Spatiotemporal analysis of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide concentrations over the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Time series of pollutants and weather variables measured at four sites in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 2002 and 2004, were used to characterize temporal and spatial relationships of air pollution. Concentrations of particulate matter (PM₁₀), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) were compared to national and international standards. The annual median concentration of PM₁₀ was higher than the standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO) on all sites and the 24?h means exceeded the standards on several occasions on two sites. SO₂ and CO did not exceed the limits, but the daily maximum of CO in one of the stations was 27% higher on weekends compared to weekdays, due to increased activity in a nearby Convention Center. Air temperature and vapor pressure deficit have both presented the highest correlations with pollutant??s concentrations. The concentrations of SO₂ and CO were not correlated between sites, suggesting that local sources are more important to those pollutants compared to PM₁₀. The time series of pollutants and air temperature were decomposed in time and frequency by wavelet analysis. The results revealed that the common variability of air temperature and PM₁₀ is dominated by temporal scales of 1?C8?days, time scales that are associated with the passage of weather events, such as cold fronts.     

Assessment of the regional source contributions to PM_(2.5) mass concentration in Beijing

将先进的在线源追踪模拟模块ISAM与空气质量模式系统RAMS-CMAQ耦合,对2015年7月华北地区主要气溶胶物种(硫酸盐、硝酸盐、铵盐、黑碳、有机碳、沙尘和海盐)进行模拟,并且深入探讨了不同地区排放源对PM_(2.5)质量浓度的贡献特征。模拟结果显示PM。2.5质量浓度高值主要出现在河北省南部和山东省西部北京和天津市的排放源对PM_(2.5)质量浓度的贡献主要集中在本地,而河北和山东省则为华北地区PM_(2.5)质量浓度的主要贡献者。就北京市而言,由于近年执行了多项减排措施,目前该地区的本地贡献占20%-30%。而河北和山东省是北京市PM_(2.5)的主要区域传输贡献者,分别可超过25%和10%。此外,在污染背景下周边地区传输贡献的比重更大。当空气质量恶化时,河北和山东省的传输贡献比例均有所提升。因此,建议在污染期间,应重点基于对区域尺度的排放源开展协同控制,制定综合的减排措施方可进一步降低北京市的PM_(2.5)质量浓度。     

A summer and winter apportionment of particulate matter at urban and rural areas in northern France

The apportionment of atmospheric aerosols undertaken in Northern France during two sampling campaigns allowed to determine the influence of the atmospheric contribution of a heavy industrialized urban center on the particulate matter composition at a nearby rural site. The concentrations of major components and trace elements sampled by bulk filtration have been determined on June–July 2000 and January–February 2001, and the comparison of these two campaigns shows very well the importance of wind directions. The sources of 10 trace elements (Al, Ba, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Pb, Sr, Ti and Zn) and 7 major components (Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, NH₄⁺, Na, Mg and Ca) are better identified by studying their elemental contribution at each sampling site according to wind sectors. This kind of study shows that the concentrations recorded at the urban sampling site are always higher than those observed at the rural site as well during the summer campaign (about + 35%) as during the winter campaign (+ 90%), because of the predominance of the W–NW wind sector, corresponding to the influence of the urban and industrialized areas.     

A study of suspended particulate matter in Lahore (Pakistan)

The results obtained from an investigation of suspended particulate matter in the metropolitan city of Lahore (Pakistan) are reported and analysed in this paper. X-ray diffraction studies of the airborne matter collected from va-rious urban and suburban sites show that non-clay minerals such as quartz, calcite and albite are contained in most of the samples in almost comparable amounts. Chemical analysis of some samples was carried out for complementing the x-ray diffraction data. The amount of quartz in the samples of dusty areas was found to be an order of magnitude more than in the samples of relatively cleaner areas. As the dust particles of these compounds are poor substrate for promoting nucleation of ice in the atmospheric clouds, they are liable to stay steadily in the atmosphere as pollutants.A comparison of the results of the airborne particulates and the soil samples collected from various sites show that the sources of quartz, calcite and albite in the airborne matter are both local and remote.     

A comprehensive study on the surface chemistry of particulate matter collected from Jeddah,Saudi Arabia

In this work, the X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) technique is utilized to analyze the surface chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) which was collected from various locations at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The main elements found on the surface of PM are carbon (C), oxygen (O) and silicon (Si) with combined percentage of 89.4–94.9 while traces of nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), sodium (Na), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mg), and sulfur (S) were also present. The analyzed XPS chemical state of C, O and Si was further used to determine their bonding with other elements occurring over the surface of PM. Carbon was found in the form of carbides (18.86%), fluorides (2.39%) and carbonates (78.75%); oxygen was observed as oxides (21.05%) and hydroxides (73.42%) of other metals; and silicon was detected as silicones (12.16%), nitrides (82.53%) and silicates (5.25%). The particle size of a PM is also of great concern for health issues, and thus has been investigated by the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) was employed for cross verification of detected elements by XPS.     

Role of atmospheric ammonia in the formation of inorganic secondary particulate matter: A study at Kanpur,India

Levels of fine Particulate Matter (PM_fine), SO₂ and NO_x are interlinked through atmospheric reactions to a large extent. NO_x, NH₃, SO₂, temperature and humidity are the important atmospheric constituents/conditions governing formation of fine particulate sulfates and nitrates. To understand the formation of inorganic secondary particles (nitrates and sulfates) in the atmosphere, a study was undertaken in Kanpur, India. Specifically, the study was designed to measure the atmospheric levels of covering winter and summer seasons and day and night samplings to capture the diurnal variations. Results showed are found to be significantly high in winter season compared to the summer season. In winter, the molar ratio of to was found to be greater than 2:1. This higher molar ratio suggests that in addition to (NH₄)₂SO₄, NH₄NO₃ will be formed because of excess quantity of present. In summer, the molar ratio was less than 2:1 indicating deficit of to produce NH₄NO₃. The nitrogen conversion ratio (NO₂ to NO₃) was found to be nearly 50% in the study area that suggested quick conversion of NO₂ into nitric acid. As an overall conclusion, this study finds that NH₃ plays a vital role in the formation of fine inorganic secondary particles particularly so in winter months and there is a need to identify and assess sources of ammonia emissions in India.     

Observation of nocturnal low-level wind shear and particulate matter in urban Beijing using a Doppler wind lidar

临山城市夜间山风可影响污染物的分布,但夜间低层山风的演变及其对污染物分布的影响观测研究较少。本文通过325 m气象塔及一台测风激光雷达快速移动到四地的定点观测,获取了北京城区一次三维夜间山风及污染物分布特征,为城市测风提供了一种新方法。结果表明:相距20 km南、北城均有低层风向切变且间隔为1.5 h;城北低空急流的高度及风速均大于城东南;240 m和地面颗粒物的水平分布一致;PM2.5地面高值区的南移时间与北风急流到达时间一致,晚于地面风转向时间。     

The impact of heat waves on surface urban heat island and local economy in Cluj-Napoca city,Romania

The association between heat waves and the urban heat island effect can increase the impact on environment and society inducing biophysical hazards. Heat stress and their associated public health problems are among the most frequent. This paper explores the heat waves impact on surface urban heat island and on the local economy loss during three heat periods in Cluj-Napoca city in the summer of 2015. The heat wave events were identified based on daily maximum temperature, and they were divided into three classes considering the intensity threshold: moderate heat waves (daily maximum temperature exceeding the 90th percentile), severe heat waves (daily maximum temperature over the 95th percentile), and extremely severe heat waves (daily maximum temperature exceeding the 98th percentile). The minimum length of an event was of minimum three consecutive days. The surface urban heat island was detected based on land surface temperature derived from Landsat 8 thermal infrared data, while the economic impact was estimated based on data on work force structure and work productivity in Cluj-Napoca derived from the data released by Eurostat, National Bank of Romania, and National Institute of Statistics. The results indicate that the intensity and spatial extension of surface urban heat island could be governed by the magnitude of the heat wave event, but due to the low number of satellite images available, we should consider this information only as preliminary results. Thermal infrared remote sensing has proven to be a very efficient method to study surface urban heat island, due to the fact that the synoptic conditions associated with heat wave events usually favor cloud free image. The resolution of the OLI_TIRS sensor provided good results for a mid-extension city, but the low revisiting time is still a drawback. The potential economic loss was calculated for the working days during heat waves and the estimated loss reached more than 2.5 mil. EUR for each heat wave day at city scale, cumulating more than 38 mil. EUR for the three cases considered.     

Chemical composition of wet and dry atmospheric depositions in an urban environment: local,regional and long-range influences

The results of a 8 year survey of wet and dry depositions collected in Bologna (Northern Italy) are presented and discussed: monthly fluxes of the main ions (hydrogen, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, ammoniacal and nitrate nitrogen, sulphate and chloride) have been registered and statistically discussed. The trend of hydrogen ion, whose largest correlation in the global deposition was found with sulphate, is clearly downwards, with peaks mainly in winter months. By means of a data factor analysis, three main sources to explain the variability of the deposition chemistry were recognized: an anthropogenic contribution (particularly represented by NO₃ ⁻, SO₄ ²⁻, H⁺), the sea spray (Na⁺, Cl⁻ and, to a lesser extent, K⁺ and Mg²⁺) and a terrigenous fraction, particularly characterized by higher Ca²⁺ concentration; however, some concentration peaks of this ion have been found in association with some episodes of Saharan dust transportation.     

苏州夏季城市热岛现状及影响因子分析研究

利用2007年夏季常规和自动站气象观测资料,分析研究苏州城市热岛及其与影响因子关系.气温分布表明,市中心干将桥气温相对较高,而靠近太湖的新区镇湖镇、东山等郊区气温相对较低.苏州城市热岛强度日变化呈现双峰分布,两个峰值分别出现在10时和20时左右,最低值出现在16时左右.热岛强度与气象条件关系分析表明:(1)热岛强度受云量的影响较大;(2)与城区气温分布关系密切,相关系数为0.62;(3)与风向有关,城区风向为西风时的热岛强度大于东风时热岛强度;而城区热岛强度与风速关系不明显.另外相关站点的合理选取对城市热岛研究也十分重要.     

昆明市主城区一次局地短时强降水特征研究

利用NCEP 1°×1°再分析资料、多普勒天气雷达及5 min地面自动站加密观测资料,对2018年6月8日夜间昆明主城区突发的局地短时强降水天气过程,从环流背景、地形作用、中尺度特征等方面进行分析,结果表明:孟加拉湾低压、切变线与地面冷锋是此次过程的天气尺度影响系统;充沛的水汽条件、对流不稳定条件是强降水天气形成的有利条件;主城特殊的地形及南侧滇池水体对降水有增幅作用。多普勒雷达特征显示",列车效应"明显,强回波集中在中低层,具有明显的辐合;6 min的雷达组合反射率CR和雨强分布RZ与5 min的雨量变化有较好的对应关系。     

Relating root causes to local risk conditions: A comparative study of the institutional pathways to small-scale disasters in three urban flood contexts

The continued rise of global disaster losses pushes our attention yet further to the causal factors that drive risks, beyond the frame of standardised risk assessment models. A key gap in our understanding of the causality of disasters remains establishing how spatially and temporally distant factors – ‘root causes’ – drive local risk conditions. This is particularly the case for small-scale but high-impact disasters. It includes understanding the role that institutions play in influencing such pathways of risk production. This paper addresses this question using a holistic approach to risk analysis that links past drivers to contemporary conditions. We apply this in three case studies of coastal flood management in urban areas of differential size and integration within the European Union - Rethymno (Crete), Genoa (Italy) and St Maarten (Dutch Caribbean). The paper reveals the importance of local institutions in mediating the impacts of higher-level economic and political changes on local risks. It provides new empirical evidence of the relationship between austerity, institutional reform and local disaster risk reduction. The analysis supports a stronger causal epistemology of resilience to disasters but also leads to re-consideration of the institutional entry points for risk reduction, and the importance of considering context and trade-offs.     

Measured and modelled contributions to UV exposures by the albedo of surfaces in an urban environment

Summary The increases in the erythemal UV exposures to horizontal planes and to inclined planes over three surfaces that are found in an urban environment (water, concrete and sand) due to the albedo of these surfaces have been estimated. For the cloud free case, the additional daily estimated UV exposures to a horizontal plane have a maximum value of 222 (Jm^–2)_ER, where the index after the unit is there to indicate that it refers to a biologically effective exposure. In comparison, the daily erythemal UV exposures over a year to a horizontal plane ranged from 425 to 8,321 (Jm^–2)_ER. For a vertical receiving plane that is rotating about a vertical axis, the additional erythemal daily UV exposures for the sub-tropical latitude location of this research for the ranges of solar azimuth angles encountered over the days in each season ranged from 16 to 311 (Jm^–2)_ER, 29 to 566 (Jm^–2)_ER and 46 to 905 (Jm^–2)_ER for water, concrete and sand respectively. The estimated error is ±20% and the calculations are based on clear-sky conditions. The additional erythemal UV averaged over each of the seasons was higher for the receiving plane inclined at 45° below the horizontal plane. In a similar fashion, the vertical surface has the higher additional erythemal UV exposures compared to the surfaces inclined at an angle above the horizontal.     

Observed and calculated variability of the particulate matter concentration in Moscow and in Zelenograd

The results of a comparative analysis of temporal and spatial variations in the particulate matter (PM₁₀) concentration are under consideration; the information is obtained based on the measurement data from the Mosekomonitoring network of stations and results of calculations with the CHIMERE chemistry transport model adapted for the Russian central region. The intercomparison of measurement data obtained in summer 2007 and respective calculations showed that the model provided a satisfactory reproduction of the observed temporal variability of the daily mean PM₁₀ concentration (an averaged correlation coefficient is 0.8), but systematically underestimated the absolute values of the PM₁₀ concentration. It is shown that model data quality can be significantly improved due to a simple a priori correction of the model errors. Irregularities in the spatial distribution of the PM₁₀ concentration and their dependence on meteorological conditions were revealed. The reasons of the formation of episodes of a high PM₁₀ concentration are considered.     

Climate-model induced differences in the 21st century global and regional glacier contributions to sea-level rise

The large uncertainty in future global glacier volume projections partly results from a substantial range in future climate conditions projected by global climate models. This study addresses the effect of global and regional differences in climate input data on the projected twenty-first century glacier contribution to sea-level rise. Glacier volume changes are calculated with a surface mass balance model combined with volume-area scaling, applied to 89 glaciers in different climatic regions. The mass balance model is based on a simplified energy balance approach, with separated contributions by net solar radiation and the combined other fluxes. Future mass balance is calculated from anomalies in air temperature, precipitation and atmospheric transmissivity, taken from eight global climate models forced with the A1B emission scenario. Regional and global sea-level contributions are obtained by scaling the volume changes at the modelled glaciers to all glaciers larger than 0.1 km² outside the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. This results in a global value of 0.102 ± 0.028 m (multi-model mean and standard deviation) relative sea-level equivalent for the period 2012–2099, corresponding to 18 ± 5 % of the estimated total volume of glaciers. Glaciers in the Antarctic, Alaska, Central Asia and Greenland together account for 65 ± 4 % of the total multi-model mean projected sea-level rise. The projected sea-level contribution is 35 ± 17 % larger when only anomalies in air temperature are taken into account, demonstrating an important compensating effect by increased precipitation and possibly reduced atmospheric transmissivity. The variability in projected precipitation and atmospheric transmissivity changes is especially large in the Arctic regions, making the sea-level contribution for these regions particularly sensitive to the climate model used. Including additional uncertainties in the modelling procedure and the input data, the total uncertainty estimate for the future projections becomes ±0.063 m.     

城市植被对冬季气象要素影响的数值模拟研究

为认识并量化城市地区自然植被对城市气象特征的综合影响及其在不同季节的变化趋势,本文基于区域边界层模式(Regional Boundary Layer Model,RBLM),利用敏感性数值试验的方法量化评估了冬季背景下,城市植被对苏州地区气象要素的综合影响,及其在不同绿化情境下的变化特征。研究结果表明:冬季城市植被会导致气温及城市热岛强度的下降,下降幅度随着植被覆盖率的提高而增大,当市区树木覆盖率分别为0、20%和40%时,日平均城市热岛强度分别为1. 8、1. 4和1. 0℃。与苏州市真实绿化情境相比,市区树木覆盖率分别为20%和40%的理想试验方案,可以导致市区日平均气温分别下降约0. 23℃和0. 84℃。城市植被还会通过叶面及土壤表面的蒸发蒸腾作用,增加空气中的水汽含量,当市区树木覆盖率分别为0、20%和40%时,中午时空气比湿分别为2. 46、2. 61和2. 78 g·kg~(-1)。相同覆盖率条件下,草地绿化方案对气温和空气湿度的影响要明显弱于树木。城市植被会对区域地表能量平衡过程产生明显影响,使到达地面的太阳辐射减少,地面温度降低。当树木覆盖率分别为0、20%和40%时,中午地表净辐射通量最大值分别为433、382和332 W·m~(-2)。地面温度的下降以及植被、土壤的蒸发蒸腾作用,使感热减少,潜热增加。自然植被对城市气象要素的影响在冬季要明显弱于夏季。     

Distribution and source apportionment of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from atmospheric particulate matter PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> in Beijing

A total of 11 PM2.5 samples were collected from October 2003 to October 2004 at 8 sampling sites in Beijing city. The PM2.5 concentrations are all above the PM2.5 pollution standard （65 μg m^-3） established by Environmental Protection Agency, USA （USEPA） in 1997 except for the Ming Tombs site. PM2.5 concentrations in winter are much higher than in summer. The 16 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） listed as priority pollutants by USEPA in PM2.5 were completely identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） with variable wavelength detector （VWD） and fluorescence detector （FLD） employed. The PM2.5 concentrations indicate that the pollution situation is still serious in Beijing. The sum of 16 PAHs concentrations ranged from 22.17 to 5366 ng m^-3. The concentrations of the heavier molecular weight PAHs have a different pollution trend from the lower PAHs. Seasonal variations were mainly attributed to the difference in coal combustion emission and meteorological conditions. The source apportionment analysis suggests that PAHs from PM2.5 in Beijing city mainly come from coal combustion and vehicle exhaust emission. New measures about restricting coal combustion and vehicle exhaust must be established as soon as possible to improve the air pollution situation in Beijing city.