scholarly journals Diurnal, Temporal and Spatial Variations of Main Air Pollutants Before and during Emergency Lockdown in the City of Novi Sad (Serbia)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1212
Author(s):  
Miloš Davidović ◽  
Sonja Dmitrašinović ◽  
Maja Jovanović ◽  
Jelena Radonić ◽  
Milena Jovašević-Stojanović
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
The State ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
Source Profiles ◽  
Novi Sad ◽  
The City

Changes in air pollution in the region of the city of Novi Sad due to the COVID-19 induced state of emergency were evaluated while using data from permanently operating air quality monitoring stations belonging to the national, regional, and local networks, as well as ad hoc deployed low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors. The low-cost sensors were collocated with reference gravimetric pumps. The starting idea for this research was to determine if and to what extent a massive change of anthropogenic activities introduced by lockdown could be observed in main air pollutants levels. An analysis of the data showed that fine and coarse particulate matter, as well as SO2 levels, did not change noticeably, compared to the pre-lockdown period. Isolated larger peaks in PM pollution were traced back to the Aralkum Desert episode. The reduced movement of vehicles and reduced industrial and construction activities during the lockdown in Novi Sad led to a reduction and a more uniform profile of the PM2.5 levels during the period between morning and afternoon air pollution peak, approximately during typical working hours. Daily profiles of NO2, NO, and NOX during the state of emergency proved lower levels during most hours of the day, due to restrictions on vehicular movement. CO during the state of the emergency mainly exhibited a lower level during night. Pollutants having transportation-dominated source profiles exhibited a decrease in level, while pollutants with domestic heating source profiles mostly exhibited a constant level. Considering local sources in Novi Sad, slight to moderate air quality improvement was observed after the lockdown as compared with days before. Furthermore, PM low-cost sensors’ usefulness in air quality assessment was confirmed, as they increase spatial resolution, but it is necessary to calibrate them at the deployment location.

Air Quality in Riga and Its Improvement Options

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (-1) ◽  
pp. 72-78
Author(s):  
Janis Kleperis ◽  
Gunars Bajars ◽  
Ingrida Bremere ◽  
Martins Menniks ◽  
Arturs Viksna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Particle Pollution ◽  
The City

Air Quality in Riga and Its Improvement Options Air quality in the city of Riga is evaluated from direct monitoring results and from accounting registered air pollutants in the city. It is concluded that from all air polluting substances listed in the European Commission directives, only nitrogen dioxide NO2 and particulate matter PM10 exceed the limits. In assessing the projected measures to improve air quality in Riga, it can be concluded that the implementation of cleaner fuels and improvements in energy efficiency of household and industrial sectors will decrease particle pollution, but measures in the transport sector will also contribute to reducing air pollution from nitrogen oxides.

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 Using a Network of Locally Developed Low Cost Particulate Matter Sensors for Land Use Regression Modeling of PM2.5 in Urban Uganda

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S. Coker ◽  
Ssematimba Joel ◽  
Engineer Bainomugisha
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Pollution Monitoring ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Land Use Regression ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background: There are major air pollution monitoring gaps in sub-Saharan Africa. Developing capacity in the region to conduct air monitoring in the region can help estimate exposure to air pollution for epidemiology research. The purpose of our study is to develop a land use regression (LUR) model using low-cost air quality sensors developed by a research group in Uganda (AirQo). Methods: Using these low-cost sensors, we collected continuous measurements of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) between May 1, 2019 and February 29, 2020 at 22 monitoring sites across urban municipalities of Uganda. We compared average monthly PM2.5 concentrations from the AirQo sensors with measurements from a BAM-1020 reference monitor operated at the US Embassy in Kampala. Monthly PM2.5 concentrations were used for LUR modeling. We used eight Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and ensemble modeling; using 10-fold cross validation and root mean squared error (RMSE) to evaluate model performance. Results: Monthly PM2.5 concentration was 60.2 µg/m3 (IQR: 45.4-73.0 µg/m3; median= 57.5 µg/m3). For the ML LUR models, RMSE values ranged between 5.43 µg/m3 - 15.43 µg/m3 and explained between 28% and 92% of monthly PM2.5 variability. Generalized additive models explained the largest amount of PM2.5 variability (R2=0.92) and produced the lowest RMSE (5.43 µg/m3) in the held-out test set. The most important predictors of monthly PM2.5 concentrations included monthly precipitation, major roadway density, population density, latitude, greenness, and percentage of households using solid fuels. Conclusion: To our knowledge, ours is the first study to model the spatial distribution of urban air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa using air monitors developed from the region itself. Non-parametric ML for LUR modeling performed with high accuracy for prediction of monthly PM2.5 levels. Our analysis suggests that locally produced low-cost air quality sensors can help build capacity to conduct air pollution epidemiology research in the region.

scholarly journals Spatial Extent and Distribution of Ambient Airborne Particulate Matter (PM2.5) in Selected Land Use Sites in Nairobi, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Caroline Kiai ◽  
Christopher Kanali ◽  
Joseph Sang ◽  
Michael Gatari
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Airborne Particulate Matter ◽  
Spatial Extent ◽  
Airborne Particulate ◽  
Concentration Levels ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

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.

scholarly journals City Scale Particulate Matter Monitoring Using LoRaWAN Based Air Quality IoT Devices

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Johnston ◽  
Philip J. Basford ◽  
Florentin M. J. Bulot ◽  
Mihaela Apetroaie-Cristea ◽  
Natasha H. C. Easton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Wide Area Network ◽  
Sensor Coverage ◽  
Iot Devices ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The City

Air Quality (AQ) is a very topical issue for many cities and has a direct impact on citizen health. The AQ of a large UK city is being investigated using low-cost Particulate Matter (PM) sensors, and the results obtained by these sensors have been compared with government operated AQ stations. In the first pilot deployment, six AQ Internet of Things (IoT) devices have been designed and built, each with four different low-cost PM sensors, and they have been deployed at two locations within the city. These devices are equipped with LoRaWAN wireless network transceivers to test city scale Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) coverage. The study concludes that (i) the physical device developed can operate at a city scale; (ii) some low-cost PM sensors are viable for monitoring AQ and for detecting PM trends; (iii) LoRaWAN is suitable for city scale sensor coverage where connectivity is an issue. Based on the findings from this first pilot project, a larger LoRaWAN enabled AQ sensor network is being deployed across the city of Southampton in the UK.

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 Airborne particulate matter monitoring in Kenya using calibrated low cost sensors

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis D. Pope ◽  
Michael Gatari ◽  
David Ng’ang’a ◽  
Alexander Poynter ◽  
Rhiannon Blake
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Urban Background ◽  
Rural Background ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Urban Sites ◽  
Urban Background Site

Abstract. East African countries face an increasing threat from poor air quality, stemming from rapid urbanisation, population growth and a steep rise in fuel use and motorization rates. With few air quality monitoring systems available, this study provides the much needed high temporal resolution data to investigate the concentrations of particulate matter (PM) air pollution in Kenya. Calibrated low cost optical particle counters (OPCs) were deployed in Kenya in three locations: two in the capital of Nairobi and one in a rural location in the outskirts of Nanyuki, which is upwind of Nairobi. The two Nairobi sites consist of an urban background site and a roadside site. The instruments were composed of an Alphasense OPC-N2 optical particle counter (OPC) ran with a raspberry pi low cost microcomputer, packaged in a weather proof box. Measurements were conducted over a two-month period (February–March 2017) with an intensive study period when all measurements were active at all sites lasting two weeks. When collocated, the three OPC-N2 instruments demonstrated good inter-instrument precision with a coefficient of variance of 8.8 ± 2.0 % in the PM2.5 fraction. The low cost sensors had an absolute PM mass concentration calibration using a collocated gravimetric measurement at the urban background site in Nairobi. The mean daily PM1 mass concentration measured at the urban roadside, urban background and rural background sites were 23.9, 16.1, 8.8 µg m−3. The mean daily PM2.5 mass concentration measured at the urban roadside, urban background and rural background sites were 36.6, 24.8, 13.0 µg m−3. The mean daily PM10 mass concentration measured at the urban roadside, urban background and rural background sites were 93.7, 53.0, 19.5 µg m−3. The urban measurements in Nairobi showed that particulate matter concentrations regularly exceed WHO guidelines in both the PM10 and PM2.5 size ranges. Following a Lenschow type approach we can estimate the urban and roadside increments that are applicable to Nairobi. Median urban and roadside increments are 33.1 and 43.3 µg m−3 for PM10, respectively, the median urban and roadside increments are 7.1 and 18.3 µg m−3 for PM2.5, respectively, and the median urban and roadside increments are 4.7 and 12.6 µg m−3 for PM1, respectively. These increments highlight the importance of both the urban and roadside increments to urban air pollution in Nairobi. A clear diurnal behaviour in PM mass concentration was observed at both urban sites, which peaks during the morning and evening Nairobi rush hours; this was consistent with the high measured roadside increment indicating vehicular traffic being a dominant source of particulate matter in the city, accounting for approximately 48.1, 47.5, and 57.2 % of the total particulate matter loading in the PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 size ranges, respectively. Collocated meteorological measurements at the urban sites were collected, allowing for an understanding of the location of major sources of particulate matter at the two sites. The potential problems of using low cost sensors for PM measurement without gravimetric calibration available at all sites are discussed. This study shows that calibrated low cost sensors can be used successfully to measure air pollution in cities like Nairobi. It demonstrates that low cost sensors could be used to create an affordable and reliable network to monitor air quality in cities.

scholarly journals Development of a low-cost outdoor carbon monoxide analyzer applied to the city of Oran, Algeria.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farid RAHAL ◽  
Noureddine BENABADJI ◽  
Mohamed BENCHERIF ◽  
Mohamed Menaouer BENCHERIF
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Electrochemical Sensor ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Atmospheric Pollutants ◽  
Pollution Monitoring ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Air Pollution Monitoring ◽  
The City

Abstract In Algeria, air pollution is classified as a major risk by the law. However, this risk is underestimated because there is no operational network for measuring air quality on a continuous basis.Despite the heavy investments made to equip several cities with these measurement systems, they are out of order due to a lack of continuous financial support.The alternative to the absence of these air pollution measurement networks can come from the recent development of electrochemical sensor technologies for air quality monitoring which arouses a certain interest because of their miniaturization, low energy consumption and low cost.We developed a low-cost outdoor carbon monoxide analyzer called APOMOS (Air pollution Monitoring System) based on electrochemical sensor managed by microcontroller. An application developed with the Python language makes it possible to manage process and analyze the collected data.In order to validate the APOMOS system, the recorded measurements are compared with measurements taken by a conventional analyzer.Comparison of the measurements resulting from conventional analyzer and those resulting from the APOMOS system gives a coefficient of determination of 98.39 %.Two versions of this system have been designed. A fixed version and another embedded, equipped with a GPS sensor. These 2 variants were used in the city of Oran in Algeria to measure the concentration of carbon monoxide continuously.The targeted pollutant is carbon monoxide. However, the design of the APOMOS system allows its evolution in an easy way in order to integrate other sensors concerning the various atmospheric pollutants.

scholarly journals Prayagraj: Air Pollution Profile and Policy Recommendations

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 560-573
Author(s):  
Sugandh Kumar Choudhary
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Critical Zone ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The City ◽  
Pollution Profile

Air pollution is the fifth leading risk factor behind theworld – wide mortality. Ever growing population size feeding industrial activity through demand channel, vehicular pollution accompanied by rapid urbanization and burning of fossil fuels pose a serious threat to clean air. Some major air pollutants under study in the city of Prayagraj are Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Particulate Matter (PM10) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2). Pollution profile of the city localityi.e. Rambagh, Johnstonganj, Alopibagh, Crossing Mahalakshmi talkies and Bharat Yantra Nigam are studied. PM10 level of exposure is serious in Crossing Mahalakshmi talkiesand Alopibagh area as exposure to very high level in the range of 250 – 400 µg/m3 occurs for the longest duration of time. Alopibagh, Johnstonganj and Rambagh shows critical level of Nitrogen Dioxide indicating higher vehicular movement in these areas. Trend wise, SO2 component has spiked above 12 µg/m3 at Rambagh, Johnstonganj and Alopibagh during the onset of winters season in 2016. Similar phenomenon was seen at Bharat Yantra Nigam and Crossing Mahalakshmi talkies during winter season of 2019. Arrival of monsoon tend to lower pollutants content in the outdoor ambient air quality. Overall air quality is in critical zone at Alopibagh for 45 per cent of the time period followed by Johnstonganj. Crossing Mahalakshmi talkies and Bharat Yantra Nigamshows critical air quality for more than 60 per cent of the time period which calls for urgent action to prevent them from entering the critical zone. Overall air quality of Prayagraj is range bound with air pollutants improve during the monsoon season. However, improvement in air quality has reduced in the last two years as fall in air pollutants is less in 2018 and 2019 monsoon compared to previous two years. The findings of the paper will help the administration, municipal corporation and various stake holders of the city to take targeted measures locality wise towards pollution control depending upon pollutants concentration and exposure area – wise. It will also raise public awareness about pollutant levels in their area.

scholarly journals The efficiency of the fare-free public transport for the air pollution reduction

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (8) ◽  
pp. 9-15
Author(s):  
Mikulski Maciej
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Nitrogen Oxide ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Pollution Reduction ◽  
Heating Season ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The City

The article presents the problem of air pollution in polish cities on the example of Cracow. The focus was on one of the corrective actions taken by the city – free-fare public transport during high air pollution. Changes in the city's approach to this service since 2015 and consequences for the city budget were presented. Then, the efficiency of free-fare public transport in attracting new passengers was considered. The example of the Nysa town was cited, which introduced such permission for car drivers, but withdrew it three years later. In the next step, the concentration of air pollution before and after the activation of free-fare public transport in the heating season 2018/2019 was analyzed. Particulate matter PM10, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide were taken into account. There was no constant relationship between the changes in the level of these pollutants in the air and the full-paid (or fare-free) public transport. There is also no reason for the need to change parameters based on witch the fare-free public transport is activated. Finally, the necessity of further efforts of central and local authorities to improve air quality as well as further research on sources of air pollution and efficiency of undertaken actions was emphasized. Keywords: fare-free public transport, air pollution, environmental protection

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document