scholarly journals Analyzing the basic meteorological aspects of a particulate air pollution episode over the industrial area of Northwestern Greece during the November of 2009

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-253 ◽  

The complex terrain basin of Amyntaio – Ptolemais – Kozani in Western Macedonia of Greece is an area characterized by increased industrial activity and therefore it demands continuous and assiduous environmental monitoring. A prolonged particulate matter air pollution episode was recorded in the area during November 2009. Basic meteorological aspects are analyzed, during the episode period. Daily and hourly PM10 and PM2.5 concentration measurements were used along with surface and lower atmosphere hourly meteorological parameters from 13 measuring stations. The observational data were supported by data produced by the meteorological component of an air pollution model. The overall analysis showed that the episode was primarily the result of the synoptic setting of the middle and lower troposphere. An Omega blocking pattern which gradually transformed to a high-over-low pattern prevailed over central and southern Europe during the episode’s period. The examination of the vertical wind field in the lower troposphere and appropriate stability indices, revealed a continuous absence of significant convection. The weak horizontal wind field near the surface and the reduced mixing height combined with the lack of synoptic forcing resulted in the trapping of the pollutants in the lower troposphere and the recording of increased airborne particulate matter concentrations. The radical change of the synoptic setting in the first days of December marked the end of the episode.

2021 ◽  
Vol 129 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Devin R O'Piela ◽  
Ty A Saldana ◽  
David M Aslaner ◽  
Matthew W Gorr ◽  
Amy R Mackos ◽  
...  

Air pollution has detrimental effects on cardiovascular and lung function, and the extent of its pathological consequences continues to be uncovered. Recently, air pollution has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer Disease (AD) progression. AD and heart failure are common co-morbidities, giving reason to believe that cardiovascular dysfunction may contribute to AD. A known contributor to cardiovascular dysfunction-particulate matter (PM 2.5 , < 2.5 μm diameter)—is a critical component of air pollution and is considered a risk factor for heart failure and AD development. This co-morbidity pattern and shared environmental risk factor prompted the hypothesis that PM 2.5 contributes to cardiovascular dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model of AD. We tested our hypothesis by subjecting 6-month-old transgenic (APP) and non-carrier wildtype (WT) male mice to filtered air (FA) or PM 2.5 for 5 days/week, 6 hours/day for 3 months (n = 34). Following exposure, echocardiography, pressure-volume (PV) loops, and respiratory mechanics were performed to detect cardiac and pulmonary changes associated with genotype and exposure conditions among the 3-month group. Echocardiography revealed left ventricular anterior wall thickness in systole was significantly elevated among PM-exposed APP mice compared to FA-exposed APP controls. PV data demonstrated significant reduced end-systolic elastance in PM-exposed mice compared to FA-exposed mice in both WT and APP mouse models, demonstrating impaired contractility. PV loops also showed that the time constant of isovolumetric relaxation was increased in PM-exposed compared to FA-exposed WT mice. APP mice experienced higher lung resistance and central airway resistance with an increasing dose of methacholine. Taken together, these findings indicate airborne particulate matter exposure causes cardiac and pulmonary dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model of AD.


2010 ◽  
Vol 158 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Cambra-López ◽  
André J.A. Aarnink ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Salvador Calvet ◽  
Antonio G. Torres

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 16345-16361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derong Zhou ◽  
Ke Ding ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Lixia Liu ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract. Anthropogenic fossil fuel (FF) combustion, biomass burning (BB) and desert dust are the main sources of air pollutants around the globe but are particularly intensive and important for air quality in Asia in spring. In this study, we investigate the vertical distribution, transport characteristics, source contribution and meteorological feedback of these aerosols in a unique pollution episode that occurred in eastern Asia based on various measurement data and modeling methods. In this episode, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in eastern China experienced persistent air pollution, dramatically changing from secondary fine particulate pollution to dust pollution in late March 2015. The Eulerian and Lagrangian models were conducted to investigate the vertical structure, transport characteristics and mechanisms of the multi-scale, multisource and multiday air pollution episode. The regional polluted continental aerosols mainly accumulated near the surface, mixed with dust aerosol downwash from the upper planetary boundary layer (PBL) and middle–lower troposphere (MLT), and further transported by large-scale cold fronts and warm conveyor belts. BB smoke from Southeast Asia was transported by westerlies around the altitude of 3 km from southern China, was further mixed with dust and FF aerosols in eastern China and experienced long-range transport over the Pacific. These pollutants could all be transported to the YRD region and cause a structure of multilayer pollution there. These pollutants could also cause significant feedback with MLT meteorology and then enhance local anthropogenic pollution. This study highlights the importance of intensive vertical measurement in eastern China and the downwind Pacific Ocean and raises the need for quantitative understanding of environmental and climate impacts of these pollution sources.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Caroline Kiai ◽  
Christopher Kanali ◽  
Joseph Sang ◽  
Michael Gatari

Air pollution is one of the most important environmental and public health concerns worldwide. Urban air pollution has been increasing since the industrial revolution due to rapid industrialization, mushrooming of cities, and greater dependence on fossil fuels in urban centers. Particulate matter (PM) is considered to be one of the main aerosol pollutants that causes a significant adverse impact on human health. Low-cost air quality sensors have attracted attention recently to curb the lack of air quality data which is essential in assessing the health impacts of air pollutants and evaluating land use policies. This is mainly due to their lower cost in comparison to the conventional methods. The aim of this study was to assess the spatial extent and distribution of ambient airborne particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) in Nairobi City County. Seven sites were selected for monitoring based on the land use type: high- and low-density residential, industrial, agricultural, commercial, road transport, and forest reserve areas. Calibrated low-cost sensors and cyclone samplers were used to monitor PM2.5 concentration levels and gravimetric measurements for elemental composition of PM2.5, respectively. The sensor percentage accuracy for calibration ranged from 81.47% to 98.60%. The highest 24-hour average concentration of PM2.5 was observed in Viwandani, an industrial area (111.87 μg/m³), and the lowest concentration at Karura (21.25 μg/m³), a forested area. The results showed a daily variation in PM2.5 concentration levels with the peaks occurring in the morning and the evening due to variation in anthropogenic activities and the depth of the atmospheric boundary layer. Therefore, the study suggests that residents in different selected land use sites are exposed to varying levels of PM2.5 pollution on a regular basis, hence increasing the potential of causing long-term health effects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1855
Author(s):  
Hojin Jung

Airborne particulate matter suspended from industrial facilities, power plants, and automobiles is detrimental to health. Growing concerns about the increasing level of airborne particulate matter have led many industrialized nations to advocate for the transformation of the energy market and investment in sustainable energy products. At the other end, consumers have made individual adjustments and attempted to reduce the exposure to the particulate matter. In this paper, we focus on the effect of ambient air pollution on consumer expenditures based on scanner panel data on consumers’ debit and credit card transactions. A series of empirical analyses found robust evidence that the increased level of particulate matter led to considerable disruption in total consumer expenditures with significant heterogeneity across categories. Our findings suggest that consumers alter their spending behaviors in an attempt to reduce the risk of exposures to particulate matter. Such an estimated effect of air pollution is qualitatively different from those of other macroeconomic factors and provides important guidance for policy interventions and practical decisions aimed at sustaining economic growth.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document