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Spatial distribution of Dechlorane Plus and dechlorane related compounds in European background air
Get PDFThe highly chlorinated chemical Dechlorane Plus (DP) was introduced as a replacement flame retardant for Mirex, which is banned through the Stockholm Convention (SC) for its toxicity (T), environmental persistence (P), potential for bioaccumulation (B) and long-range environmental transport potential (LRETP). Currently, Dechlorane Plus is under consideration for listing under the Stockholm Convention and by the European Chemical Agency as it is suspected to also have potential for P, B, T and LRET. Knowledge of atmospheric concentrations of chemicals in background regions is vital to understand their persistence and long-range atmospheric transport but such knowledge is still limited for Dechlorane Plus. Also, knowledge on environmental occurrence of the less described Dechlorane Related Compounds (DRCs), with similar properties and uses as Dechlorane Plus, is limited. Hence, the main objective of this study was to carry out a spatial mapping of atmospheric concentrations of Dechlorane Plus and Dechlorane Related Compounds at background sites in Europe. Polyurethane foam passive air samplers were deployed at 99 sites across 33 European countries for 3 months in summer 2016 and analyzed for dechloranes. The study showed that syn- and anti-DP are present across the European continent (publishedVersio
Seasonal and latitudinal variability in the atmospheric concentrations of cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes in the Northern Hemisphere
No full textField data from two latitudinal transects in Europe and Canada were gathered to better characterize the atmospheric fate of three cyclic methylsiloxanes (cVMSs), i.e., octamethyl-cyclotetrasiloxane (D4), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6). During a year-long, seasonally resolved outdoor air sampling campaign, passive samplers with an ultra-clean sorbent were deployed at 15 sampling sites covering latitudes ranging from the source regions (43.7–50.7 °N) to the Arctic (79–82.5 °N). For each site, one of two passive samplers and one of two field blanks were separately extracted and analyzed for the cVMSs at two different laboratories using gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry. Whereas the use of a particular batch of sorbent and the applied cleaning procedure to a large extent controlled the levels of cVMS in field blanks, and therefore also the method detection and quantification limits, minor site-specific differences in field blank contamination were apparent. Excellent agreement between duplicates was obtained, with 95% of the concentrations reported by the two laboratories falling within a factor of 1.6 of each other. Nearly all data show a monotonic relationship between the concentration and distance from the major source regions. Concentrations in source regions were comparatively constant throughout the year, while the concentration gradient towards remote regions became steeper during summer when removal via OH radicals is at its maximum. Concentrations of the different cVMS oligomers were highly correlated within a given transect. Changes in relative abundance of cVMS oligomers along the transect were in agreement with relative atmospheric degradation rates via OH radicals.publishedVersio
Rising carbon inequality and its driving factors from 2005 to 2015
Get PDFCarbon inequality is the gap in carbon footprints between the rich and the poor, reflecting an uneven distribution of wealth and mitigation responsibility. Whilst much is known about the level of inequality surrounding responsibility for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, little is known about the evolution in carbon inequality and how the carbon footprints of socio-economic groups have developed over time. Inequality can be reduced either by improving the living standards of the poor or by reducing the overconsumption of the rich, but the choice has very different implications for climate change mitigation. Here, we investigate the carbon footprints of income quintile groups for major 43 economies from 2005 to 2015. We find that most developed economies had declining carbon footprints but expanding carbon inequality, whereas most developing economies had rising footprints but divergent trends in carbon inequality. The top income group in developing economies grew fastest, with its carbon footprint surpassing the top group in developed economies in 2014. Developments are driven by a reduction in GHG intensity in all regions, which is partly offset by income growth in developed countries but more than offset by the rapid growth in selected emerging economies. The top income group in developed economies has achieved the least progress in climate change mitigation, in terms of decline rate, showing resistance of the rich. It shows mitigation efforts could raise carbon inequality. We highlight the necessity of raising the living standard of the poor and consistent mitigation effort is the core of achieving two targets.publishedVersio
Konvensjonen om langtransporterte luftforurensinger. UN/ECE internasjonale samarbeidsprogram for materi
Get PDFThis report presents the ICP Materials database for the period October 2020 to December 2021. It includes environmental data from the ICP Materials trend exposure programme for 2020 - 2021 and, in addition, data for temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation amount back to the end of the previous annual exposure programme in October/November 2018. The database consists of meteorological data (T, RH and precipitation amount) and pollution data: Gas concentrations, amounts of ions in precipitation, particle concentrations and amounts of particle deposition.Denne rapporten presenterer databasen i ICP Materialer for perioden oktober 2020 – desember 2021. Den inkluderer miljødata fra ICP Materialer trend-eksponeringsprogrammet for 2020 – 2021 og, i tillegg, data for temperatur, relativ fuktighet og nedbørsmengde tilbake til slutten av forrige årlige eksponeringsperiode i oktober/november 2018. Databasen består av meteorologiske data (T, RF og nedbørsmengde) og forforurensningsdata: Gasskonsentrasjoner, mengde ioner i nedbør, partikkelkonsentrasjoner og mengde avsatte partikler.publishedVersio
Gjennomgang av metoder som kan benyttes for å beregne atmosfærisk avsetning
Get PDFThere are three main approaches for estimating the atmospheric deposition: 1) From measurements of air and precipitation chemistry combined with statistical interpolation, 2) Chemical transport models, 3) Combined observations and atmospheric model calculations. This report reviews these different approaches and come with some general recommendations on the different strategies and the way forward for Poland. The report was made for the project "Strengthening of atmospheric deposition assessment in Poland based on Norwegian experience" under the program "Environment, Energy and Climate Change", financed by the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021".Det er tre hovedtilnærminger for å estimere atmosfæriske avsetningen: 1) Fra målinger av luft- og nedbørskjemi kombinert med statistisk interpolasjon, 2) kjemiske transportmodeller, 3) kombinere observasjoner og atmosfæriske modellberegninger. Denne rapporten gjennomgår disse forskjellige tilnærmingene og kommer med noen generelle anbefalinger om de forskjellige strategiene og veien videre for Polen.
Denne rapporten ble laget for prosjektet "Strengthening of atmospheric deposition assessment in Poland based on Norwegian experience" under programmet "Environment, Energy and Climate Change", finansiert av European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021".publishedVersio
Low-Processing Data Enrichment and Calibration for PM2.5 Low-Cost Sensors
Get PDFParticulate matter (PM) in air has been proven to be hazardous to human health. Here we focused on analysis of PM data we obtained from the same campaign which was presented in our previous study. Multivariate linear and random forest models were used for the calibration and analysis. In our linear regression model the inputs were PM, temperature and humidity measured with low-cost sensors, and the target was the reference PM measurements obtained from SEPA in the same timeframe.publishedVersio
Mapping of PM from construction activities in Lørenskog municipality
Get PDFI et samarbeidsprosjekt med Lørenskog kommune utførte NILU en målekampanje rundt ett av boligbyggeprosjektene på Lørenskog. Formålet med målingene var å få økt kunnskap om svevestøvnivåer i omgivelsene til anleggsplasser. Målingene ble utført ved 2 steder rundt en byggeplass på Skårerbyen. Måleresultatene viser at PM10 nivået var høyere rundt anleggsplassen enn ved en nærliggende veinær målestasjon. Observasjonene tyder på at anleggsaktivitet var årsaken. Et viktig resultat fra målekampanjen er at målinger av svevestøv med optiske målemetoder ikke anses som egnet i områder der anleggsstøv dominerer.In a collaborative project with Lørenskog municipality, NILU carried out a measurement campaign around one of the housing construction projects in Lørenskog. The purpose of the measurements was to gain increased knowledge of suspended dust levels in the surroundings of construction sites. The measurements were carried out at two locations around a construction site in Skårerbyen. The measurement results show that the PM10 level was higher around the construction site than at a nearby roadside measuring station. The observations suggest that construction activity was the cause. An important result based on the observations was that optical particle analysers are not considered suitable for monitoring the airborne dust concentration where construction dust dominates.publishedVersio
Effect of demand-controlled ventilation strategies on indoor air pollutants in a classroom: A Norwegian case study
Get PDFThe choice of the minimum ventilation rate (Vmin) in a demand-controlled ventilation strategy can influence energy demand but also introduce outdoor air pollutants. The latter may have direct health effects, as well as affect indoor chemical reactions. In this paper, we evaluate the effect of ventilation rates and operation hours on the level of CO2, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) in a classroom during normal use. We compared the baseline ventilation scenario (S0) with a Vmin of 430 m3/h with S1; Vmin of 150 m3/h for normal ventilation operation time (6:30-17:00) and continuous ventilation for 24h (S2). We found that S1 with reduced Vmin would lower the ozone concentration by 35% during the hours before occupancy compared to S0. Moreover, continuous ventilation during night time with a low Vmin resulted in almost as high O3 concentrations as the baseline ventilation scenario. As O3 reacts easily with certain VOCs to produce secondary organic aerosols, the level of Vmin and the ventilation duration would impact the indoor air quality upon entering the classroom.publishedVersio
A roadmap to estimating agricultural ammonia volatilization over Europe using satellite observations and simulation data
Get PDFAmmonia (NH3) is one of the most important gases emitted from agricultural practices. It affects air quality and the overall climate and is in turn influenced by long-term climate trends as well as by short-term fluctuations in local and regional meteorology. Previous studies have established the capability of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) series of instruments, aboard the Metop satellites, to measure ammonia from space since 2007. In this study, we explore the interactions between atmospheric ammonia, land and meteorological variability, and long-term climate trends in Europe. We investigate the emission potential (Γsoil) of ammonia from the soil, which describes the soil–atmosphere ammonia exchange. Γsoil is generally calculated in-field or in laboratory experiments; here, and for the first time, we investigate a method which assesses it remotely using satellite data, reanalysis data products, and model simulations. We focus on ammonia emission potential in March 2011, which marks the start of growing season in Europe. Our results show that Γsoil ranges from 2 × 103 to 9.5 × 104 (dimensionless) in fertilized cropland, such as in the North European Plain, and is of the order of 10–102 in a non-fertilized soil (e.g., forest and grassland). These results agree with in-field measurements from the literature, suggesting that our method can be used in other seasons and regions in the world. However, some improvements are needed in the determination of mass transfer coefficient k (m s−1), which is a crucial parameter to derive Γsoil. Using a climate model, we estimate the expected increase in ammonia columns by the end of the century based on the increase in skin temperature (Tskin), under two different climate scenarios. Ammonia columns are projected to increase by up to 50 %, particularly in eastern Europe, under the SSP2-4.5 scenario and might even double (increase of 100 %) under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. The increase in skin temperature is responsible for a formation of new hotspots of ammonia in Belarus, Ukraine, Hungary, Moldova, parts of Romania, and Switzerland.publishedVersio