure, and health effects in the future. We investigated the future effect of shipping emissions on air quality and related health effects considering different scenarios of the development of shipping under current regional trends of economic growth and already decided regulations in the Gothenburg urban area in 2040. Additionally, we investigated the impact of a large-scale implementation of shore electricity in the Port of Gothenburg. For this purpose, we established a one-way nested chemistry transport modelling (CTM) system from the global to the urban scale, to calculate pollutant concentrations, population-weighted concentrations, and health effects related to NO2, PM2.5, and O3. The simulated concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5 in future scenarios for the year 2040 are in general very low with up to 4 ppb for NO2 and up to 3.5 µg m−3 PM2.5 in the urban areas which are not close to the port area. From 2012 the simulated overall exposure to PM2.5 decreased by approximately 30 % in simulated future scenarios; for NO2 the decrease was over 60 %. The simulated concentrations of O3 increased from the year 2012 to 2040 by about 20 %. In general, the contributions of local shipping emissions in 2040 focus on the harbour area but to some extent also influence the rest of the city domain. The simulated impact of onshore electricity implementation for shipping in 2040 shows reductions for NO2 in the port of up to 30 %, while increasing O3 of up to 3 %. Implementation of onshore electricity for ships at berth leads to additional local reduction potentials of up to 3 % for PM2.5 and 12 % for SO2 in the port area. All future scenarios show substantial decreases in population-weighted exposure and health-effect impacts.

scholarly journals The role of emission reductions and the meteorological situation for air quality improvements during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Central Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Matthias ◽  
Markus Quante ◽  
Jan A. Arndt ◽  
Ronny Badeke ◽  
Lea Fink ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Quality Improvements ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
Emission Reductions ◽  
Meteorological Situation ◽  
Weather Situation

Abstract. The lockdown measures taken to prevent a rapid spreading of the Corona virus in Europe in spring 2020 led to large emission reductions, particularly in road traffic and aviation. Atmospheric concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5 were mostly reduced when compared to observations taken for the same time period in previous years, however, concentration reductions may not only be caused by emission reductions but also by specific weather situations. In order to identify the role of emission reductions and the meteorological situation for air quality improvements in Central Europe, the meteorology chemistry transport model system COSMO-CLM/CMAQ was applied to Europe for the period 1 January to 30 June 2020. Emission data for 2020 was extrapolated from most recent reported emission data and lockdown adjustment factors were computed from reported activity data changes, e.g. google mobility reports. Meteorological factors were investigated through additional simulations with meteorological data from previous years. The results showed that lockdown effects varied significantly among countries and were most prominent for NO2 concentrations in urban areas with two-weeks-average reductions up to 55 % in the second half of March. Ozone concentrations were less strongly influenced (up to +/−15 %) and showed both, increasing and decreasing concentrations due to lockdown measures. This depended strongly on the meteorological situation and on the NOx/VOC emission ratio. PM2.5 revealed 2–12 % reductions of two-weeks-average concentrations in March and April, which is much less than a different weather situation could cause. Unusually low PM2.5 concentrations as observed in Northern Central Europe were only marginally caused by lockdown effects. The lockdown can be seen as a big experiment about air quality improvements that can be achieved through drastic traffic emission reductions. From this investigation, it can be concluded that NO2 concentrations can be largely reduced, but effects on annual average values are small when the measures last only a few weeks. Secondary pollutants like ozone and PM2.5 depend more strongly on weather conditions and show a limited response to emission changes in single sectors.

scholarly journals The impact of ship emissions on air quality and human health in the Gothenburg area – Part II: Scenarios for 2040

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin O. P. Ramacher ◽  
Lin Tang ◽  
Jana Moldanová ◽  
Volker Matthias ◽  
Matthias Karl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Health Effect ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Future Scenarios ◽  
Port Area ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Shipping is an important source of air pollutants, from the global to the local scale. Ships are emitting substantial amounts of sulphur dioxides, nitrogen dioxides and particulate matter in the vicinity of coasts, threatening the health of the coastal population, especially in harbour cities. Reductions of emissions due to shipping have been targeted by several regulations. Nevertheless, effects of these regulations come into force with temporal delays, global ship traffic is expected to grow in the future, and other land-based anthropogenic emissions might decrease. Thus, it is necessary to investigate combined impacts to identify the impact of shipping activities on air quality, population exposure and health-effects in the future. We investigated the future effect of shipping emissions on air quality and related health effects considering different scenarios of the development of shipping under current regional trends of economic growth and already decided regulations in the Gothenburg urban area in 2040. Additionally, we investigated the impact of a large-scale implementation of shore electricity in the port of Gothenburg. For this purpose, we established a one-way nested chemistry transport modelling (CTM) system from the global to the urban scale, to calculate pollutant concentrations, population weighted concentrations and health-effects related to NO2, PM2.5 and O3. The simulated concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5 in future scenarios for the year 2040 are in general very low with up to 4 ppb for NO2 and up to 3.5 µg/m3 PM2.5 in the urban areas which are not close to the port area. From 2012 the simulated overall exposure to PM2.5 decreased by approximately 30 % in simulated future scenarios, for NO2 the decrease was over 60 %. The simulated concentrations of O3 increased from year 2012 to 2040 by about 20 %. In general, the contributions of local shipping emissions in 2040 focus on the harbour area but to some extent also influence the rest of the city domain. The simulated impact of wide use of shore-site electricity for shipping in 2040 shows reductions for NO2 in the port with up to 30 %, while increasing O3 of up to 3 %. Implementation of on-shore electricity for ships at berth leads to additional local reduction potentials of up to 3 % for PM2.5 and 12 % for SO2 in the port area. All future scenarios show substantial decreases in population weighted exposure and health-effect impacts.

scholarly journals Multi-level policies for air quality: implications of national and sub-national emission reductions on population exposure

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1121-1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuela Peduzzi ◽  
Enrico Pisoni ◽  
Alain Clappier ◽  
Philippe Thunis
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Emission Reductions ◽  
Multi Level

scholarly journals Modeling the impact of COVID-19 on air quality in southern California: implications for future control policies

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 8693-8708
Author(s):  
Zhe Jiang ◽  
Hongrong Shi ◽  
Bin Zhao ◽  
Yu Gu ◽  
Yifang Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Emission Reductions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

Abstract. In response to the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), California issued statewide stay-at-home orders, bringing about abrupt and dramatic reductions in air pollutant emissions. This crisis offers us an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of emission reductions in terms of air quality. Here we use the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) in combination with surface observations to study the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown measures on air quality in southern California. Based on activity level statistics and satellite observations, we estimate the sectoral emission changes during the lockdown. Due to the reduced emissions, the population-weighted concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decrease by 15 % in southern California. The emission reductions contribute 68 % of the PM2.5 concentration decrease before and after the lockdown, while meteorology variations contribute the remaining 32 %. Among all chemical compositions, the PM2.5 concentration decrease due to emission reductions is dominated by nitrate and primary components. For O3 concentrations, the emission reductions cause a decrease in rural areas but an increase in urban areas; the increase can be offset by a 70 % emission reduction in anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These findings suggest that a strengthened control on primary PM2.5 emissions and a well-balanced control on nitrogen oxides and VOC emissions are needed to effectively and sustainably alleviate PM2.5 and O3 pollution in southern California.

Near source modeling of pollutant emissions from an elevated source over an urban area under cross high ventilation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Hammouda Mahjoub ◽  
Sahar Ben Romdhane ◽  
Nejla Mahjoub Said ◽  
Halemah Ibrahim El-Saeedy ◽  
Sami Znaidia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Pollutant Dispersion ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Atmospheric Effects ◽  
Source Modeling ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Elevated Source

Abstract Due to the rapid urbanization of many cities around the world, industrial manufacturing plants have grown rapidly, thus leading to the release of large amounts of pollutants into the environment. This is a main reason for the degradation of the local air quality, resulting in an increasing risk of unfavorable sanitary conditions for city dwellers. Understanding the dispersion of pollutants in local population environments, meteorological conditions and other physical characteristics is fundamental for predicting and evaluating air quality. This paper provides comprehensive details on the study of flow patterns and pollutant dispersion processes in urban areas. Several factors which include building geometry, local atmospheric effects, structural obstructions, and velocity of exhaust pollutants, are examined considering field data, wind tunnel tests, operational simulation techniques, and computational fluid dynamics. Good agreements are noticeable. Simultaneous evolutions of the velocity, thermal and scalar mass fraction fields of the pollutant emitting from a three-dimensional elevated source around a rectangular obstacle placed on a turbulent boundary layer wall, and also downstream the obstacle have been successfully carried out. The most serious pollutant levels in urban areas under various high wind velocities are identified.

scholarly journals Modeling the Impact of COVID-19 on Air Quality in Southern California: Implications for Future Control Policies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Jiang ◽  
Hongrong Shi ◽  
Bin Zhao ◽  
Yu Gu ◽  
Yifang Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Emission Reductions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

Abstract. In response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), California issued statewide stay-at-home orders, bringing about abrupt and dramatic reductions in air pollutant emissions. This crisis offers us an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of emission reductions on air quality. Here we use the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) in combination with surface observations to study the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown measures on air quality in southern California. Based on activity level statistics and satellite observations, we estimate the sectoral emission changes during the lockdown. Due to the reduced emissions, the population-weighted concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decrease by 15 % in southern California. The emission reductions contribute 68 % of the PM2.5 concentration decrease before and after the lockdown, while meteorology variations contribute the remaining 32 %. Among all chemical compositions, the PM2.5 concentration decrease due to emission reductions is dominated by nitrate and primary components. For O3 concentrations, the emission reductions cause a decrease in rural areas but an increase in urban areas; the increase can be offset by a 70 % emission reduction in anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC). These findings suggest that a strengthened control on primary PM2.5 emissions and a well-balanced control on nitrogen oxides and VOC emissions are needed to effectively and sustainably alleviate PM2.5 and O3 pollution in southern California.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document