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Multiyear high-temporal-resolution measurements of submicron aerosols at 13 French urban sites: data processing and chemical composition
No full textInternational audienceThis paper presents a first comprehensive analysis of long-term measurements of atmospheric aerosol components from aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) and multiwavelength Aethalometer (AE33) instruments collected between 2015 and 2021 at 13 (sub)urban sites as part of the French CARA (Chemical Characterization of Particles) program. The datasets contain the mass concentrations of major chemical species within submicron aerosols (PM1), namely organic aerosols (OAs), nitrate (), ammonium (), sulfate (), non-sea-salt chloride (Cl−), and equivalent black carbon (eBC). Rigorous quality control, technical validation, and environmental evaluation processes were applied, adhering to both guidance from the French Reference Laboratory for Air Quality Monitoring (LCSQA) and the Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) standard operating procedures. Key findings include geographical differences in the aerosol chemical composition, seasonal variations, and diel patterns, which are influenced by meteorological conditions, anthropogenic activities, and proximity to emission sources. Overall, OA dominates PM1 at each site (43 %–60 % of total mass), showing distinct seasonality with higher concentrations (i) in winter, due to enhanced residential heating emissions, and (ii) in summer, due to increased photochemistry favoring secondary aerosol formation. NO3 is the second most important contributor to PM1 (15 %–30 %), peaking in late winter and early spring, especially in northern France, and playing a significant role during pollution episodes. SO4 (8 %–14 %) and eBC (5 %–11 %) complement the major fine-aerosol species, with their relative contributions strongly influenced by the origin of air masses and the stability of meteorological conditions, respectively.A comparison with the 3D chemical transport model (CTM) CHIMERE shows high correlations between simulations and measurements, albeit with an OA concentration underestimation of 46 %–76 %. Regional discrepancies in NO3 concentration levels emphasize the importance of these datasets with respect to validating air quality models and tailoring air pollution mitigation strategies. The datasets can be found at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13318298 (Chebaicheb et al., 2024)
Nation-wide monitoring campaign of 49 biocides and surfactants in surface waters and wastewaters
No full textInternational audienceDespite their intensive use and their impact on ecosystems, biocides and surfactants are still poorly regulated and poorly monitored at large scale. In the frame of the revision of the national regulatory surveillance plan of surface waters, France planned in 2018 a monitoring campaign at national scale focused on these two types of substances of very emerging concern. Forty-nine contaminants (32 biocides and 17 surfactants) were investigated in surface water and sediment samples from 91 sampling sites, and in effluent and sludge samples of 7 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), in mainland France and overseas regions. Between 33 and 52 % of the target contaminants were quantified at least once in water and sediment. High frequencies of quantification were observed for the surfactants (up to 91 % in water samples and up to 57 % in sediment samples for LAS C10-C13) and for the biocides (up to 64 % for fipronil in water samples and up to 90 % for methyl nonyl ketone in sediment samples). The median concentrations of surfactants were up to 2 μg/L in mainland surface water samples and up to 528 μg/kg in sediment samples, and for biocides, the median concentrations were up to 0.18 μg/L in mainland surface water samples and up to 104 μg/kg in sediment samples. PNEC exceedances in water and sediment were determined for both types of substances. The analysis of effluent and sludge suggested significant but not total removal of these substances in the WWTP. Temporal and spatial variations of the concentrations of both types of substances in surface water samples were also observed, suggesting both punctual and diffuse contamination sources of the surface water investigated
Instances of Safety-Related Advances in Hydrogen as Regards Its Gaseous Transport and Buffer Storage and Its Solid-State Storage
No full textInternational audienceAs part of the ongoing transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies, advances are particularly expected in terms of safe and cost-effective solutions. Publicising instances of such advances and emphasising global safety considerations constitute the rationale for this communication. Knowing that high-strength steels can prove economically relevant in the foreseeable future for transporting hydrogen in pipelines by limiting the pipe wall thickness required to withstand high pressure, one advance relates to a bench designed to assess the safe transport or renewable-energy-related buffer storage of hydrogen gas. That bench has been implemented at the technology readiness level TRL 6 to test initially intact, damaged, or pre-notched 500 mm-long pipe sections with nominal diameters ranging from 300 to 900 mm in order to appropriately validate or question the use of reputedly satisfactory predictive models in terms of hydrogen embrittlement and potential corollary failure. The other advance discussed herein relates to the reactivation of a previously fruitful applied research into safe mass solid-state hydrogen storage by magnesium hydride through a new public–private partnership. This latest development comes at a time when markets have started driving the hydrogen economy, bearing in mind that phase-change materials make it possible to level out heat transfers during the absorption/melting and solidification/desorption cycles and to attain an overall energy efficiency of up to 80% for MgH₂-based compacts doped with expanded natural graphite
Quelle pratique de réduction des émissions d’ammoniac cibler, où et quand, pour améliorerla qualité de l’air ?
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Toxicity of aged and unaged conventional or biodegradable mulching films microplastics to the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana
No full textInternational audienceHuman activities, and more specifically agricultural and horticultural activities, generate plastic pollution of soils, particularly by microplastics (MP). This pollution by MP is now ubiquitous and raises the question of its impact on the health of ecosystems in different compartments along the soil/aquatic continuum. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of aging on the toxicity of conventional (Polyethylene, PE) and biodegradable (Polylactic Acid/Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate, PLA/PBAT) mulching films microplastics on a key organism of the estuarine compartment, an environment at the soil/water interface. The estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana was exposed for 21 days to two environmental concentrations (0.008μg/L and 100μg/L) of microplastics (<400μm) generated from 6-months aged and unaged PE or PLA/PBAT mulching films as well as to a control condition without MP. After exposure, the responses of organisms were analysed at different levels of biological organisation using molecular, cellular and individual biomarkers
Development of an empirical ground-motion model for post-mining induced seismicity near Gardanne, France
No full textInternational audienceSince the closure of mining activities in 2003, the coal basin of Gardanne in South-East France has experienced thousands of small-magnitude earthquake events, mostly triggered by the flooding of mine workings. Some of these events have been powerful enough to be strongly felt by the population, generating nuisance and concern about potential damage to buildings. The aim of this study is to improve the characterisation of the level of ground motion at the surface, by developing a ground-motion model for post-mining induced seismicity, based on several years of recorded data. A Bayesian-based method is applied to the data in order to account for uncertainties in the estimation of moment magnitude. Station-to-station ground-motion site terms are also quantified for the nine recording stations in the area, thus providing additional information on the local site conditions. The developed model is compared to existing prediction equations for seismicity induced by other types of anthropic activities, confirming the need for a specific model in the case of post-mining induced seismicity. Finally, the Gardanne ground-motion model is also integrated with a shake-map procedure, showing how this predictive model may be merged with recorded data in order to generate rapid estimates of shaking levels in the area
Advancing environmental monitoring across the water continuum combining biomarker analysis in multiple sentinel species: A case study in the Seine-Normandie Basin (France)
No full textInternational audienceNowadays, biomarkers are recognized as valuable tools to complement chemical and ecological assessments in biomonitoring programs. They provide insights into the effects of contaminant exposures on individuals and establish connections between environmental pressure and biological response at higher levels. In the last decade, strong improvements in the design of experimental protocols and the result interpretation facilitated the use of biomarker across wide geographical areas, including aquatic continua. Notably, the statistical establishment of reference values and thresholds enabled the discrimination of contamination effects in environmental conditions, allowed interspecies comparisons, and eliminated the need of a reference site.The aim of this work was to study freshwater-estuarine-coastal water continua by applying biomarker measurements in multi-species caged organisms. During two campaigns, eight sentinel species, encompassing fish, mollusks, and crustaceans, were deployed to cover 25 sites from rivers to the sea. As much as possible, a common methodology was employed for biomarker measurements (DNA damage and phagocytosis efficiency) and data interpretation based on guidelines established using reference values and induction/inhibition thresholds (establishment of three effect levels).The methodology was successfully implemented and allowed us to assess the environmental quality. Employing multiple species per site enhances confidence in observed trends. The results highlight the feasibility of integrating biomarker-based environmental monitoring programs across a continuum scale. Biomarker results align with Water Framework Directive indicators in cases of poor site quality. Additionally, when discrepancies arise between chemical and ecological statuses, biomarker findings offer a comprehensive perspective to elucidate the disparities. Presented as a pilot project, this work contributes to gain insights into current biomonitoring needs, providing new questions and perspectives
Linear contractions effect on the propagation of hydrogen and methane flames in large scale pipeline
No full textInternational audienceThe motivation of gas industries to switch from fossil fuels to hydrogen raise questions related to thesafety of operations. One of the scenario of interest is related to a flame propagation in a long pipe.While most of flame propagation analysis in pipes are carried in straight configuration with differentsizes, the very few studies on the influence of single elements are carried at small scale.In order to develop the knowledge on the piping geometrical effect on flame acceleration, experimentswere performed in a 250mm diameter and 24m long straight pipe, closed at ignition and open to theatmosphere at the other end. The single elements tested here are two soft and sharp section changes.All single elements are located 16m from ignition in order to get a well-developed flame front whenreaching the single element. Two flammable mixtures were tested that are stoichiometric methaneairand lean hydrogen-air, meaning two slow and fast nominal flame velocities.It appears that the contraction promotes flame acceleration for both mixtures, but in a more importantmanner in the case of hydrogen flame compared to methane. The assumption of flame surfaceextension due to radial velocity gradient is put forward to explain this acceleration
Incorporating mitigation strategies in machine learning for landslide susceptibility prediction
No full textInternational audienceThis study proposes an approach that considers mitigation strategies in predicting landslide susceptibility through machine learning (ML) and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. ML models, such as random forest (RF), logistic regression (LR), and support vector classification (SVC) are incorporated into GIS to predict landslide susceptibilities in Hong Kong. To consider the effect of mitigation strategies on landslide susceptibility, non-landslide samples were produced in the upgraded area and added to randomly created samples to serve as ML models in training datasets. Two scenarios were created to compare and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach; Scenario I does not considering landslide control while Scenario II considers mitigation strategies for landslide control. The largest landslide susceptibilities are 0.967 (from RF), followed by 0.936 (from LR) and 0.902 (from SVC) in Scenario II; in Scenario I, they are 0.986 (from RF), 0.955 (from LR) and 0.947 (from SVC). This proves that the ML models considering mitigation strategies can decrease the current landslide susceptibilities. The comparison between the different ML models shows that RF performed better than LR and SVC, and provides the best prediction of the spatial distribution of landslide susceptibilities
Improve air quality by adjusting nitrogen fertilization practices: the key role of dynamic bottom-up spatial inventories towards cost-benefit assessments
No full textInternational audienceIt is becoming increasingly urgent to reduce ammonia emissions to protect both the environment and human health. Social acceptability of abatement measures is nevertheless a prerequisite to their implementation and implies being able to target the most cost-effective ones. It is particularly difficult to anticipate the effectiveness of nitrogen fertilization abatement practices: they are most variable in time and space, depending on the type of product, the type of use, and soil and weather conditions. It is thus essential to have a set of tools that can be used to trace the effects of any change in cultural practices from ammonia emissions reduction up to health effects avoided due to less human exposure to particulate matter. We built such a tool by coupling a dynamic bottom-up spatial inventory for France, Cadastre_NH3, a chemistry transport model, CHIMERE, and a health impact assessment tool, Alpha-Risk-Poll. We used it together with monetizing avoided emissions and yield gains, as well as health benefits to assess the substitution of a high volatilization fertilizer by a low one. We showed how health benefits more than offsets the mitigation costs even for a little effective measure. This tool can thus be used to provide objective input into democratic debates on the political choices to be made in terms of incentives and support for farmers for more sustainable practices. Thanks to Cadastre_NH3 it has the specific potential of assessing the effects of practices either in isolation or in combination, which is of great interest in the decision-making process