scholarly journals THE ANTHROPOGENIC AIR POLLUTION SOURCE IDENTIFICATION IN URBAN AREAS USING SNOW SAMPLING

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jovita PILECKA ◽  
Inga GRINFELDE ◽  
Inga STRAUPE ◽  
Oskars PURMALIS
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Pollution Source ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Snow Sampling ◽  
Snow Samples

The anthropogenic sources of air pollution such as transport, energetics, household heating and industry generate different trace element footprint. The urban planning is one of tool to reduce air pollution with trace elements. The aim of this study is to identify air pollution sources in Jelgava city using trace elements. The snow sampling were collected during January and February 2017. The January snow samples characterise average Jelgava city air pollution. However, February characterises intensive tourism impact on total air quality of Jelgava city. The snow samples were analysed using inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (ICP-OES). The data analysis consists of three stages. First, data verification and development of waste burning; burning of oil and fossil materials; wastewater treatment and utilisation of sewage sludge; transport; metal industry and fireworks typical pollution trace element data sets. Second, the cluster analysis of each data set, by developing three groups of pollution level for each pollution source. Third the results of clusters were analysed using GIS, and the areas with different air pollution risks were identified. The results show strong evidence of transport and household impact on air quality.

Changes of air pollutants’ concentrations in selected Romanian cities during the pandemic year 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Iorga ◽  
George-Bogdan Burghelea
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Meteorological Parameters ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Mass

<p>Present research contributes to scientific knowledge concerning spatial and temporal variation of major air pollutants with high resolution at the country scale bringing statistical information on concentrations of NOx, O<sub>3</sub>, CO, SO<sub>2</sub> and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter below 10 μm (PM<sub>10</sub>) and below 2.5 μm (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) during the pandemic year 2020 using an observational data set from the Romanian National Air Quality Network in seven selected cities spread out over the country. These cities have different level of development, play regional roles, might have potential influence at European scale and they are expected to be impacted by different pollution sources. Among them, three cities (Bucharest, Brașov, Iași) appear frequently on the list of the European Commission with reference to the infringement procedure that the European Commission launched against Romania in the period 2007-2020 regarding air quality.</p><p>Air pollutant data was complemented with local meteorological parameters at each site (atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, global solar radiation, wind speed and direction). Statistics of air pollutants provide us with an overview of air pollution in main Romanian cities.  Correlations between meteorological parameters and ambient pollutant levels were analyzed. Lowest air pollution levels were measured during the lockdown period in spring, as main traffic and non-essential activities were severely restricted. Among exceptions were the construction activities that were not interrupted. During 2020, some of selected cities experienced few pollution episodes which were due to dust transport from Sahara desert. However, in Bucharest metropolitan area, some cases with high pollution level were found correlated with local anthropogenic activity namely, waste incinerations. Air mass origins were investigated for 72 hours back by computing the air mass backward trajectories using the HYSPLIT model. Dust load and spatial distribution of the aerosol optical depth with BSC-DREAM8b v2.0 and NMBM/BSC-Dust models showed the area with dust particles transport during the dust events.</p><p>The obtained results are important for investigations of sources of air pollution and for modeling of air quality.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Acknowledgment:</strong></p><p>The research leading to these results has received funding from the NO Grants 2014-2021, under Project contract no. 31/2020, EEA-RO-NO-2019-0423 project. NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for HYSPLIT transport model, available at READY website https://www.ready.noaa.gov  and the Barcelona dust forecast center for BSC-DREAM8b and NMBM/BSC-Dust models, available at:  https://ess.bsc.es/bsc-dust-daily-forecast are also acknowledged. The data regarding ground-based air pollution and meteorology by site was extracted from the public available Romanian National Air Quality Database, www.calitateaer.ro.</p>

VALORIZATION OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT OF SOUTH SERBIA FROM THE AIR QUALITY ASPECT

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 1329-1333
Author(s):  
Miodrag Šmelcerović
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Pollution Sources ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Cause And Effect ◽  
Sources Of Pollution

The protection of the environment and people’s health from negative influences of the pollution of air as a medium of the environment requires constant observing of the air quality in accordance with international standards, the analysis of emission and imission of polluting matters in the air, and their connection with the sources of pollution. Having in mind the series of laws and delegated legislations which define the field of air pollution, it is necessary to closely observe these long-term processes, discovering cause-and-effect relationships between the activities of anthropogenic sources of emission of polluting matters and the level of air degradation. The relevant evaluation of the air quality of a certain area can be conducted if the level of concentration of polluting matters characteristic for the pollution sources of this area is observed in a longer period of time. The data obtained by the observation of the air pollution are the basis for creation of the recovery program of a certain area. Vranje is a town in South Serbia where there is a bigger number of anthropogenic pollution sources that can significantly diminish the air quality. The cause-and-effect relationship of the anthropogenic sources of pollution is conducted related to the analysis of systematized data which are in the relevant data base of the authorized institution The Institute of Public Health Vranje, for the time period between the year of 2012. and 2017. By the analysis of data of imission concentrations of typical polluting matters, the dominant polluting matters were determined on the territory of the town of Vranje, the ones that are the causers of the biggest air pollution and the risk for people’s health. Analysis of the concentration of soot, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides indicates their presence in the air of Vranje town area in concentrations that do not exceed the permitted limit values annually. The greatest pollution is caused by the soot content in the air, especially in the winter period when the highest number of days with the values above the limit was registered. By perceiving the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors, it is clear that the concentration of polluting matters can be decreased only by establishing control over anthropogenic sources of pollution, and thus it can be contributed to the improvement of the air quality of this urban environment.

scholarly journals Scalable kernel-based SVM classification algorithm on imbalance air quality data for proficient healthcare

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shwet Ketu ◽  
Pramod Kumar Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Class Imbalance ◽  
Imbalanced Data ◽  
Classification Algorithm ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Classification Problems ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn the last decade, we have seen drastic changes in the air pollution level, which has become a critical environmental issue. It should be handled carefully towards making the solutions for proficient healthcare. Reducing the impact of air pollution on human health is possible only if the data is correctly classified. In numerous classification problems, we are facing the class imbalance issue. Learning from imbalanced data is always a challenging task for researchers, and from time to time, possible solutions have been developed by researchers. In this paper, we are focused on dealing with the imbalanced class distribution in a way that the classification algorithm will not compromise its performance. The proposed algorithm is based on the concept of the adjusting kernel scaling (AKS) method to deal with the multi-class imbalanced dataset. The kernel function's selection has been evaluated with the help of weighting criteria and the chi-square test. All the experimental evaluation has been performed on sensor-based Indian Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) dataset. The proposed algorithm with the highest accuracy of 99.66% wins the race among all the classification algorithms i.e. Adaboost (59.72%), Multi-Layer Perceptron (95.71%), GaussianNB (80.87%), and SVM (96.92). The results of the proposed algorithm are also better than the existing literature methods. It is also clear from these results that our proposed algorithm is efficient for dealing with class imbalance problems along with enhanced performance. Thus, accurate classification of air quality through our proposed algorithm will be useful for improving the existing preventive policies and will also help in enhancing the capabilities of effective emergency response in the worst pollution situation.

scholarly journals Clean air in the Anthropocene

2017 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 693-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jos Lelieveld
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Years Of Life Lost ◽  
Clean Air

In atmospheric chemistry, interactions between air pollution, the biosphere and human health, often through reaction mixtures from both natural and anthropogenic sources, are of growing interest. Massive pollution emissions in the Anthropocene have transformed atmospheric composition to the extent that biogeochemical cycles, air quality and climate have changed globally and partly profoundly. It is estimated that mortality attributable to outdoor air pollution amounts to 4.33 million individuals per year, associated with 123 million years of life lost. Worldwide, air pollution is the major environmental risk factor to human health, and strict air quality standards have the potential to strongly reduce morbidity and mortality. Preserving clean air should be considered a human right, and is fundamental to many sustainable development goals of the United Nations, such as good health, climate action, sustainable cities, clean energy, and protecting life on land and in the water. It would be appropriate to adopt “clean air” as a sustainable development goal.

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 Implementation of dataflow programming based Fuzzy Logic algorithm for gas concentration index in around of Sidoarjo mudflow, Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 154 ◽  
pp. 03012
Author(s):  
Edita Rosana Widasari ◽  
Barlian Henryranu Prasetio ◽  
Hurriyatul Fitriyah ◽  
Reza Hastuti
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Fuzzy Logic ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Methane Concentration ◽  
Air Quality Index ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Affected Area ◽  
Fuzzy Logic Algorithm ◽  
Dataflow Programming

Sidoarjo mudflow or known as Lapindo mudflow erupted since 2006. The Sidoarjo mudflow is located in Sidoarjo City, East Java, Indonesia. The mudflow-affected area has high air pollution level and high health risk. Therefore, in this paper was implemented a system that can categorize the level of air pollution into several categories. The air quality index can be categorized using fuzzy logic algorithm based on the concentration of air pollutant parameters in the mudflow-affected area. Furthermore, Dataflow programming is used to process the fuzzy logic algorithm. Based on the result, the measurement accuracy of the air quality index in the mudflow-affected area has an accuracy rate of 93.92% in Siring Barat, 93.34% in Mindi, and 95.96% in Jatirejo. The methane concentration is passes the standard quality even though the air quality index is safe. Hence, the area is indicated into Hazardous level. In addition, Mindi has highest and stable methane concentration. It means that Mindi has high-risk air pollution.

scholarly journals The Influence of Air Pollution on Corticolous Lichens near the Strathcona Industrial Area, Alberta

2007 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Elsinger ◽  
E. Burrell ◽  
N. DeBruyn ◽  
K. Tanasichuk ◽  
K. Timoney
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Pollution Source ◽  
Pollution Gradient ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Parmelia Sulcata ◽  
Lichen Community

Lichens that grow on the bark of mature trees were studied at 35 sites along an air pollution gradient east of Edmonton, Alberta. Data on species composition, richness, and cover were recorded in October 1999 in a matrix of sites that extends from a known source of pollutants (the Strathcona Industrial Area) east across Strathcona County. Air pollution is affecting the corticolous lichen community. Lichen species richness and total cover increased with distance from the pollution source. Species richness in areas distant from pollution was roughly twice that in areas near the Strathcona Industrial Area. Xanthoria fallax and Phaeophyscia orbicularis were the most pollution tolerant lichens. Xanthoria hasseana, Ochrolechia arborea, Physcia adscendens, Parmelia sulcata, and Melanelia albertana were rare or absent near the pollution source and common in more distant areas. Most of the 15 species assessed were sensitive to air quality to some degree. Some lichens near the refineries and in Sherwood Park showed abnormal coloration and poor thallus integrity indicative of stress. We discuss implications for human health.

Atmospheric satellite-based and in situ surface observations on summertime trace gases (CO, CO2, CH4) over the metropolitan area of Bucharest

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius-Paul Corbu ◽  
Andreea Calcan ◽  
Ioana Vizireanu ◽  
Denisa Elena Moaca ◽  
Robert-Valentin Chiritescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Trace Gases ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Mass ◽  
Synoptic Conditions

<p>Although anthropogenic emissions of trace gases have decreased over the last decades in Europe, strong additional reductions are required to reach the goals of the Paris climate agreements. In addition, air pollution is an issue of great concern for the inhabitants of the metropolitan area of Bucharest, as the local air quality is often poor. The rapid development of the city, increased traffic volume from a mixed vehicle fleet (different technologies and fuels), and other factors are strong contributors of emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in Bucharest.</p><p>The goal of this research was the assessment of CO, CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations in Bucharest, identification of potential emissions hotspots and their causes (anthropogenic or natural/biogenic, local or distant) and determination of the background values.</p><p>Measurements were performed in summer 2019 in four districts of Bucharest covering about two thirds of the metropolitan area during the Romanian Methane Emissions from Oil&gas (ROMEO) campaign with high resolution (1 sec). These data sets were complemented with satellite observations of CO and CH<sub>4</sub> from Copernicus Sentinel-5P at a resolution of 7 km<sup>2</sup>.</p><p>Hourly meteorological data, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure were added to the air pollutant data set because synoptic conditions can strongly influence the levels of pollution. Air mass origins were investigated by computing backward air mass trajectories using the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model for 72 hours back.</p><p>Points of high concentrations of CO, CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub> near the surface were identified which are, most likely, linked to local anthropogenic activities in the nearby surroundings. We identified a variation of concentrations of CO from 0.01 to 101 ppm, of CO<sub>2</sub> from 388 to 6556 ppm, and of CH<sub>4</sub> from 1.89 to 246 ppm, while background levels are as follows: 0.071±0.042 ppm CO, 392.68±3.01 ppm CO<sub>2</sub>, and 1.93±0.016 ppm CH<sub>4</sub>.</p><p>Results of our study provide an up to date quantitative image of CO, CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub> hotspots in the Bucharest area, which is important for modeling air quality and may also help to improve the relationships between column integrated air pollution data with in situ ground observations.</p><p><strong>Acknowledgement:</strong></p><p>This research is supported by ROMEO project, developed under UNEP’s financial support PCA/CCAC/UU/DTIE19-EN652. Partial financial support from UB198/Int project is also acknowledged.</p><p>The authors acknowledge the free use of tropospheric CO and CH<sub>4</sub> column data from TROPOMI (Sentinel-5P) sensor from https://s5phub.copernicus.eu and the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for the provision of the HYSPLIT transport model available at READY website https://www.ready.noaa.gov</p><p>Special thanks to all INCAS technical staff for their support in performing the campaigns.</p>

Baseline Concentrations of Trace Metals in Grassland Topsoils from West Jilin Province, Northeast China

2011 ◽  
Vol 347-353 ◽  
pp. 2140-2145
Author(s):  
Qing Wei Zhang ◽  
She Li Chai ◽  
Jing Cai ◽  
Li Na Gao
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Trace Metal ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Jilin Province ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Baseline Concentrations ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
West Jilin Province

The objective of this study was to determine the baseline concentrations of trace elements in grassland topsoils from 155 soil sampling sites in West Jilin province, Northeast China, to establish the relationships between the trace metal contents and soil physicochemical properties and major oxide contents and among trace metal concentrations themselves, and to identify the possible sources of trace element in soils. The baseline concentrations of trace elements(mg/kg) were: As 3.12-14.18, B 16.17-49.08, Cd 0.037-0.127, Co 0.96-15.28, Cr 18.87-60.83, Cu 10.81-24.75, Hg 0.004-0.035, Mn 171.25-657.87, Mo 0.08-1.15, Ni 6.79-30, Pb 12.58 -26.08, Se 0.03-0.36, and Zn 18.93-61.03. The upper baseline limits of these elements were all less than the Chinese Environmental Quality Standard for Soils, the Dutch Intervention Values for Soils, implying that trace element contents in the studied soils were of the safety levels.Fe2O3 and Al2O3 had stronger correlations with most trace elements than other oxides, and Co,Cr,Cu,Mn, Ni were highly correlated one another. Three types of geochemical associations were distinguished from this study:the first association involving As,Co,Cr,Cu,Mn,Mo,Ni,Pb,Zn,Al2O3 and Fe2O3 was mainly associated with Al,Fe-Mn oxides and/or with the Al-bearing clay minerals, suggesting that the trace elements were mainly derived from lithogenic and pedogenic processes; the second association including Se, Hg, Cd, CaO and organic carbon was mainly associated with organic matter and calcium oxides, showing that Se,Hg and Cd were mainly contributed by anthropogenic sources; the third association containing B, Na2O, K2O, MgO, pH, and electrical conductivity was mainly associated salinization processes of soils, implying that alkaline pH and high Na contents would enhance B concentration of soils.

WILL AIR QUALITY IN SYDNEY MEET PROPOSED AUSTRALIAN FINE PARTICLE NEPM GUIDELINES?

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 233-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDUARD STELCER ◽  
OLGA HAWAS ◽  
DAVID COHEN ◽  
ADAM SARBUTT ◽  
DAVID BUTTON
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Fine Particle ◽  
New South ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Beam Analysis ◽  
Us Epa ◽  
Rural Sites

Since 1991 ANSTO's ion beam analysis (IBA) laboratory has been sampling fine atmospheric particles every Wednesday and Sunday at urban and rural sites in New South Wales. Multi-elemental accelerator-based IBA techniques were used to characterise major components and significant trace elements with minimum detectable limits close to 1 ng/m3. Observed mass concentrations will be compared with air quality US EPA standards and proposed Australian fine particle NEPM guidelines. Trace elements strongly associated with source fingerprints responsible for high air pollution will also be discussed in this paper.

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