scholarly journals Analiza zmian jakości powietrza Małopolski w latach 2012–2020

Nafta-Gaz ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 854-854
Author(s):  
Mateusz Rataj ◽  
◽  
Jadwiga Holewa-Rataj ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Individual Measurement ◽  
Dust Emissions ◽  
National Centre ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Polish Law ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring Stations ◽  
The City

The article focuses on the problem of air pollution, which is referred to as smog, which, according to the WHO, causes the death of 4.2 million people annually. In Europe, the problem of smog particularly affects Poland, according to WHO data, among the 50 most polluted European cities, as many as 33 are in Poland. Out of concern for the health of the residents, Polish law has given local authorities the opportunity to introduce anti-smog resolutions. Anti-smog resolutions focus mainly on reducing dust emissions from the municipal and housing sector, and according to the data of the National Centre for Balancing and Emissions Management, it is responsible for approximately 49% of dust emissions into the atmosphere in Poland. Małopolska also adopted anti-smog resolutions in 2016 (for the city of Kraków) and 2017 (for the remaining area of the voivodeship). Nevertheless, actions under the implementation of air protection programs in Małopolska have been undertaken much earlier. In the years 2013–2018, 43.6 thousand boilers and stoves using solid fuels were decommissioned in Małopolska, including 22.5 thousand in Kraków alone. The article analyzes the changes in air quality in Małopolska in the years 2012–2020. The data analysis focused on five basic pollutants included in smog (i.e. PM10 and PM2.5 dust, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide) and the readings of 8 air quality monitoring stations (3 located in the city of Krakow and 5 stations located outside Krakow). The main purpose of the analysis was to show whether the measures taken in Małopolska lead to the improvement of air quality. For this purpose, both changes in daily average and annual average pollutant concentrations recorded by individual measurement stations, as well as changes in the number of days in the heating season in which the limit values were exceeded were analyzed. The analysis of the available measurement data for the years 2012–2020 clearly showed that there are pollutants for which the permissible content in the air is exceeded many times a year throughout the voivodeship. At the same time, in the analyzed period, there are noticeable decreasing trends in the observed concentrations of individual pollutants in the air, which proves that the measures taken in Małopolska to improve air quality are slowly bringing results.

scholarly journals Evolution of Gaseous and Particulate Pollutants in the Air: What Changed after Five Lockdown Weeks at a Southwest Atlantic European Region (Northwest of Spain) Due to the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic?

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Jorge Moreda-Piñeiro ◽  
Joel Sánchez-Piñero ◽  
María Fernández-Amado ◽  
Paula Costa-Tomé ◽  
Nuria Gallego-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Southwest Atlantic ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring Stations ◽  
Almost All

Due to the exponential growth of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Spain (2020), the Spanish Government adopted lockdown measures as mitigating strategies to reduce the spread of the pandemic from 14 March. In this paper, we report the results of the change in air quality at two Atlantic Coastal European cities (Northwest Spain) during five lockdown weeks. The temporal evolution of gaseous (nitrogen oxides, comprising NOx, NO, and NO2; sulfur dioxide, SO2; carbon monoxide, CO; and ozone, O3) and particulate matter (PM10; PM2.5; and equivalent black carbon, eBC) pollutants were recorded before (7 February to 13 March 2020) and during the first five lockdown weeks (14 March to 20 April 2020) at seven air quality monitoring stations (urban background, traffic, and industrial) in the cities of A Coruña and Vigo. The influences of the backward trajectories and meteorological parameters on air pollutant concentrations were considered during the studied period. The temporal trends indicate that the concentrations of almost all species steadily decreased during the lockdown period with statistical significance, with respect to the pre-lockdown period. In this context, great reductions were observed for pollutants related mainly to fossil fuel combustion, road traffic, and shipping emissions (−38 to −78% for NO, −22 to −69% for NO2, −26 to −75% for NOx, −3 to −77% for SO2, −21% for CO, −25 to −49% for PM10, −10 to −38% for PM2.5, and −29 to −51% for eBC). Conversely, O3 concentrations increased from +5 to +16%. Finally, pollutant concentration data for 14 March to 20 April of 2020 were compared with those of the previous two years. The results show that the overall air pollutants levels were higher during 2018–2019 than during the lockdown period.

scholarly journals IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF INFORMATION SUPPORT FOR MONITORING AIR POLLUTION FROM VEHICLES (CASE STUDY OF ST. PETERSBURG)

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-74
Author(s):  
V. N. Lozhkin ◽  
◽  
O. V. Lozhkina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Information Support ◽  
Information Process ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Standard Limit ◽  
The City ◽  
Original Information

Introduction. St. Petersburg is the cultural and sea capital of Russia. The city is characterized by environmental problems typical for the largest cities in the world. It has a technical system for instrumental online monitoring and computational forecasting of air quality. Methods. The system maintains the information process by means of computational monitoring of its current and future state. Results. The paper describes methodological approaches to the generation of instrumental information about the structure and intensity of traffic flows in the urban road network and its digital transformation into GIS maps of air pollution in terms of pollutants standard limit values excess. Conclusion. The original information technology for air quality control was introduced at the regional level in the form of an official methodology and is used in environmental management activities.

scholarly journals LIFE MONZA: project description and actions’ updating

Noise Mapping ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Bartalucci ◽  
Francesco Borchi ◽  
Monica Carfagni ◽  
Rocco Furferi ◽  
Lapo Governi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
Project Description ◽  
Air Quality Improvement ◽  
The City

Abstract The introduction of Low Emission Zones, urban areas subject to road traffic restrictions in order to ensure compliance with the air pollutants limit values set by the European Directive on ambient air quality (2008/50/EC), is a common and well-established action in the administrative government of cities. The impacts on air quality improvement are widely analysed, whereas the effects and benefits concerning the noise have not been addressed in a comprehensive manner. As a consequence, the definition, the criteria for the analysis and the management methods of a Noise Low Emission Zone are not clearly expressed and shared yet. The LIFE MONZA project (Methodologies fOr Noise low emission Zones introduction And management - LIFE15 ENV/IT/000586) addresses these issues. The first objective of the project, co-funded by the European Commission, is to introduce an easy-replicable method for the identification and the management of the Noise Low Emission Zone, an urban area subject to traffic restrictions, whose impacts and benefits regarding noise issues will be analyzed and tested in the pilot area of the city of Monza, located in Northern Italy. Background conditions, structure, objectives of the project and actions’ progress will be discussed in this article.

Downscaling EDGAR emissions to local emission sectors for Switzerland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinta Edebeli ◽  
Curdin Spirig ◽  
Julien Anet
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Air Quality Model ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
Traffic Pattern ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
The Impact

<p>The fifth version of the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR 5.0) provides an impressive inventory of various pollutants. Pollutants from different emission sectors are available with daily, monthly and yearly temporal profiles at a high global resolution of 0.1°×0.1°. Although this resolution has been sufficient for regional air quality studies, the emissions appeared to be too coarse for local air quality studies in areas with complex topography. With Switzerland as a case study, we present our approach for downscaling EDGAR emission data to a much finer resolution of 0.02°×0.02° with the aim of modelling local air quality.</p><p>We downscaled the EDGAR emissions using a combination of GIS tools including QGIS, ArcGIS, and a series of python scripts. We obtained the surface coverage of different land use features within the defined EDGAR emission sectors from Open Street Map (OSM) using the <em>QuickOSM</em> tool in QGIS. With the calculated local surface area coverage of the emissions sectors, we downscaled the EDGAR inventory data within ArcGIS using a set of developed Arcpy script tools.</p><p>The outcome was a much finer resolved emission dataset which we fed into the WRF-CHEM air quality model within a pilot project. A comparison of the modelled pollutant concentrations using the two datasets (original EDGAR data and the downscaled data) shows an improved agreement between the downscaled dataset and the measurement data.</p><p>Studies investigating the impact of urbanization, land use change or traffic pattern on air quality may benefit from our downscaling solution, which, thanks to the global coverage of OSM, can be globally applied.</p>

Assessment of heterogenity of air pollution within an urban canopy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivien Voss ◽  
K. Heinke Schlünzen ◽  
David Grawe
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Urban Canopy ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Data Standard ◽  
The City

<p>Air pollution is an important topic within urban areas.  Limit values as given in the European Guidelines are introduced to reduce negative effects on humans and vegetation.  Exceedances of the limit values are to be assessed using measurements.  In case of found exceedances of the limit values, the local authorities need to act to reduce pollution levels. Highest values are found for several pollutants (NOx, NO2, particles) within densely build-up urban areas with traffic emissions being the major source and dispersion being very much impacted by the urban structures.  The quality assured measuring network used by the authorities is often too coarse to determine the heterogeneity in the concentration field. Low cost sample devices as employed in several citizen science projects might help to overcome the data sparsity. Volunteers measure the air quality at many sites, contribute to the measurement networks and provide the data on the web. However, the questions arising are: a) Are these data of sufficient high quality to provide results comparable to those of the quality assured networks? b) Is the network density sufficient to determine concentration patterns within the urban canopy layer? <br>One-year data from a citizen science network, which measures particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5) were compared to measurements provided by the local environmental agency, using two hot-spot areas in the city of Hamburg as an example. To determine how well the measurements agree with each other, a regression analyses was performed dependent on seasonal and diurnal cycles. Additionally, model simulations with the microscale obstacle resolving model MITRAS were performed for two characteristic building structures and different meteorological situations. The model results were used to determine local hot spots as well as areas where measurements might represent the concentration of particles for the urban quarter. The low cost sensor measurements show a general agreement to the city’s measurements, however, the values per sensor differ. Moreover, the measurements of the low-cost-sensor show an unrealistic dependence on relative humidity, resulting in over- or underestimations in certain cases. The model results clearly show that only a few sites allow measurements to be representative for a city quarter. The measurements of the citizen science project can provide a good overview about the tendencies of the air quality, but are currently not of sufficient quality to provide measurements calling for legal action.</p><p>The model results were used for the project AtMoDat. AtMoDat is an attempt to create a data standard for obstacle resolving models based on the existing Climate and Forecast (CF) conventions. A web-based survey is developed to get information on the requirements for the data standard. The next step is to extend the collection of model characteristics and eventually to provide a generic scheme.</p><p><strong>Acknowledgements</strong><br>This work contributes to project “AtMoDat” funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the funding number 16QK02C. Responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors.</p>

scholarly journals Assessment of the Variability of Air Pollutant Concentrations at Industrial, Traffic and Urban Background Stations in Krakow (Poland) Using Statistical Methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5623
Author(s):  
Robert Oleniacz ◽  
Tomasz Gorzelnik
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Urban Background ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Dependent Samples

In cities with an extensive air quality monitoring (AQM) system, the results of pollutant concentration measurements obtained in this system can be used not only for current assessments of air pollution, but also for analyzes aimed at better identification of factors influencing the air quality and for tracking trends in changes taking place in this regard. This can be achieved with the use of statistical methods that allow for the assessment of the variability of measurement data observed at stations of various types and for the determination of possible interdependencies between these data. In this article, an analysis of this type was carried out for traffic, urban background and industrial AQM stations in Krakow (Southern Poland) operating in the years 2017–2018 with the use of, i.a., cluster analyzes, as well as dependent samples t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test, taking into account the concentrations of air pollutants such as fine particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), benzene (C6H6) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). On the basis of the conducted analyzes, similarities and differences were shown between the data observed at individual types of stations, and the possibilities of using them to identify the causes of the observed changes and the effects of remedial actions to improve air quality undertaken recently and planned in the future were indicated. It was found that the air concentrations of some substances measured at these stations can be used to assess the emission abatement effects in road transport (NO2, PM10 or C6H6), residential heating (PM10 or SO2), and selective industrial plants (SO2, NO2 or C6H6).

scholarly journals Two-dimensional monitoring of air pollution in Madrid using a MAXDOAS-2D instrument

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Garcia-Nieto ◽  
Nuria Benavent ◽  
Rafael Borge ◽  
Alfonso Saiz-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Distributed Information ◽  
Path Lengths ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring Stations ◽  
First Time ◽  
The City

Abstract. Trace gases play a key role in the chemistry of urban atmospheres. Therefore, knowledge about their spatial distribution is needed to fully characterize the air quality in urban areas. Using a new Multi-AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAXDOAS)-2D instrument, along with inversion algorithms, we report for the first time two-dimensional maps of NO2 concentrations in the city of Madrid, Spain. We found good agreement between the MAXDOAS-2D mesoscale observations and the in-situ measurements provided by Madrid´s air quality monitoring stations. In addition to vertical profiles, we studied the horizontal gradients of NO2 in the surface layer by applying the different horizontal light path lengths in the two spectral regions included in the NO2 spectral analysis: ultraviolet (UV, at 360 nm) and visible (VIS, 477 nm). Finally, we also investigate the sensitivity of the instrument to infer vertically-distributed information on aerosol extinction coefficients and discuss possible future ways to improve the retrievals.

scholarly journals Inter- and intra-city comparisons of PM2.5 concentration changes under COVID-19 social distancing in seven major cities of South Korea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung-Hwan Kwak ◽  
Beom-Soon Han ◽  
Kyeongjoo Park ◽  
Sungju Moon ◽  
Han-Gyul Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Industrial Process ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Meteorological Influences ◽  
Concentration Changes ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring Stations ◽  
The City

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has prompted governments around the world to impose mitigation strategies of unprecedented scales, typically involving some form of restrictions on social activities and transportation. The South Korean government has been recommending a collection of guidelines now known as social distancing, leading to reduced human activities. This study analyzes changes in the concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during the 30-day periods before and since the start of social distancing on 29 February 2020 using measurement data from air quality monitoring stations at various locations of the seven major cities of South Korea, namely, Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Ulsan. All seven cities experienced decreased levels of PM2.5 concentration by up to 25% and smaller fluctuations during the period of social distancing. Inter-city comparisons show that the PM2.5 concentration changes are positively correlated with the city-wide PM2.5 emission fractions for mobile sources and negatively correlated with the city-wide PM2.5 emission fractions for combustion and industrial process sources. In addition, the meteorological influences favorable for transboundary pollutant transport have weakened during the period under COVID-19 social distancing. Intra-city comparisons show that decreases in the intra-city variability of PM2.5 concentration were larger in coastal cities than in inland cities. Comparisons between the inter- and intra-city variabilities in the PM2.5 concentration changes under social distancing highlight the importance of taking into account intra-city variabilities in addition to inter-city variabilities.

scholarly journals SUMARYCZNY POZIOM HAŁASU W OBSZARZE KAMPUSU MORASKO − REJON WYDZIAŁU NAUK GEOGRAFICZNYCH I GEOLOGICZNYCH UAM W POZNANIU

1970 ◽  
pp. 39-52
Author(s):  
JAROSŁAW KUBIAK
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Information ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
The Road ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Noise Limit ◽  
Formal Requirements ◽  
The City ◽  
Noise Map

The aim of the study was to learn the total (coming from all emitters) of the spatial distribution of noise on a fragment of the area belonging to the Morasko Campus in Poznań. The research consisted of direct measurements of the equivalent sound level (LAeq) in the field in designated positions and mapping the phenomenon. The formal requirements regarding the method of measuring noise in the external environment as well as its visualization have been observed in the work. The effect of the observations carried out was the development of a noise immission plan for the selected area illustrating the noise from all sources occurring in this area. They compared it with the road noise map developed in 2017 at the request of the City of Poznan. The measurement data was referred to the noise limit values in force in areas with teaching functions. The research used data sources from Topographic Objects Database (BDOT10k) and graphic studies made available through the Spatial Information System in Poznań.

Temporal patterns and trends of air pollution over distinct European urban areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Rodrigues ◽  
Carla Gama ◽  
Ana Ascenso ◽  
Kevin Oliveira ◽  
Sílvia Coelho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The Other ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Legal Standards ◽  
Residential Heating ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The City

<p><strong>European cities have made significant progress over the last decades towards a clean air. Despite all this progress, several urban areas are frequently exceeding air quality levels allowed by the European legal standards. The ClairCity project funded by the H2020 program addressed air pollution bringing a key missing factor in the way cities and societies organized themselves and work: citizens at the heart not only of the air pollution issues, but also of the solution, focusing on their behaviour, activities and practices. In this work, the ClairCity European pilot cities and regions (Bristol in the UK, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Sosnowiec in Poland, the Aveiro region in Portugal and the Liguria region around Genoa in Italy</strong><strong>) are studied in terms of air quality for a 10 year period regarding the main atmospheric pollutants over urban areas, namely particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone.</strong></p><p><strong>Therefore, the main objective of this work is to present a comprehensive diagnosis of the air quality and its main emission sources for each case study. The concentrations trends in the different typology of monitoring stations (background, traffic and industrial) were addressed, together with the knowledge of daily, weekly and seasonal pollution patterns to better understand the city specific profiles and to characterise pollutant dynamics and variations in multiple locations. </strong></p><p><strong>Each city/ region faces different issues and causes of air pollution, but all of these case studies have been working on to improve their air quality. In Bristol there have been strong downward trends in many air pollutants, but the levels of NO<sub>2</sub> remain persistently high and of concern, with transport the key contributor. PM on the other hand is not widely monitored in Bristol, but background levels at least are under limit values. Similarly, the main sources of air pollution in Amsterdam are traffic, in particular for NO<sub>2</sub>, and international shipping. Decreasing emissions and concentration levels point to some success of Amsterdam air quality policies in recent years. PM<sub>10</sub> exceedances are a seasonal pollution problem in Ljubljana, with the main particulate matter sources attributed to residential heating, which is still significantly outdated in some parts of the city, where households still heat with burning wood and biomass during winter. The most pressing issue for air quality within Sosnowiec is emissions from residential heating. Particulate matter are the main critical pollutants, linked with the use of inefficient heating systems, together with poor quality fuels, in winter. On the other hand, NO<sub>2</sub> limit values are also exceeded in Sosnowiec, but in comparison to the low-stack emissions, the problem is far smaller. On contrary, air quality in the Aveiro region is relatively good, due to an overall relatively low population density in the region, and an open landscape in a maritime climate. PM<sub>10</sub> and O<sub>3</sub> exceedances do occur occasionally. While, exceedances of NO<sub>2</sub> and O<sub>3</sub> concentrations are still problematic in Liguria region, with road transport, industrial plants and port activities being the main contributors to these problems.</strong></p>

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