1,721,082 research outputs found
An overview of the project “CHEERS”: Chemical and Physical Properties and Source Apportionment of Airport Emissions in the context of European Air Quality Directives
No full textAircraft engine exhaust emissions and other airport-related contributions to ambient air pollution:A review
Full text linkCivil aviation is fast-growing (about+5% every year), mainly driven by the developing economies and globalisation. Its impact on the environment is heavily debated, particularly in relation to climate forcing attributed to emissions at cruising altitudes and the noise and the deterioration of air quality at ground-level due to airport operations. This latter environmental issue is of particular interest to the scientific community and policymakers, especially in relation to the breach of limit and target values for many air pollutants, mainly nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, near the busiest airports and the resulting consequences for public health. Despite the increased attention given to aircraft emissions at ground-level and air pollution in the vicinity of airports, many research gaps remain. Sources relevant to air quality include not only engine exhaust and non-exhaust emissions from aircraft, but also emissions from the units providing power to the aircraft on the ground, the traffic due to the airport ground service, maintenance work, heating facilities, fugitive vapours from refuelling operations, kitchens and restaurants for passengers and operators, intermodal transportation systems, and road traffic for transporting people and goods in and out to the airport. Many of these sources have received inadequate attention, despite their high potential for impact on air quality. This review aims to summarise the state-of-the-art research on aircraft and airport emissions and attempts to synthesise the results of studies that have addressed this issue. It also aims to describe the key characteristics of pollution, the impacts upon global and local air quality and to address the future potential of research by highlighting research needs.</p
Quantification of air quality impacts of London Heathrow Airport (UK) from 2005 to 2012
Full text linkAmong other emission sources in the Greater London area, the international airport of Heathrow is recognised to be a major source of air pollution and is one of the UK locations where European air quality Limit Values are currently breached. However it is very difficult to differentiate between pollutants arising from airport operations and those from the large volumes of road traffic generated by the airport, as well as the nearby M4 and M25 motorways, A4 and A30 major roads, the conurbation of London and other external sources. In this study, eight years (January 2005-December 2012) of measurements of various air pollutants (NO, NO2, NOx, O3, CO, PM10 and PM2.5) were investigated from 10 sites: eight sites are located within a distance of 2.5 km from the airport, while two sites representative of the regional background and of background air quality in London (Harwell (60 km WNW) and North Kensington (17 km ENE), respectively) were included. A series of statistical tools was thus applied to: (1) investigate the time series by analysing hourly data as diurnal, weekly, seasonal and annual patterns; (2) reveal the effects of the atmospheric circulation upon air pollution by analysing background-corrected polar plots and (3) quantify the impact of the airport upon air quality in the local area using the inter-site differences of measured concentrations. The results show different diurnal patterns in emissions of NOx from the airport and from the motorways. The concentration increment arising from passage of air across the airport during airport activity (6 am-10 pm) and with wind speed > 3 m s-1 is ca. 1-9 μg m-3 of NO2 and 2-20 μg m-3 of NOx at background stations. Such results are slightly lower than in a previous study analysing the 2001-2004 period. Air quality impacts of the M25 and M4 motorways are substantial only at the Hillingdon site (30 m from M4). Concentration increments of particulate matter can take either small positive or negative values.</p
Black carbon and particle number size distributions collected at an international airport located in an area affected by a complex emission scenario
No full textTraffic and marine-influenced submicron particle number size distribution in the Venice mainland, Italy
No full textConcentration and particle number size distributions (PNSD) were collected during summer 2014 at a traffic site in Mestre-Venice, NE Italy. The total number concentrations show a wide increase around noontime, whereas minor increases are detected during traffic peak hours (6-7am, 7-8pm). The lowest concentrations were measured during the late night and early morning
Analysis of wide particle size spectra collected downwind of London Heathrow
No full textContinuous size distributions of airborne particles were measured near London Heathrow airport. Simultaneously, additional pollutants were also analysed, including volatile and non-volatile PM10 and PM2.5, black carbon, nitrogen oxides and ozone. Data were then processed to identify the potential sources in the area and to investigate the effects of both airport and nearby motorways (M4 and M25) on the local air quality
Source apportionment of chemically resolved PM2.5 and particle size spectra collected downwind of London Heathrow (UK)
No full textCivil aviation, air pollution and human health
Full text linkAir pollutant emissions from aircraft have been subjected to less rigorous control than road traffic emissions, and the rapid growth of global aviation is a matter of concern in relation to human exposures to pollutants, and consequent effects upon health. Yim et al (2015 Environ. Res. Lett. 3 034001) estimate exposures globally arising from aircraft engine emissions of primary particulate matter, and from secondary sulphates and ozone, and use concentration-response functions to calculate the impact upon mortality, which is monetised using the value of statistical life. This study makes a valuable contribution to estimating the magnitude of public health impact at various scales, ranging from local, near airport, regional and global. The results highlight the need to implement future mitigation actions to limit impacts of aviation upon air quality and public health. The approach adopted in Yim et al only accounts for the air pollutants emitted by aircraft engine exhausts. Whilst aircraft emissions are often considered as dominant near runways, there are a number of other sources and processes related to aviation that still need to be accounted for. This includes impacts of nitrate aerosol formed from NO<inf>x</inf> emissions, but probably more important, are the other airport-related emissions from ground service equipment and road traffic. By inclusion of these, and consideration of non-fatal impacts, future research will generate comprehensive estimates of impact related to aviation and airports.</p
Source apportionment of wide range particle size spectra and black carbon collected at the airport of Venice (Italy)
Full text linkAtmospheric particles are of high concern due to their toxic properties and effects on climate, and large airports are known as significant sources of particles. This study investigates the contribution of the Airport of Venice (Italy) to black carbon (BC), total particle number concentrations (PNC) and particle number size distributions (PNSD) over a large range (14 nm to 20 μm). Continuous measurements were conducted between April and June 2014 at a site located 110 m from the main taxiway and 300 m from the runway. Results revealed no significantly elevated levels of BC and PNC, but exhibited characteristic diurnal profiles. PNSD were then analyzed using both k-means cluster analysis and positive matrix factorization. Five clusters were extracted and identified as midday nucleation events, road traffic, aircraft, airport and nighttime pollution. Six factors were apportioned and identified as probable sources according to the size profiles, directional association, diurnal variation, road and airport traffic volumes and their relationships to micrometeorology and common air pollutants. Photochemical nucleation accounted for ~44% of total number, followed by road+shipping traffic (26%). Airport-related emissions accounted for ~20% of total PNC and showed a main mode at 80 nm and a second mode beyond the lower limit of the SMPS (<14 nm). The remaining factors accounted for less than 10% of number counts, but were relevant for total volume concentrations: nighttime nitrate, regional pollution and local resuspension. An analysis of BC levels over different wind sectors revealed no especially significant contributions from specific directions associated with the main local sources, but a potentially significant role of diurnal dynamics of the mixing layer on BC levels. The approaches adopted in this study have identified and apportioned the main sources of particles and BC at an international airport located in area affected by a complex emission scenario. The results may underpin measures for improving local and regional air quality, and health impact assessment studies
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