Opis projekta: Program modeliranja i procjene kakvoće zraka za područje Hrvatske na finoj rezoluciji (EMEP4HR)

The international project Environmental Modelling and Evaluation Programme for Croatia (EMEP4HR) is presented. It is a joint project of Norwegian and Croatian meteorological services, University of Zagreb and Energy Research and Environmental Protection Institute (EKONERG) that started in 2006, and is due to last until 2010. The main purpose of this project is to develop and test an operative framework for environmental control of air pollution problems in Croatia. The project will allow for a stable long-term development of Croatia’s scientific capacity to support the design of environmental protection strategies. Among objectives of EMEP4HR project is an implementation of a new scheme for vertical diffusion calculation. The new approach in calculating vertical diffusion coefficient K(z) is a linear-exponential function with convenient analytic properties. It is a generalized form of O’Brien’s third-order polynomial K(z) that is presently being used in the EMEP model. Initial results of the EMEP4HR show the feasibility of this project. This project will allow Croatian experts to produce their own assessments of air quality at national and at urban level.Predstavljen je međunarodni projekt: \u27Environmental Modelling and Evaluation Programme for Croatia\u27 (EMEP4HR), odnosno: \u27Program modeliranja i procjene kvalitete zraka za područje Hrvatske na finoj rezoluciji\u27. Radi se o zajedničkom projektu Norveške i Hrvatske meteorološke službe, Sveučilišta u Zagrebu i Instituta za energiju i zaštitu okoliša (EKONERG) u vremenskom trajanju od 2006 do 2010 godine. Osnovni zadatak ovoga projekta je razvoj i verifikacija sustava za modeliranje kakvoće zraka na području Hrvatske u svrhu njegove operativne primjene u području praćenja i planiranja zaštite okoliša od atmosferskog onečišćenja. Projekt će omogućiti stabilni, dugoročni razvoj hrvatskih stručnih i znanstvenih kapaciteta koji će podupirati sustav i strategiju zaštite okoliša. Jedan od ciljeva EMEP4HR projekta je izrada detaljnog katastra emisije onečišćujućih tvari na finoj rezoluciji: 10 km x 10 km na području cijele Hrvatske i 1 km x 1 km u urbanim središtima (Zagreb i Rijeka), te razvoj modela transporta i disperzije polutanata primjenom novih shema za proračun koeficijenta vertikalne, K(z), i horizontalne, K(x,y), difuzije koji će uvažavati specifičnosti našega podneblja i topografskih uvjeta. Nova metoda proračuna vertikalne difuzije temelji se na linearnoj-eksponencijalnoj funkciji poznatih analitičkih svojstava, a ujedno predstavlja opći oblik O’Brienovog polinoma trećeg reda, trenutno je u fazi verifikacije u operativnoj verziji modela. Inicijalni rezultati pokazuju dobre rezultate i izvedivost projekta. Osim što će omogućiti hrvatskim stručnjacima razvoj alata za modeliranje i procjenu kakvoće zraka na državnoj razini, projekt će omogućiti i razvoj modela za predviđanje i simulaciju uvjeta onečišćenja u urbanim i industrijski razvijenim središtima

A novel approach to screen and compare emission inventories

A methodology is proposed to support the evaluation and comparison of different types of emission inventories, and more specifically the comparison of bottom-up versus top-down approaches. The strengths and weaknesses of the methodology are presented and discussed based on an example. The approach results in a “diamond” diagram useful to flag out anomalous behaviors in the emission inventories and to get insight on possible explanations. In particular, the “diamond” diagram is shown to provide meaningful information in terms of: discrepancies between the total emissions reported by macro-sector and pollutant, contribution of each macro-sector to the total amount of emissions released by pollutant, and the identification and quantification of the different factors causing the discrepancies between total emissions. Its main strength as an indicator is to allow investigating the relative contribution of activity and weighted emission factors. A practical example in Barcelona is used for testing and to provide relevant information for the analyzed emission datasets. The tests show the capability of the proposed methodology to flag inconsistencies in the existing inventories. The proposed methodology system may be useful for regional and urban inventory developers as an initial evaluation of the consistency of their inventories.JRC.H.2-Air and Climat

Opis projekta: Program modeliranja i procjene kakvoće zraka za područje Hrvatske na finoj rezoluciji (EMEP4HR)

The international project Environmental Modelling and Evaluation Programme for Croatia (EMEP4HR) is presented. It is a joint project of Norwegian and Croatian meteorological services, University of Zagreb and Energy Research and Environmental Protection Institute (EKONERG) that started in 2006, and is due to last until 2010. The main purpose of this project is to develop and test an operative framework for environmental control of air pollution problems in Croatia. The project will allow for a stable long-term development of Croatia’s scientific capacity to support the design of environmental protection strategies. Among objectives of EMEP4HR project is an implementation of a new scheme for vertical diffusion calculation. The new approach in calculating vertical diffusion coefficient K(z) is a linear-exponential function with convenient analytic properties. It is a generalized form of O’Brien’s third-order polynomial K(z) that is presently being used in the EMEP model. Initial results of the EMEP4HR show the feasibility of this project. This project will allow Croatian experts to produce their own assessments of air quality at national and at urban level.Predstavljen je međunarodni projekt: \u27Environmental Modelling and Evaluation Programme for Croatia\u27 (EMEP4HR), odnosno: \u27Program modeliranja i procjene kvalitete zraka za područje Hrvatske na finoj rezoluciji\u27. Radi se o zajedničkom projektu Norveške i Hrvatske meteorološke službe, Sveučilišta u Zagrebu i Instituta za energiju i zaštitu okoliša (EKONERG) u vremenskom trajanju od 2006 do 2010 godine. Osnovni zadatak ovoga projekta je razvoj i verifikacija sustava za modeliranje kakvoće zraka na području Hrvatske u svrhu njegove operativne primjene u području praćenja i planiranja zaštite okoliša od atmosferskog onečišćenja. Projekt će omogućiti stabilni, dugoročni razvoj hrvatskih stručnih i znanstvenih kapaciteta koji će podupirati sustav i strategiju zaštite okoliša. Jedan od ciljeva EMEP4HR projekta je izrada detaljnog katastra emisije onečišćujućih tvari na finoj rezoluciji: 10 km x 10 km na području cijele Hrvatske i 1 km x 1 km u urbanim središtima (Zagreb i Rijeka), te razvoj modela transporta i disperzije polutanata primjenom novih shema za proračun koeficijenta vertikalne, K(z), i horizontalne, K(x,y), difuzije koji će uvažavati specifičnosti našega podneblja i topografskih uvjeta. Nova metoda proračuna vertikalne difuzije temelji se na linearnoj-eksponencijalnoj funkciji poznatih analitičkih svojstava, a ujedno predstavlja opći oblik O’Brienovog polinoma trećeg reda, trenutno je u fazi verifikacije u operativnoj verziji modela. Inicijalni rezultati pokazuju dobre rezultate i izvedivost projekta. Osim što će omogućiti hrvatskim stručnjacima razvoj alata za modeliranje i procjenu kakvoće zraka na državnoj razini, projekt će omogućiti i razvoj modela za predviđanje i simulaciju uvjeta onečišćenja u urbanim i industrijski razvijenim središtima

Knowledge Architecture for the wise governance of Sustainability Transitions

The need for sustainability transitions is widely recognised, along with a concurrent need for the evolution of knowledge systems to inform more effective policy action. Although there are many new policy targets relating to net zero emissions and other sustainability challenges, cities, regional and national governments are struggling to rapidly develop transformational policies to achieve them. As academics and practitioners who work at the science-policy interface, we identify specific knowledge and competency needs for governing sustainability transitions related to the interlinked phases of envisioning, implementing and evaluating. In short, coordinated reforms of both policy and knowledge systems are urgently needed to address the speed and scale of sustainability challenges. These include embedding systems thinking literacy, mainstreaming participatory policy making, expanding the capacity to undertake transdisciplinary research, more adaptive governance and continuous organisational learning. These processes must guide further knowledge development, uptake and use as part of an iterative and holistic process. Such deep-seated change in policy-knowledge systems will be disruptive and presents challenges for traditional organisational models of knowledge delivery, but is essential for successful sustainability transformatio

GEIA’s Vision for Improved Emissions Information

International audienceAccurate, timely, and accessible emissions information is critical for understanding and making predictions about the atmosphere. We will present recent progress of the Global Emissions InitiAtive (GEIA, http://www.geiacenter.org/), a community-driven joint activity of IGAC, iLEAPS, and AIMES within the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme. Since 1990, GEIA has served as a forum for the exchange of expertise and information on anthropogenic and natural emissions of trace gases and aerosols. GEIA supports a worldwide network of emissions data developers and users, providing a solid scientific foundation for atmospheric chemistry research. By the year 2020, GEIA envisions being a bridge between the environmental science, regulatory, assessment, policy, and operational communities. GEIA’s core activities include 1) facilitating analysis that improves the scientific basis for emissions data, 2) enhancing access to emissions information, and 3) strengthening linkages within the international emissions community. We will highlight GEIA’s current work distributing emissions data, organizing the development of new emissions datasets, facilitating regional emissions studies, and initiating analyses aimed at improving emissions information. GEIA welcomes new partnerships that advance emissions knowledge for the future

Assessment of discrepancies between bottom-up and regional emission inventories in Norwegian urban areas

This study shows the capabilities of a benchmarking system to identify inconsistencies in emission inventories, and to evaluate the reason behind discrepancies as a mean to improve both bottom-up and downscaled emission inventories. Fine scale bottom-up emission inventories for seven urban areas in Norway are compared with three regional emission inventories, EC4MACS, TNO_MACC-II and TNO_MACC-III, downscaled to the same areas. The comparison shows discrepancies in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) when evaluating both total and sectorial emissions. The three regional emission inventories underestimate NOx and PM10 traffic emissions by approximately 20 e80% and 50e90%, respectively. The main reasons for the underestimation of PM10 emissions from traffic in the regional inventories are related to non-exhaust emissions due to resuspension, which are included in the bottom-up emission inventories but are missing in the official national emissions, and therefore in the downscaled regional inventories. The benchmarking indicates that the most probable reason behind the underestimation of NOx traffic emissions by the regional inventories is the activity data. The fine scale NOx traffic emissions from bottom-up inventories are based on the actual traffic volume at the road link and are much higher than the NOx emissions downscaled from national estimates based on fuel sales and based on population for the urban areas. We have identified important discrepancies in PM2.5 emissions from wood burning for residential heating among all the inventories. These discrepancies are associated with the assumptions made for the allocation of emissions. In the EC4MACs inventory, such assumptions imply high underestimation of PM2.5 emissions from the residential combustion sector in urban areas, which ranges from 40 to 90% compared with the bottom-up inventories. The study shows that in three of the seven Norwegian cities there is need for further improvement of the emission inventories.JRC.C.5-Air and Climat

Assessment of Trends and Leaching of Nitrogen at ICP Waters Sites (Europe and North America) (ICP Waters report 54/2001)

The ICP Waters database currently holds data for 204 sites in Europe and North America. These data were evaluated with respect to nitrate concentrations. About 50% of the sites currently have nitrate concentrations indicative of nitrogen saturation, that is, elevated level of nitrate above that expected in undisturbed systems not receiving significant amounts of N deposition. The relative importance of nitrate as an acid anion has increased at the ICP sites since the early 1990s, mostly due to the decrease in sulphate. The data indicate no major change in N saturation at the ICP sites during the 1990s, indicating that progression to increased N saturation is a slow process with a time scale of decades. There is no consistent pattern of trends in nitrate in the ICP waters sites. The overall lack of significant trends may be the result of 2 opposing factors (Wright et al. 2001) continued high deposition of nitrogen should tend to increase N saturation and give increased nitrate in runoff, whereas the decline in N deposition over the past 5-10 years in large parts of Europe should give decreased nitrate in runoff. Short and long-term variations in climate affect nitrate in streamwater, and thus contribute "noise" which masks long-term trends

Base cations deposition in Europe

The support from the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Working Group for Air and Sea Pollution, has significantly contributed to the development of unified calculations of base cation deposition across Europe with the EMEP model. Previous estimates of base cation deposition in Europe have mainly been based on empirical approaches of varying quality depending on country. The results of the model calculations will be used by CLRTAP and EU to assess the need for reduction of emissions of acidifying air pollutants in agreement with the Gothenburg protocol and NEC. The EMEP model has been extended to calculate the deposition of four base cations; calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+). Natural emissions (from sea salt and wind blown dust) as well as anthropogenic emissions (from combustion and industrial processes) have been considered. Base cations are assumed to behave in a similar manner as primary particles in the atmosphere, and hence the transport and deposition of base cations are considered in the same way as primary particles in the EMEP model. The result of the EMEP modelling was compared with wet deposition fluxes derived from the EMEP and ICP-Forest network, and throughfall measurements from the ICP-Forest network, to assess the robustness of the model calculations. This comparison showed encouraging results. However, it was recognised that the EMEP model can be developed further, particularly regarding the estimates of base cation sources, to correctly quantify the base cation deposition in Europe. Furthermore, to provide a confident assessment of the results of the EMEP model, it is of great importance to further develop and improve the measurement methodologies and the methods applied to estimate dry deposition.The support from the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Working Group for Air and Sea Pollution, has significantly contributed to the development of unified calculations of base cation deposition across Europe with the EMEP model. Previous estimates of base cation deposition in Europe have mainly been based on empirical approaches of varying quality depending on country. The results of the model calculations will be used by CLRTAP and EU to assess the need for reduction of emissions of acidifying air pollutants in agreement with the Gothenburg protocol and NEC. The EMEP model has been extended to calculate the deposition of four base cations; calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+). Natural emissions (from sea salt and wind blown dust) as well as anthropogenic emissions (from combustion and industrial processes) have been considered. Base cations are assumed to behave in a similar manner as primary particles in the atmosphere, and hence the transport and deposition of base cations are considered in the same way as primary particles in the EMEP model. The result of the EMEP modelling was compared with wet deposition fluxes derived from the EMEP and ICP-Forest network, and throughfall measurements from the ICP-Forest network, to assess the robustness of the model calculations. This comparison showed encouraging results. However, it was recognised that the EMEP model can be developed further, particularly regarding the estimates of base cation sources, to correctly quantify the base cation deposition in Europe. Furthermore, to provide a confident assessment of the results of the EMEP model, it is of great importance to further develop and improve the measurement methodologies and the methods applied to estimate dry deposition