scholarly journals Subtle Changes or Dramatic Perceptions of Air Pollution in Sydney during COVID-19

Environments ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Peter Brimblecombe ◽  
Yonghang Lai
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
New South ◽  
Human Mobility ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Physical Reality ◽  
Social Perceptions ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Significant Difference

The COVID-19 pandemic made it critical to limit the spread of the disease by enforcing human isolation, restricting travel and reducing social activities. Dramatic improvements to air quality, especially NO2, have often characterised places under COVID-19 restrictions. Air pollution measurements in Sydney in April 2019 and during the lockdown period in April 2020 show reduced daily averaged NO2 concentrations: 8.52 ± 1.92 and 7.85 ± 2.92 ppb, though not significantly so (p1~0.15) and PM2.5 8.91 ± 4.94 and 7.95 ± 2.64 µg m−3, again a non-significant difference (p1~0.18). Satellite imagery suggests changes that parallel those at ground level, but the column densities averaged over space and time, in false-colour, are more dramatic. Changed human mobility could be traced in increasing times spent at home, assessed from Google Mobility Reports and mirrored in decreased traffic flow on a major road, suggesting compliance with the restrictions. Electricity demand for the State of New South Wales was low under lockdown in early April 2020, but it recovered rapidly. Analysis of the uses of search terms: bushfires, air quality, haze and air pollution using Google Trends showed strong links between bushfires and pollution-related terms. The smoke from bushfires in late 2019 may well have added to the general impression of improved air quality during lockdown, despite only modest changes in the ground level measurements. This gives hints that successful regulation of air quality requires maintaining a delicate balance between our social perceptions and the physical reality.

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.

scholarly journals A Clean Air Plan for Sydney: An Overview of the Special Issue on Air Quality in New South Wales

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Paton-Walsh ◽  
Peter Rayner ◽  
Jack Simmons ◽  
Sonya L. Fiddes ◽  
Robyn Schofield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Clean Air

This paper presents a summary of the key findings of the special issue of Atmosphere on Air Quality in New South Wales and discusses the implications of the work for policy makers and individuals. This special edition presents new air quality research in Australia undertaken by (or in association with) the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes hub, which is funded by the National Environmental Science Program on behalf of the Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Energy. Air pollution in Australian cities is generally low, with typical concentrations of key pollutants at much lower levels than experienced in comparable cities in many other parts of the world. Australian cities do experience occasional exceedances in ozone and PM2.5 (above air pollution guidelines), as well as extreme pollution events, often as a result of bushfires, dust storms, or heatwaves. Even in the absence of extreme events, natural emissions play a significant role in influencing the Australian urban environment, due to the remoteness from large regional anthropogenic emission sources. By studying air quality in Australia, we can gain a greater understanding of the underlying atmospheric chemistry and health risks in less polluted atmospheric environments, and the health benefits of continued reduction in air pollution. These conditions may be representative of future air quality scenarios for parts of the Northern Hemisphere, as legislation and cleaner technologies reduce anthropogenic air pollution in European, American, and Asian cities. However, in many instances, current legislation regarding emissions in Australia is significantly more lax than in other developed countries, making Australia vulnerable to worsening air pollution in association with future population growth. The need to avoid complacency is highlighted by recent epidemiological research, reporting associations between air pollution and adverse health outcomes even at air pollutant concentrations that are lower than Australia’s national air quality standards. Improving air quality is expected to improve health outcomes at any pollution level, with specific benefits projected for reductions in long-term exposure to average PM2.5 concentrations.

scholarly journals Dust Transport from Inland Australia and Its Impact on Air Quality and Health on the Eastern Coast of Australia during the February 2019 Dust Storm

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Emilie Aragnou ◽  
Sean Watt ◽  
Hiep Nguyen Duc ◽  
Cassandra Cheeseman ◽  
Matthew Riley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Dust Storm ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
The State ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Storm Event ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Dust Storm Event

Dust storms originating from Central Australia and western New South Wales frequently cause high particle concentrations at many sites across New South Wales, both inland and along the coast. This study focussed on a dust storm event in February 2019 which affected air quality across the state as detected at many ambient monitoring stations in the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) air quality monitoring network. The WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecast Model—Chemistry) model is used to study the formation, dispersion and transport of dust across the state of New South Wales (NSW, Australia). Wildfires also happened in northern NSW at the same time of the dust storm in February 2019, and their emissions are taken into account in the WRF-Chem model by using Fire Inventory from NCAR (FINN) as emission input. The model performance is evaluated and is shown to predict fairly accurate the PM2.5 and PM10 concentration as compared to observation. The predicted PM2.5 concentration over New South Wales during 5 days from 11 to 15 February 2019 is then used to estimate the impact of the February 2019 dust storm event on three health endpoints, namely mortality, respiratory and cardiac disease hospitalisation rates. The results show that even though as the daily average of PM2.5 over some parts of the state, especially in western and north western NSW near the centre of the dust storm and wild fires, are very high (over 900 µg/m3), the population exposure is low due to the sparse population. Generally, the health impact is similar in order of magnitude to that caused by biomass burning events from wildfires or from hazardous reduction burnings (HRBs) near populous centres such as in Sydney in May 2016. One notable difference is the higher respiratory disease hospitalisation for this dust event (161) compared to the fire event (24).

scholarly journals Real Time Air Quality Index from Various Locations

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-372
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Air Quality Index ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Government Data

The surveys regarding air pollution shows that there has been a hasty growth due to the emission of fuels and exhaust gases from factories. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been launched to note the contemporary status of the air quality. The intent of AQI is to aid every individual know how the regional air quality will make an impact on them. The Environmental Protection Agency assess the AQI for five major air pollutants namely Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3), particle pollution (PM10, PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulphur dioxide (SO2). The intent of the project is to congregate real-time Air Quality Index from distinct monitoring stations across India, analysing the data and reporting on it. Collect the real-time data using the API key provided by Open Government Data (OGD) platform India. This is done by making use of Microsoft Business Intelligence (MSBI) and Power BI Tools to transform, analyse and visualize the data. This project can be utilized to develop various programs like Ozone today in Europe and in mobile applications which acts as an alert system that can protect people from air pollution.

scholarly journals Ambient Air Quality in the Czech Republic: Past and Present

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Hůnová
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Ambient Air Quality ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Pollution Impacts

Based on an analysis of related core papers and reports, this review presents a historical perspective on ambient air pollution and ambient air quality development in the modern-day Czech Republic (CR) over the past seven decades, i.e., from the 1950s to the present. It offers insights into major air pollution problems, reveals the main hot spots and problematic regions and indicates the principal air pollutants in the CR. Air pollution is not presented as a stand-alone problem, but in the wider context of air pollution impacts both on human health and the environment in the CR. The review is arranged into three main parts: (1) the time period until the Velvet Revolution of 1989, (2) the transition period of the 1990s and (3) the modern period after 2000. Obviously, a major improvement in ambient air quality has been achieved since the 1970s and 1980s, when air pollution in the former Czechoslovakia culminated. Nevertheless, new challenges including fine aerosol, benzo[a]pyrene and ground-level ozone, of which the limit values are still vastly exceeded, have emerged. Furthermore, in spite of a significant reduction in overall emissions, the atmospheric deposition of nitrogen, in particular, remains high in some regions.

Air Quality in Association With Rural Coal Mining and Combustion in New South Wales Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hendryx ◽  
Nicholas Higginbotham ◽  
Benjamin Ewald ◽  
Linda H. Connor
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Coal Mining ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Wales

scholarly journals Source Contributions to Ozone Formation in the New South Wales Greater Metropolitan Region, Australia

Atmosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiep Nguyen Duc ◽  
Lisa Chang ◽  
Toan Trieu ◽  
David Salter ◽  
Yvonne Scorgie
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
North West ◽  
Ozone Concentrations ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Source Contributions ◽  
Ozone Levels ◽  
Different Parts

Ozone and fine particles (PM2.5) are the two main air pollutants of concern in the New South Wales Greater Metropolitan Region (NSW GMR) due to their contribution to poor air quality days in the region. This paper focuses on source contributions to ambient ozone concentrations for different parts of the NSW GMR, based on source emissions across the greater Sydney region. The observation-based Integrated Empirical Rate model (IER) was applied to delineate the different regions within the GMR based on the photochemical smog profile of each region. Ozone source contribution was then modelled using the CCAM-CTM (Cubic Conformal Atmospheric model-Chemical Transport model) modelling system and the latest air emission inventory for the greater Sydney region. Source contributions to ozone varied between regions, and also varied depending on the air quality metric applied (e.g., average or maximum ozone). Biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions were found to contribute significantly to median and maximum ozone concentration in North West Sydney during summer. After commercial and domestic sources, power generation was found to be the next largest anthropogenic source of maximum ozone concentrations in North West Sydney. However, in South West Sydney, beside commercial and domestic sources, on-road vehicles were predicted to be the most significant contributor to maximum ozone levels, followed by biogenic sources and power stations. The results provide information that policy makers can use to devise various options to control ozone levels in different parts of the NSW Greater Metropolitan Region.

Effects of variable-intensity logging and the influence of habitat variables on the distribution of the Greater Glider Petauroides volans in montane forest, southeastern New South Wales

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney P. Kavanagh ◽  
Rodney P. Kavanagh
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Environmental Variable ◽  
Variable Intensity ◽  
Usual Practice ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Arboreal Marsupials ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After

Populations of arboreal marsupials were assessed in forests before and after logging at different levels of logging intensity to determine the sensitivity of these species to habitat disturbance. The logging treatments imposed were unlogged controls and two intensities of integrated logging for sawlogs and woodchips. The mean basal area of trees retained in logged blocks ranged from 83% to 35% of pre-logging levels. The objective of the study was to develop better methods for managing arboreal marsupials within the wood production forests of southeastern New South Wales. Seven species of arboreal marsupials were recorded during the study, but the Greater Glider Petauroides volans was the only species recorded in sufficient numbers for analysis (86% of all records). No significant differences were observed between the treatments in counts of the Greater Glider before and after logging. However, given the observed trend and an a priori expectation of a decline in numbers of this species following intensive logging, a one-tailed statistical test was applied which resulted in a significant difference at P = 0.08 for the contrast between the unlogged controls and the most intensively logged treatment. The existence of a threshold in logging intensity within the range of 21 % to 39% retention of tree basal area, below which numbers of the Greater Glider suffer a marked decline, was inferred on the basis of comparisons with the results of other studies. Factors other than logging were important in determining the distribution of the Greater Glider. Elevation, in particular, was a significant environmental variable, with Greater Gliders more likely to occur in forests above 845 m a.s.1. The presence and absence of particular tree species also influenced the distribution of the Greater Glider. Forests containing Manna Gum E. viminalis and Mountain Gum E. dalrympleana were highly preferred compared to forests with a high proportion of E. obliqua. The presence of E. cypellocarpa appeared to improve the quality of habitat for the Greater Glider in forests dominated by E. obliqua. This study has shown that Greater Glider populations can be maintained at or near pre-logging levels when at least 40% of the original tree basal area is retained thoughout logged areas and when the usual practice of retaining unlogged forest in riparian strips is applied.

57. GENOTYPING OF UROGENITAL CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS IN REGIONAL NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

Sexual Health ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 306
Author(s):  
D. Mossman ◽  
C. Ooi ◽  
M. Loewenthal ◽  
M. Boyle
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
New South ◽  
Genotypic Variation ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Genotype Frequency ◽  
Sexual Networks ◽  
Genotype Analysis ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Significant Difference

Background: Chlamydia Trachomatis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in Australia and world wide. This study was undertaken to map the frequency of Chlamydia genotypes in regional New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to explore the potential utility of genotype analysis in defining local sexual networks, and to investigate whether patterns of genotype frequency are correlated with demographic factors, including age and gender. Methods: We studied 204 urine samples infected with Chlamydia trachomatis, as determined by PCR analysis using the COBAS Amplicor system. Samples were collected from wide geographic area of regional New South Wales (Hunter, New England, Northern Rivers, South Eastern New South Wales). Sequencing and genotyping were performed after nested PCR of the omp1 gene. Results: Genotype E was found in 42.6% of infections, with genotypes F (23.5%) and G (16.7%) other common causes of infection. Mixed infection occurred in only 3 cases. There was no significant difference in genotype frequency based on gender or geographic location. There was a significant difference in gender frequency based on patient age, with older patients significantly more likely to demonstrate infection with genotype G (mean age (years) 23.7+/-7.29 sd, E: 21.7 +/-5.7 sd; G: 28.9; sd 10.18; p�=�0.022). Conclusions: There was no significant difference in genotype frequency in the various regions of New South Wales, suggesting genotype analysis is of limited use in defining sexual networks in regional NSW. The finding of a higher frequency of genotype G in older patients raises the possibility that genotypic variation may be driven by immune responses to genotypes that occur more frequently at a younger age. These results may have implications for the future design of a chlamydial vaccine.

Moult, Movements, Age and Sex Composition of Mountain Duck, Tadorna tadornoides, Banded at Lake George, N.S.W

1976 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 173 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL McKean ◽  
LW Braithwaite
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Age Structure ◽  
New South ◽  
Sex Composition ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Moult Migration ◽  
Lake George ◽  
Age And Sex

Two samples of mountain ducks totalling 1001 birds were trapped and banded at Lake George,N.S.W. A highly significant difference in age structure between the two samples, taken in January 1965 and in February 1970, may be related to major differences in rainfall for the year preceding each sample. The sex ratio was markedly biased in favour of females. Recoveries of birds were nearly all to the south and west and 300-700 km from the banding site. Fully 99 % of recoveries were in States other than New South Wales. Examination of one sample of 679 mountain ducks for moult of primary and secondary wing feathers showed that approximately one-third of the adults were moulting. It was concluded that the birds were possibly normal residents of the region in which most recoveries occurred, and that they make an annual moult migration to Lake George.

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