Alumnae Association Bulletin of the School of Nursing, 1972

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Influences of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull volcanic plume on air quality in the northern Alpine region

A series of major eruptions of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland started on 14 April 2010 and continued until the end of May 2010. The volcanic emissions moved over nearly the whole of Europe and were observed first on 16 April 2010 in Southern Germany with different remote sensing systems from the ground and space. Enhanced PM10 and SO2 concentrations were detected on 17 April at mountain stations (Zugspitze/Schneefernerhaus and Schauinsland) as well as in Innsbruck by in situ measurement devices. On 19 April intensive vertical mixing and advection along with clear-sky conditions facilitated the entrainment of volcanic material down to the ground. The subsequent formation of a stably stratified lower atmosphere with limited mixing near the ground during the evening of 19 April led to an additional enhancement of near-surface particle concentrations. Consequently, on 19 April and 20 April exceedances of the daily threshold value for particulate matter (PM10) were reported at nearly all monitoring stations of the North Alpine foothills as well as at mountain and valley stations in the northern Alps. The chemical analyses of ambient PM10 at monitoring stations of the North Alpine foothills yielded elevated Titanium concentrations on 19/20 April which prove the presence of volcanic plume material. Following this result the PM10 threshold exceedances are also associated with the volcanic plume. The entrainment of the volcanic plume material mainly affected the concentrations of coarse particles (>1 μm) – interpreted as volcanic ash – and ultrafine particles (<100 nm), while the concentrations of accumulation mode aerosol (0.1–1 μm) were not changed significantly. With regard to the occurrence of ultrafine particles, it is concluded that their formation was triggered by high sulphuric acid concentrations which are necessarily generated by the photochemical processes in a plume rich in sulphur dioxide under high solar irradiance. It became evident that during the course of several days, the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic emissions influenced the near-surface atmosphere and thus the ambient air quality. Although the volcanic plume contributed to the overall exposure of the population of the northern Alpine region on two days, only minor effects on the exacerbation of respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms can be expected

Low emission zones reduce PM₁₀ mass concentrations and diesel soot in German cities.

In many European cities mass concentrations of PM10 (particles less than 10 &mu;m in size) are still exceeding air quality standards as set by the European Commission in 1999. As a consequence, many cities introduced low emission zones (LEZs) to improve air quality and to meet the limit values. In Germany currently 48 LEZs are in operation. By means of dispersion modeling, PM10 concentrations were estimated to decrease up to 10%. Analysis of PM10 levels conducted for Cologne, Berlin, and Munich some time after the LEZs were introduced showed reduction of PM10 mass concentration in the estimated range. The PM10 particle fraction is, however, composed of particles with varying toxicity, of which diesel soot is highly health relevant. An evaluation of air quality data conducted in Berlin showed that in 2010 traffic-related soot concentrations measured along major roads decreased by 52% compared to 2007. Diesel particle emissions in Berlin were reduced in 2012 by 63% compared to a business-as-usual scenario (reference year 2007). A strong reduction of the traffic-related particle fraction of PM2.5 was also reported for Munich. Therefore, it is likely that the effects of LEZs are considerably more significant to human health than was anticipated when only considering the reduction of PM10 mass concentrations

Umweltzonen.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) were implemented as a measure for improving air quality of ambient air, especially in cities where the European limit values for PM10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter &lt; 10 &mu;m) were exceeded. Up to now 48 LEZs were introduced in Germany (by the end of 2014); however they differ significantly from city to city regarding size, implementation time and strictness of regulation. In general, the vehicles are identified by windscreen badges in a coloured code which is directly linked to the corresponding stages of European emission standards. In other European countries LEZs (or other measures such as Congestion Charge Zones) have been also implemented; however, there are no uniform regulations for LEZs in the different EU member states. The effects of LEZs on the air quality have already been investigated by dispersion modeling or increasingly also by analysis of PM10 measurement values. While initially inconsistent results were reported due to short time series of PM10 measurements, recent studies show a clear trend. In sufficiently large and strictly regulated LEZs a reduction of PM10 concentration between 5 and 10% (at traffic site partially above 10%) can be expected. The reduction of PM10 levels is in general more pronounced for the summer season compared to the winter season. In winter, additional particle sources (such as domestic heating, wood combustion, re-suspended dust due to the application of road salt for deicing) contribute significantly to the PM10 mass concentrations and consequently a measure regulating vehicle exhaust particles only becomes less effective. It has been shown that air pollutants which are emitted mainly by traffic and especially by diesel cars (elemental carbon (EC), diesel soot, ultrafine particles, PM2.5) are more affected by the implementation of LEZs. After the implementation of LEZ in Munich the average concentration of EC emitted by traffic decreased by 50%. In Berlin the diesel particle emissions were reduced by 63% compared to a business-as-usual scenario. The limit values for PM10 were introduced in 2005 mainly due to the adverse health effects of fine particles on respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The most health-relevant PM10 particle fraction consists mainly of traffic related particles and here especially of diesel soot particles. Therefore, the German regulations for LEZs promote using of diesel particulate filter (DPF) in diesel cars. Unfortunately, the evaluation of the LEZ effects is mostly restricted to PM10, a particle fraction containing on average only 20% of exhaust related particles. A 10% reduction of PM10 should lead to a reduction of the toxic and health-relevant diesel soot fraction by 50%, which was already reported for some &quot;efficient&quot; LEZs. This means at the same time that the benefit of LEZs on human health is far greater than is presently visible from routine measurements of PM10. Overall, the results show that LEZs are proving successful as a measure for air pollution control when they are large enough and only few exemptions are granted. They decrease not only PM10 but, to a much higher degree, the health-relevant components (such as diesel soot) contained in PM10. Therefore, the benefit of the LEZs could be much better estimated by additional monitoring of diesel soot and elemental carbon in PM10

Particle size distribution factor as an indicator for the impact of the Eyjafjallaj&ouml;kull ash plume at ground level in Augsburg, Germany.

During the time period of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in 2010 increased mass concentration of PM(10) (particulate matter, diameter &lt; 10 mu m) were observed at ground level in Augsburg, Germany. In particular on 19 and 20 April 2010 the daily PM10 limit value of 50 mu g m(-3) was exceeded. Because ambient particles are in general a complex mixture originating from different sources, a source apportionment method (positive matrix factorization (PMF)) was applied to particle size distribution data in the size range from 3 nm to 10 mu m to identify and estimate the volcanic ash contribution to the overall PM10 load in the ambient air in Augsburg. A PMF factor with relevant particle mass concentration in the size range between 1 and 4 mu m (maximum at 2 mu m) was associated with long range transported dust. This factor increased from background concentration to high levels simultaneously with the arrival of the volcanic ash plume in the planetary boundary layer. Hence, we assume that this factor could be used as an indicator for the impact of the Eyjafjallajokull ash plume on ground level in Augsburg. From 17 to 22 April 2010 long range transported dust factor contributed on average 30% (12 mu g m(-3)) to PM10. On 19 April 2010 at 20:00 UTC+1 the maximum percentage of the long range transported dust factor accounted for around 65% (35 mu g m(-3)) to PM10 and three hours later the maximum absolute value with around 48 mu g m(-3) (61 %) was observed. Additional PMF analyses for a Saharan dust event occurred in May and June 2008 suggest, that the long range transported dust factor could also be used as an indicator for Saharan dust events