Ecoprocesses. A need and a requirement

Cleaner production is a means of applying in a continuous manner a preventive and integrated environmental strategy aimed at processes and product

Characterization of coal power plants plume dynamics under typical synoptic conditions over the Iberian Peninsula

This work describes the pollution plumes of seven Spanish coal power plants under the most typical meteorological conditions that affect the Iberian Peninsula at synoptic scale. The aim is to understand how meteorology modulates the plume dynamics (length, altitude, orientation) and their contribution to NO2 and SO2 surface concentration. Using the BSC-ES operational air quality forecasting system (CALIOPE-AQFS), the behavior of the plumes is analyzed for a representative day of each of the six most common synoptic situations. The results show that the plumes from Atlantic facilities are mainly driven by synoptic conditions whereas for power plants located over the Mediterranean and on mountainous regions, mesoscale dynamics dominate. Moreover, when the injection of the pollutants is done within the planetary boundary layer there is an increase in the NO2 and SO2 surface concentrations close to (<15-20 km) the sources

Trends and patterns of air quality in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands) in the period 2011–2015

Air quality trends and patterns in the coastal city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) for the period 2011–2015 were analyzed. The orographic and meteorological characteristics, the proximity to the African continent, and the influence of the Azores anticyclone in combination with the anthropogenic (oil refinery, road/maritime traffic) and natural emissions create specific dispersion conditions. SO2, NO2, PM10, PM2.5, and O3 pollutants were assessed. The refinery was the primary source of SO2; EU hourly and daily average limit values were exceeded during 2011 and alert thresholds were reached in 2011 and 2012. WHO daily mean guideline was occasionally exceeded. Annual averages in the three stations that registered the highest concentrations in 2011 and 2012 were between 9.3 and 20.4 µg/m3. The spatial analysis of SO2 concentrations with respect to prevailing winds corroborates a clear influence of the refinery to the SO2 levels. In 2014 and 2015, the refinery did not operate and the concentrations fell abruptly to background levels of 2.5–7.1 µg/m3 far below from WHO AQG. NO2 EU limit values, as well as WHO AQG for the period 2011–2015, were not exceeded. The progressive dieselization of the vehicle fleet caused an increment on NO2 annual mean concentrations (from 2011 to 2015) measured at two stations close to busy roads 25 to 31 µg/m3 (+21%) and 27 to 35 µg/m3 (+29%). NOx daily and weekly cycles (working days and weekends) were characterized. An anti-correlation was found between NOx and O3, showing that O3 is titrated by locally emitted NO. Higher O3 concentrations were reported because less NOx emitted during the weekends showing a clear weekend effect. Saharan dust intrusions have a significant impact on PM levels. After subtracting natural sources contribution, none of the stations reached the EU maximum 35 yearly exceedances of daily means despite seldom exceedances at some stations. None of the stations exceeded the annual mean EU limit values; however, many stations exceeded the annual mean WHO AQG. Observed PM10 annual average concentrations in all the stations fluctuated between 10.1 and 35.3 µg/m3, where background concentrations were 6.5–24.4 µg/m3 and natural contributions: 4.2–9.1 µg/m3. No PM10 temporal trends were identified during the period except for an effect of washout due to the rain: concentrations were lower in 2013 and 2014 (the most rainy years of the period). None of the stations reached the PM2.5 annual mean EU 2015 limit value. However, almost all the stations registered daily mean WHO AQG exceedances. During 2015, PM2.5 concentrations were higher than the previous years (2015, 8.8–12.3 µg/m3; 2011–2014, 3.7–9.6 µg/m3). O3 complied with EU target values; stricter WHO AQG were sometimes exceeded in all the stations for the whole time periodPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Saharan dust deposition may affect phytoplankton growth in the mediterranean sea at ecological time scales

The surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea are extremely poor in the nutrients necessary for plankton growth. At the same time, the Mediterranean Sea borders with the largest and most active desert areas in the world and the atmosphere over the basin is subject to frequent injections of mineral dust particles. We describe statistical correlations between dust deposition over the Mediterranean Sea and surface chlorophyll concentrations at ecological time scales. Aerosol deposition of Saharan origin may explain 1 to 10% (average 5%) of seasonally detrended chlorophyll variability in the low nutrient-low chlorophyll Mediterranean. Most of the statistically significant correlations are positive with main effects in spring over the Eastern and Central Mediterranean, conforming to a view of dust events fueling needed nutrients to the planktonic community. Some areas show negative effects of dust deposition on chlorophyll, coinciding with regions under a large influence of aerosols from European origin. The influence of dust deposition on chlorophyll dynamics may become larger in future scenarios of increased aridity and shallowing of the mixed layerPostprint (published version

Effect of terrain relief on dust transport over complex terrains in West Asia

This work investigates the impact of orography on dust transport using the multi-scale NMMB/BSC-Dust model. For this purpose, two model simulations at horizontal resolutions of 0.03º x 0.03º (Low-resolution; LR) and 0.3º x 0.3º (High-resolution; HR) are performed and analysed covering two intense dust storms that occurred in West Asia in March 2012. Differences between both simulations emerge when the dust storms reach the south and west Arabian Peninsula where its complex topography affected meteorology and dust fields in many ways. The HR simulation is better than the LR simulation at reproducing the topography and its topographic effects on meteorology, such as developing orographic clouds, wind speed bias reduction under the dust flows (larger than 5 m/s) and more accurate wind directions, as well as on dust fields, such as a more realistic representation of dust channeling/blocking. Consequently, it improves dust forecasts in the vicinity of complex terrains

Evaluation of modelling systems in high resolution to assess the air pollutant impacts on human health

Nowadays the modelling of systems in high resolution is being used for air quality and other forecasting applications, where a spatial area is related with different interrelated variables that could be displayed on a map. This area is usually represented by global domains (hundred to thousand of square km); when smaller regions need to be represented, a high resolution modelling system can be used, these systems goes from one square km to dozen of square km, health is one of these issues where this kind of resolution can be used. In Europe, Asia, North America, South America and other countries, health problems related with the air pollution and climate change is a concern for individuals and world organizations like the WHO; today studies show the relation between morbidity and mortality rates, air pollution and effects on human health; these modelling systems in high resolution help us to simulate scenarios and propose solutions to this problematic. So the objective of this work is to evaluate the system performance WRF – CMAQ and CALIOPE on high resolution (4 km x 4 km) to determine air pollutant impacts of PM10, PM2.5, Ozone, NO2 and SO2 on population, using BenMAP for assess impact on health. The methodology suggested is the time series analysis of two years of hospital admissions, morbidity and mortality rates and the air quality forecasting of the cities selected, previously modelled in WRF, CMAQ and CALIOPE; after that, the Response Functions (DRF/ERF) to determine the impacts on health and the BenMAP software will be used. It is expecting find the scenarios that could decrease the mortality and morbidity rates in diseases like lung cancer, chronic respiratory obstructive disease, asthma, and the acute respiratory diseases in adults and children under ten years old

The ‘WMO Sand and Dust Warning Advisory and Assessment System’ Program

Comunicación presentada en: V Reunión Española de Ciencia y Tecnología de Aerosoles – RECTA 2011 celebrada del 27 al 29 de junio de 2011 en CIEMAT, Madrid.Large amounts of sand and dust are continually lifted from bare, dry soils and transported through the atmosphere affecting regions hundreds to thousands of kilometers away. For countries in and downwind of arid regions, airborne sand and dust present serious risks to the environment, human health and economy. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has taken the lead with international partners to develop and implement a Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System (SDS-WAS). The program is organized around a Regional Center for Asia and a Regional Centre for Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe. The Regional Centre for Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe, set in Barcelona, is hosted by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSCCNS) and the Meteorological State Agency from Spain (AEMET). Its first objective is to lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive system for mineral dust observation and forecast in the region, with special emphasis on extreme sand and dust events. The second objective of the Regional Centre is to facilitate user access to information. It manages a web-based portal for user access to value-added observational and forecast products as well as sources of basic information: in particular, the portal provides the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services with the necessary input to issue dust-related early warnings. The third objective is to build capacity of countries to use observations, analysis and forecasts provided by the WMO SDS-WAS programme