Methods for estimating air pollutant emissions. PART 1: Review and source of input data.

This report is part of the development of a National Modelling System for local air quality (the “Nasjonalt Beregningsverktøy” or NBV project). The work focussed on the methods to estimate emissions and identified the main information sources of the needed input data for emissions. This report presents the most common methods to determine emissions and includes recommendations for future improvement of the emission calculations. The main purpose of the report is to identify the most relevant sources of emission information and the emission input data requirements necessary for modelling air quality in Norwegian cities and agglomerations

Understanding effects of bioethanol fuel use on urban air quality: An integrative approach

AbstractResultsobtained through combining different approaches, and aiming at contributing to the understanding of effects of bioethanol fuelled vehicles on urban air quality, are evaluated. The study is based on the results obtained by measurements, modelling and cost assessment estimates in a case study in Oslo under winter conditions, when the worst air quality episodes are registered and acetaldehyde and formaldehyde have the longest lifetime. Detailed levels of formaldehyde emitted by an E95-bus under on-road driving conditions are reported for the first time, and indicate that exposure to these levels may involve a high chance of developing cancer. Emission and air dispersion modelling were applied to evaluate the potential impact on urban environment. The results show that a full implementation of bioethanol (E85-vehicles) may affect urban air quality, subsequently affecting human health. Acetaldehyde emissions were estimated to increase by 233% for a full implementation of bioethanol (E85-vehicles) compared to the baseline (petrol/diesel vehicles), whereas CO2, NOx and exhaust particle emissions from traffic were estimated to decrease by 19%, 50% and 90%, respectively. Output from measurements and the air dispersion model were the basis for an impact assessment and economic valuation of implementing bioethanol fuel in a larger scale. The acetaldehyde-related health risk associated with emissions from bioethanol fuelled vehicles was estimated as oral cavity/pharynx cancer, and the related cost was found to increase by 300% for a full implementation of bioethanol relative to the current situation. Our study only shows part of the picture, and a full evaluation bearing in mind all potential pollutants’ increases and reductions would be needed

New insights in sources of the sub-micrometre aerosol at Mt. Zeppelin observatory (Spitsbergen) in the year 2015

In order to evaluate the potential impact of the Arctic anthropogenic emission sources it is essential to understand better the natural aerosol sources of the inner Arctic and the atmospheric processing of the aerosols during their transport in the Arctic atmosphere. A 1-year time series of chemically specific measurements of the sub-micrometre aerosol during 2015 has been taken at the Mt. Zeppelin observatory in the European Arctic. A source apportionment study combined measured molecular tracers as source markers, positive matrix factorization, analysis of the potential source distribution and auxiliary information from satellite data and ground-based observations. The annual average sub-micrometre mass was apportioned to regional background secondary sulphate (56%), sea spray (17%), biomass burning (15%), secondary nitrate (5.8%), secondary marine biogenic (4.5%), mixed combustion (1.6%), and two types of marine gel sources (together 0.7%). Secondary nitrate aerosol mainly contributed towards the end of summer and during autumn. During spring and summer, the secondary marine biogenic factor reached a contribution of up to 50% in some samples. The most likely origin of the mixed combustion source is due to oil and gas extraction activities in Eastern Siberia. The two marine polymer gel sources predominantly occurred in autumn and winter. The small contribution of the marine gel sources at Mt. Zeppelin observatory in summer as opposed to regions closer to the North Pole is attributed to differences in ocean biology, vertical distribution of phytoplankton, and the earlier start of the summer season

The role of organic and inorganic indoor pollutants in museum environments in the degradation of dammar varnish

This paper investigates the effects of inorganic (NO2 and O3) and volatile organic acid (acetic acid) pollutants on the degradation of dammar varnish in museum environments. Model paint varnish samples based on dammar resin were investigated by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Dammar is a natural triterpenoid resin, commonly used as a paint varnish. Samples were subjected to accelerated ageing by different levels of pollutants (NO2 and O3 and acetic acid) over a range of relative humidities (RH) and then analysed. The results revealed that as the dose of the pollutant was increased, so did the degree of oxidation and cross-linking of the resin. Most interestingly, it was shown for the first time that exposure to acetic acid vapour resulted in the production of an oxidised and cross-linked resin, comparable to the resin obtained under exposure to NO2 and O3. These conclusions were supported by the analyses of model varnishes exposed for about two years in selected museum environments, where the levels of pollutants had been previously measured. Exposures were performed both within and outside the selected microclimate frames for paintings. Results showed that varnishes placed within the microclimate frames were not always better preserved than those exposed outside the frames. For some sites, the results highlighted the protective effects of the frames from outdoor generated pollutants, such as NO2 and O3. For other sites, the results showed that the microclimate frames acted as traps for the volatile organic acids emitted by the wooden components of the mc-frames, which damaged the varnish

A multi-pollutant and multi-sectorial approach to screening the consistency of emission inventories

Some studies show that significant uncertainties affect emission inventories, which may impeach conclusions based on air-quality model results. These uncertainties result from the need to compile a wide variety of information to estimate an emission inventory. In this work, we propose and discuss a screening method to compare two emission inventories, with the overall goal of improving the quality of emission inventories by feeding back the results of the screening to inventory compilers who can check the inconsistencies found and, where applicable, resolve errors. The method targets three different aspects: (1) the total emissions assigned to a series of large geographical areas, countries in our application; (2) the way these country total emissions are shared in terms of sector of activity; and (3) the way inventories spatially distribute emissions from countries to smaller areas, cities in our application. The first step of the screening approach consists of sorting the data and keeping only emission contributions that are relevant enough. In a second step, the method identifies, among those significant differences, the most important ones that provide evidence of methodological divergence and/or errors that can be found and resolved in at least one of the inventories. The approach has been used to compare two versions of the CAMS-REG European-scale inventory over 150 cities in Europe for selected activity sectors. Among the 4500 screened pollutant sectors, about 450 were kept as relevant, among which 46 showed inconsistencies. The analysis indicated that these inconsistencies arose almost equally from large-scale reporting and spatial distribution differences. They mostly affect SO2 and PM coarse emissions from the industrial and residential sectors. The screening approach is general and can be used for other types of applications related to emission inventories.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Contributions of Nordic anthropogenic emissions on air pollution and premature mortality over the Nordic region and the Arctic

This modeling study presents the sectoral contributions of anthropogenic emissions in the four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) on air pollution levels and the associated health impacts and costs over the Nordic and the Arctic regions for the year 2015. The Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model (DEHM) has been used on a 50 km resolution over Europe in tagged mode in order to calculate the response of a 30 % reduction of each emission sector in each Nordic country individually. The emission sectors considered in the study were energy production, non-industrial/commercial heating, industry, traffic, off-road mobile sources and waste management/agriculture. In total, 28 simulations were carried out. Following the air pollution modeling, the Economic Valuation of Air Pollution (EVA) model has been used to calculate the associated premature mortality and their costs. Results showed that more than 80 % of the PM2.5 concentration was attributed to transport from outside these four countries, implying an effort outside the Nordic region in order to decrease the pollutant levels over the area. The leading emission sector in each country was found to be non-industrial combustion (contributing by more than 60 % to the total PM2.5 mass coming from the country itself), except for Sweden, where industry contributed to PM2.5 with a comparable amount to non-industrial combustion. In addition to non-industrial combustion, the next most important source categories were industry, agriculture and traffic. The main chemical constituent of PM2.5 concentrations that comes from the country itself is calculated to be organic carbon in all countries, which suggested that nonindustrial wood burning was the dominant national source of pollution in the Nordic countries. We have estimated the total number of premature mortality cases due to air pollution to be around 4000 in Denmark and Sweden and around 2000 in Finland and Norway. These premature mortality cases led to a total cost of EUR 7 billion in the selected Nordic countries. The assessment of the related premature mortality and associated cost estimates suggested that non-industrial combustion, together with industry and traffic, will be the main sectors to be targeted in emission mitigation strategies in the future.Peer reviewe

Neddylation orchestrates the complex transcriptional and posttranscriptional program that drives Schwann cell myelination

Myelination is essential for neuronal function and health. In peripheral nerves, >100 causative mutations have been identified that cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a disorder that can affect myelin sheaths. Among these, a number of mutations are related to essential targets of the posttranslational modification neddylation, although how these lead to myelin defects is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that inhibiting neddylation leads to a notable absence of peripheral myelin and axonal loss both in developing and regenerating mouse nerves. Our data indicate that neddylation exerts a global influence on the complex transcriptional and posttranscriptional program by simultaneously regulating the expression and function of multiple essential myelination signals, including the master transcription factor EGR2 and the negative regulators c-Jun and Sox2, and inducing global secondary changes in downstream pathways, including the mTOR and YAP/TAZ signaling pathways. This places neddylation as a critical regulator of myelination and delineates the potential pathogenic mechanisms involved in CMT mutations related to neddylation

Neddylation orchestrates the complex transcriptional and posttranscriptional program that drives Schwann cell myelination

Myelination is essential for neuronal function and health. In peripheral nerves, >100 causative mutations have been identified that cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a disorder that can affect myelin sheaths. Among these, a number of mutations are related to essential targets of the posttranslational modification neddylation, although how these lead to myelin defects is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that inhibiting neddylation leads to a notable absence of peripheral myelin and axonal loss both in developing and regenerating mouse nerves. Our data indicate that neddylation exerts a global influence on the complex transcriptional and posttranscriptional program by simultaneously regulating the expression and function of multiple essential myelination signals, including the master transcription factor EGR2 and the negative regulators c-Jun and Sox2, and inducing global secondary changes in downstream pathways, including the mTOR and YAP/TAZ signaling pathways. This places neddylation as a critical regulator of myelination and delineates the potential pathogenic mechanisms involved in CMT mutations related to neddylation