A GIS based anthropogenic PM10 emission inventory for Greece

AbstractAn anthropogenic, chemically speciated PM10 emission inventory was compiled for Greece in 10km spatial resolution. The inventory comprises of all anthropogenic particulate matter sources and it was compiled using a Geographical Information System (GIS) integrated with SQL programming language. Input data from the national and international databases were used for the calculation of spatially and temporally resolved emissions for the road transport and all the subsectors of the other mobile sources and machinery sector using top–down or bottom–up methodologies. Annual data from existing emission databases were also used and were temporally and spatially disaggregated using source relevant statistical data and high resolution maps. The sectoral emission totals are compared with other emission databases or studies conducted in the area. Total anthropogenic emissions in Greece were estimated to be 182 219t for the base year 2003. The results indicate the industrial sector as the major PM10 emission source (39.9% contribution) with the major industrial units though to be situated inside the organised industrial areas of the country. The power generation sector (21.4%) is the second largest contributor in national level mostly derived from one specific industrial region at north. International cargo shipping activities (9.6%) is also an important source category for particles. Heat production and road transport are found to play a significant role inside the urban centres of the country

Results of the first European Source Apportionment intercomparison for Receptor and Chemical Transport Models

In this study, the performance of the source apportionment model applications were evaluated by comparing the model results provided by 44 participants adopting a methodology based on performance indicators: z-scores and RMSEu, with pre-established acceptability criteria. Involving models based on completely different and independent input data, such as receptor models (RMs) and chemical transport models (CTMs), provided a unique opportunity to cross-validate them. In addition, comparing the modelled source chemical profiles, with those measured directly at the source contributed to corroborate the chemical profile of the tested model results. The most used RM was EPA- PMF5. RMs showed very good performance for the overall dataset (91% of z-scores accepted) and more difficulties are observed with SCE time series (72% of RMSEu accepted). Industry resulted the most problematic source for RMs due to the high variability among participants. Also the results obtained with CTMs were quite comparable to their ensemble reference using all models for the overall average (>92% of successful z-scores) while the comparability of the time series is more problematic (between 58% and 77% of the candidates’ RMSEu are accepted). In the CTM models a gap was observed between the sum of source contributions and the gravimetric PM10 mass likely due to PM underestimation in the base case. Interestingly, when only the tagged species CTM results were used in the reference, the differences between the two CTM approaches (brute force and tagged species) were evident. In this case the percentage of candidates passing the z-score and RMSEu tests were only 50% and 86%, respectively. CTMs showed good comparability with RMs for the overall dataset (83% of the z-scores accepted), more differences were observed when dealing with the time series of the single source categories. In this case the share of successful RMSEu was in the range 25% - 34%.JRC.C.5-Air and Climat

Study of the photochemical air pollution over southeastern Europe

The subject of the PhD thesis is the study of the photochemical air pollution over Southeastern Europe. Emphasis was given to the estimation of surface ozone concentrations during a summer period when enhanced photochemical ozone production is favoured. Emission fields of nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide released from different anthropogenic emission source sectors, such as the transport sector, the industrial sector and the central heating sector, were estimated. Calculations of biogenic isoprene and monoterpenes emissions from vegetation types (forests, shrub species and agricultural crops) covering the study area were also performed. Both anthropogenic and biogenic emission fields had high spatial and temporal resolution. The percentage contribution of each source sector to the annual total anthropogenic pollutant emissions across the study domain was also estimated. A modeling system consisted of the meteorological mesoscale model MM5 and the regional photochemical model Urban Airshed Model (UAM-V) was implemented in order to simulate ground-level ozone levels over a part of Southeastern Europe during a summer period of the year 2000. The spatial distribution of simulated ozone concentrations over the study area was presented showing where ozone levels displayed peaks. The statistical measures applied and the comparison between simulated ozone levels and ground-based ozone observations indicated the satisfactory performance of the modeling system in reproducing regional ozone levels across the modeling domain. Finally, different emission scenarios were examined and the impact of anthropogenic and biogenic pollutant emissions on surface ozone concentrations over the study area was studied.Σκοπός αυτής της διδακτορικής διατριβής είναι η μελέτη της ατμοσφαιρικής φωτοχημικής ρύπανσης στη Νοτιοανατολική Ευρώπη. Η μελέτη εστιάστηκε κυρίως στην εκτίμηση των επιπέδων συγκέντρωσης του όζοντος επιφανείας κατά τη διάρκεια της θερινής περιόδου, οπότε ευνοείται ο φωτοχημικός σχηματισμός του και η εμφάνιση υψηλών συγκεντρώσεών του. Στα πλαίσια της εργασίας έγινε για την περιοχή μελέτης εκτίμηση των υψηλής χωρικής και χρονικής ανάλυσης πεδίων των ανθρωπογενών εκπομπών οξειδίων του αζώτου, πτητικών οργανικών ενώσεων εκτός μεθανίου και μονοξειδίου του άνθρακα, που εκλύονται από διαφορετικές κατηγορίες πηγών, όπως η βιομηχανία, η κεντρική θέρμανση, οι οδικές και άλλες μεταφορές, και των βιογενών εκπομπών ισοπρενίου και μονοτερπενίων, που εκπέμπονται από τα διαφορετικά είδη βλάστησης (δάση, θάμνοι, καλλιέργειες), ώστε τα πεδία αυτά να μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν για την καλύτερη εφαρμογή των φωτοχημικών μοντέλων περιφερειακής κλίμακας. Παράλληλα, εκτιμήθηκε η συνεισφορά κάθε κατηγορίας πηγών εκπομπών στις ολικές ετήσιες ανθρωπογενείς εκπομπές ρύπων στην περιοχή μελέτης. Στη συνέχεια της διατριβής, υπολογίστηκαν τα επίπεδα συγκέντρωσης του όζοντος επιφανείας σε τμήμα της Νοτιοανατολικής Ευρώπης κατά τη διάρκεια θερινής περιόδου του έτους 2000 με εφαρμογή συστήματος μοντέλων που αποτελούνταν από το μετεωρολογικό μοντέλο μέσης κλίμακας MM5 και το φωτοχημικό μοντέλο περιφερειακής κλίμακας Urban Airshed Model (UAM-V). Από τη χωρική κατανομή των συγκεντρώσεων του όζοντος αναδείχθηκαν οι περιοχές στις οποίες οι συγκεντρώσεις του όζοντος εμφανίζουν τις μεγαλύτερες τιμές τους. Η σύγκριση των αποτελεσμάτων του μοντέλου με μετρήσεις συγκεντρώσεων όζοντος και ο υπολογισμός των κατάλληλων στατιστικών παραμέτρων έδειξε την ικανοποιητική επίδοση του φωτοχημικού μοντέλου στην αναπαραγωγή των περιφερειακής κλίμακας επιπέδων συγκέντρωσης του όζοντος στην περιοχή εφαρμογής του μοντέλου. Τέλος, εξετάστηκαν διαφορετικά σενάρια εκπομπών και μελετήθηκε η επίδραση με των ανθρωπογενών και βιογενών εκπομπών αερίων ρύπων στα επίπεδα συγκέντρωσης του όζοντος επιφανείας στην περιοχή μελέτης

Impacts of natural emission sources on particle pollution levels in Europe

The main objective of this work is the study of the impact of windblown dust, sea-salt aerosol and biogenic emissions on particle pollution levels in Europe. The Natural Emissions MOdel (NEMO) and the modelling system consisted of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) and the Comprehensive Air Quality model with extensions (CAMx) were applied in a 30 km horizontal resolution grid, which covered Europe and the adjacent areas for the year 2009. Air quality simulations were performed for different emission scenarios in order to study the contribution of each natural emission source individually and together to air quality levels in Europe. The simulations reveal that the exclusion of windblown dust emissions decreases the mean seasonal PM10 levels by more than 3.3 μg/m3 (∼20%) in the Eastern Mediterranean during winter while an impact of 3 μg/m3 was also found during summer. The results suggest that sea-salt aerosol has a significant effect on PM levels and composition. Eliminating sea-salt emissions reduces PM10 seasonal concentrations by around 10 μg/m3 in Mediterranean Sea during summer while a decrease of up to 6 μg/m3 is found in Atlantic Ocean during autumn. Sea-salt particles also interact with the anthropogenic component and therefore their absence in the atmosphere decreases significantly the nitrates in aerosols where shipping activities are present. The exclusion of biogenic emissions in the model runs leads to a significant reduction of secondary organic aerosols of more than 90% while an increase in PM2.5 levels in central Europe and Eastern Mediterranean is found due to their interaction with anthropogenic component

Building Energy Simulations Based on Weather Forecast Meteorological Model: The Case of an Institutional Building in Greece

The vision of decarbonization creates the need to design and construct even more energy-efficient buildings. This current target is even more compelling and challenging. The main issue when designing energy-efficient buildings is to identify present and future building energy requirements. A trending method for solving this problem is dynamic building energy simulation. One of the main inputs during energy simulation is weather data. However, the real problem lies in the fact that standard weather data are good at defining the present situation, and they help in designing buildings that behave efficiently under current climate conditions. To achieve the goal of constructing climate proof buildings, the Weather Research and Forecast meteorological model (WRF) was used to predict future climate scenarios. At first, data from previous years (2006–2010) were used to represent the current climate. The model was used to generate future climate data. Thus, results were produced for 5 year periods 2046–2050 and 2096–2100. These data were used for the energy simulation of an office building in Thessaloniki, Greece. The simulation results showed a reduction in heating loads by approximately 20% in the long term and a simultaneous impressive increase in cooling loads by 60%, highlighting the inadequacy of the existing building shell, as well as the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system design

“On-Line” Heating Emissions Based on WRF Meteorology—Application and Evaluation of a Modeling System over Greece

The main objective of the present study is the development of an “on-line” heating emissions modeling system based on simulated meteorological data and its integration with air quality modeling systems in order to improve their accuracy. The WRF-CAMx air quality modeling system is applied over Greece for the cold period of 2015 (January–April, October–December) for two emissions scenarios: using the (a) “on-line” heating emissions based on WRF meteorology and (b) “static” heating emissions based on static temporal profiles. The monthly variation in total “on-line” heating emissions followed the temporal pattern of the air temperature over Greece, leading to the highest heating emissions in January and February, while higher differences in emissions between winter and spring/autumn months were identified in comparison with the static ones. The overall evaluation of the WRF-CAMx modeling system using the “on-line” heating emissions revealed satisfactory model performance for the mean daily air quality levels. The comparison between the simulated and observed mean monthly concentrations revealed an improvement in the pattern of mean monthly concentrations for the “on-line” scenario. Higher values of the index of agreement and correlation for the mean daily values were also identified for the “on-line” scenario in most monitoring sites

Summertime aerosol chemical composition in the Eastern Mediterranean and its sensitivity to temperature

The impact of ambient temperature on the levels and chemical composition of aerosols over the Eastern Mediterranean in July 2004 is investigated using the WRF/CMAQ model system coupled with the MEGAN biogenic emissions model. CMAQ is able to capture the observed mean aerosol concentrations over the studied period. Non-sea-salt sulfate (nss-SO42-) is calculated to be the major aerosol component contributing by 63%, 16% and 40% to the fine (PM2.5), coarse (PM2.5-10) and total particulate matter mass (PM10), respectively. PM2.5 to PM10 mass ratios reach more than 80% over the large urban agglomerations but decrease to 45% at downwind locations suggesting coagulation and condensation on coarse particles. Higher temperatures increase biogenic emissions, enhance spatially-averaged biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA, by 0.01 +/- 0.00 mu g m(-3) K-1) and nitrate (NO3-) aerosol concentrations (by 0.02 +/- 0.02 mu g m(-3) K-1). They reduce nss-SO42- (by -0.04 +/- 0.07 mu g m(-3) K-1), induced by significant reduction in the cloud cover (90% K-1) and subsequent aqueous-phase production. The PM2.5 concentrations show a very small positive response to temperature changes, increasing by 0.003 +/- 0.042 mu g m(-3) K-1 (0.04% K-1) due to the compensation of organic carbon increases by nss-SO42- reductions. Locally, larger changes are computed, with nss-SO42- and NO3- in fine aerosols reduced by up to 0.62 mu g m(-3) K-1 and 0.80 mu g m(-3) K-1, respectively. Increases as high as 0.097 mu g m(-3) K-1 and 0.034 mu g m(-3) K-1 are calculated for organic and elemental carbon, respectively. Results show that changes in temperature modify not only the aerosol mass but also its chemical composition

A Methodology for Carbon Footprint Estimations of Research Project Activities—A Scenarios Analysis for Reducing Carbon Footprint

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).The main objective of the present study is the development of a comprehensive methodology for the estimation of the Carbon Footprint (CF) of research project activities and the identification of the best practices that can be followed by project partners within the project implementation to reduce its carbon footprint. The CF methodology is based on the GHG Protocol Guidance and the emissions factors of the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The emissions sources related to project activities are the following: heating (from fuels combustion), electricity, water, work-commuting, materials, printable deliverables, IT equipment and events. An application study is performed for a research project focusing on the Mediterranean area and it is found that on-site events represent a 41% share of the total CF of the project. The use of public transport and soft mobility by employees can result in a −37% reduction in the CF of work-commuting. The most significant best practices for more sustainable organization of project events, leading to a reduction of −62% and −50% in the CF of the events, are (1) public transportation and soft mobility of the events’ participants to reach the event location within the host city, and (2) the promotion of the use of buses and railway for the international/national travels of participants to/from the event’s host city, respectively. Τhe organization of hybrid events may also reduce the project event’s CF by −50%. The cumulative reduction in the total CF of the project examined from all the CF mitigation scenarios studied, relevant to the energy-efficient target of the EU, the origin of materials used, work-commuting and events (materials used, transportation, hybrid events), is estimated to be −45%

Investigating the quality of modeled aerosol profiles based on combined lidar and sunphotometer data

In this study we present an evaluation of the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx) for Thessaloniki using radiometric and lidar data. The aerosol mass concentration profiles of CAMx are compared against the PM2.5 and PM2. 5−10 concentration profiles retrieved by the Lidar-Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC). The CAMx model and the LIRIC algorithm results were compared in terms of mean mass concentration profiles, center of mass and integrated mass concentration in the boundary layer and the free troposphere. The mean mass concentration comparison resulted in profiles within the same order of magnitude and similar vertical structure for the PM2. 5 particles. The mean centers of mass values are also close, with a mean bias of 0.57 km. On the opposite side, there are larger differences for the PM2. 5−10 mode, both in the boundary layer and in the free troposphere. In order to grasp the reasons behind the discrepancies, we investigate the effect of aerosol sources that are not properly included in the model's emission inventory and in the boundary conditions such as the wildfires and the desert dust component. The identification of the cases that are affected by wildfires is performed using wind backward trajectories from the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model in conjunction with satellite fire pixel data from MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra and Aqua global monthly fire location product MCD14ML. By removing those cases the correlation coefficient improves from 0.69 to 0.87 for the PM2. 5 integrated mass in the boundary layer and from 0.72 to 0.89 in the free troposphere. The PM2.5 center of mass fractional bias also decreases to 0.38 km. Concerning the analysis of the desert dust component, the simulations from the Dust Regional Atmospheric Model (BSC-DREAM8b) were deployed. When only the Saharan dust cases are taken into account, BSC-DREAM8b generally outperforms CAMx when compared with LIRIC, achieving a correlation of 0.91 and a mean bias of −29.1 % for the integrated mass in the free troposphere and a correlation of 0.57 for the center of mass. CAMx, on the other hand, underestimates the integrated mass in the free troposphere. Consequently, the accuracy of CAMx is limited concerning the transported Saharan dust cases. We conclude that the performance of CAMx appears to be best for the PM2.5 particles, both in the boundary layer and in the free troposphere. Sources of particles not properly taken into account by the model are confirmed to negatively affect its performance, especially for the PM2. 5−10 particles.The authors would like to acknowledge the EU projects MACC-III (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate – III, grant agreement no. 633080) and MACC-II project (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate – Interim Implementation, grant agreement no. 283576). The simulated results presented in this research paper have been produced using the EGI and HellasGrid infrastructures. The ACTRIS-2 project from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 654109 is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to acknowledge the support provided by the Scientific Computing Center at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki throughout the progress of the work on air quality forecasting. BSC-DREAM8b simulations were performed on the Mare Nostrum supercomputer hosted by Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion (BSC-CNS). S. Basart wants to acknowledge the CICYT project (CGL2013-46736). Elina Giannakaki acknowledges the support of the Academy of Finland (project no. 270108).Peer Reviewe

Evaluating near-surface ozone levels simulated from MACC global and regional modelling systems in Eastern Mediterranean under the influence of Etesian winds

Summarization: The aim of this study is to examine the ability of two modelling systems, a global and a regional, to reproduce the influence of Etesian winds on the ozone zonal distribution over Eastern Mediterranean. Specifically, the results of the global MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) reanalysis model (Integrated Forecast System - MOZART (IFS-MOZART)) and an ensemble of MACC regional air quality models (ENS) are compared versus observed data from three background monitoring stations in Central and Eastern Mediterranean (i.e. Gharb (ARB) - Malta, Finokalia (FIN) (Crete) - Greece and Agia Marina (CAO) - Cyprus). Two distinct group of days characterized by different wind flows are used for the evaluation assessment for a 5-month period (May to September) for two years (2011 − 2012). During the selected period, the Etesians are the predominant winds that blow from northern directions over the Aegean Sea, affecting ozone levels. The observed mean ozone concentrations at Eastern Mediterranean stations are about 5 ppbv higher during Etesian days than during non-selected days whereas at the Central Mediterranean station (ARB), the difference between the two groups of days is small. Furthermore, the Eastern Mediterranean stations present generally higher observed ozone levels than the Central Mediterranean station with these differences intensifying during Etesian days. The evaluation results suggest that although the two modelling systems underestimate surface ozone concentrations systematically, they can capture to a certain extend the effect of the Etesian winds on the ozone zonal distribution. Specifically, FIN station which is directly under the influence of the Etesian winds presents higher simulated ozone values compared to the other two stations in agreement with the observations. For both modelling systems, the statistical evaluation metrics are better for the Central Mediterranean station, but there is a considerable improvement for the regional modelling system indicating that the ENS reproduces better the observed ozone values and zonal distribution in comparison to the IFS-MOZART.Presented on: Atmospheric Researc