AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
European Air Pollution Hot-Spot: Evidence of Industrial Plume over a Residential Area
CECILIA LEONI, Jan Hovorka, Charles University in Prague
Abstract Number: 120 Working Group: Urban Aerosols
Abstract The Ostrava Region in the Czech Republic is a heavily polluted industrial area. Industrial sources and local heating are the main causes of air quality degradation. Also, Ostrava’s basin geomorphology and frequent temperature inversions in winter contribute to increased pollutants concentration. To characterize dominant air pollutants and to apportion their main sources, a comprehensive study on atmospheric aerosol was conducted at district Ostrava-Radvanice and Bartovice, one the most polluted district of the city.
During a monthly campaign (5.2-6.3 2014) five minute data of aerosol number size distributions (14-736 nm), CO, SO$_2, NO, NO$_2, O$_3, CH$_4 concentrations and meteorological parameters were recorded. The sampling station was placed in the district of Ostrava-Radvanice and Bartovice at 1.5 km distance from a large iron and steel-producing complex.
Fine particles number concentration – PNC above 10$^4 cm$^(-3) accounted for 70% of total measurements. Aerosol particle number distributions were frequently bimodal with count median diameters - CMD of 40 nm and 100 nm. We registered higher peaks of PNC about 1.2x10$^5 cm$^(-3), at CMD 40 nm, along with higher concentrations of CO (4 ppm) and SO$_2 (50 ugm$^(-3)), whereas background campaign averages were for PNC 1.3x10$^4 particles cm$^(-3), and 0.6 ppm and 7 ugm$^(-3) for CO and SO$_2 respectively. We also recorded CO peaks (10 ppm) in absence of SO$_2, with PNC 2.5x10$^4 cm$^(-3) and CMD of 40 nm.
Since we did not register significant local heating sources near the station and the vehicular traffic is rather moderated we may conclude that the higher ultrafine PNC at CMD 40 nm and higher CO and SO$_2 concentrations derive from the industrial plume transiting over the station.
The project is supported by the Czech Grant Agency (P503/12/G147).