PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Air quality is a major environmental problem in Europe, especially in urban conglomerates. For Mediterranean and Balkan countries, and Cyprus in particular, the semi-arid climate with dry summers, sparse vegetation, open-cast mines and uncovered soils are conducive to wind entrainment of dust. Long-distance transport from North Africa and the eastern shore zones of the Mediterranean also has an important impact on air quality. Dust management measures must take into account the relative importance of these different sources. In Cyprus, the heterogeneity of pollutant sources, the relatively large contribution from natural sources, as well as the impact of transboundary transport pose complexities and difficulties to the formulation of control measures.
OBJECTIVES
The PM3 project aimed to support the competent Cypriot authorities in preparing efficient and cost-effective plans for particulate matter (PM) management, by implementing state-of-the art forecasting and scenario analysis software. The project aimed to enhance data collection and processing capacities through the integration of remote-sensing technologies into the existing monitoring network. Regional modelling and PM10 source apportionment will be combined with stakeholder participation to establish management scenarios and models, incorporating technical and regulatory information as well as socio-economic factors. Specific objectives included the development and implementation of a methodology for identifying PM sources to quantify the relative contributions of long-range versus local sources, and natural versus man-made sources, and the production of a dust management plan.
RESULTS
The PM3 project has supported the competent Cypriot authorities in preparing cost effective and efficient particulate matter (PM) management plans, by undertaking analysis of dust emissions, transport, and control options for Cyprus as well as the identification of "natural" contributions as defined in Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. It has developed new methodology for identifying PM sources and produced a plan for dust management.
The project team collected and analysed historical PM monitoring data and their patterns, and from this developed a dynamic dust entrainment model. Pyrogenic PM10 emissions and wind-driven emissions were estimated. The emission scenarios obtained provided the input for a Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx), incorporating meteorological, fate and transport models, that was implemented over a 4 800 km nested grid area of embedded subdomains: 270 km around the island of Cyprus, smaller city domains of up to 30 km, down to local (‘hotspot’) modelling at street canyon level. Furthermore, state-of-the-art nowcasting, forecasting and scenario analysis software were developed, and new and innovative data collection and processing methods were used, to support the modelling. The project team applied remote sensing techniques (e.g. satellite imagery), and developed various source apportionment and air quality modelling methods at various elevations. The application of multi-scale analysis, to quantify PM sources from transboundary origins, was particularly innovative.
Through its extensive sampling and monitoring regime, and the chemical analysis of over 2 500 samples taken at 15 stations (mainly urban, but also industrial, mountain and coastal locations), the project team arrived at estimates for the main categories of PM sources. With this and other information, the project’s model generated patterns of local emissions and long-range transport. For each emission source or class of emissions, one or more possible mitigation mechanisms, strategies, or technologies were selected. A final list of ten measures based on technical feasibility and stakeholder acceptance were chosen to reduce PM concentrations.
In conclusion, the project found that Cyprus is significantly affected by regional anthropogenic pollution (estimated at almost 90% of sulphur); the overall contribution of sea salt is small (4-11%); organic and elemental carbon indicate the importance of local pollution; and almost a third of long-range transport comes from regional dust, while 28% and 21% of PM in Nicosia and Limassol, respectively, is re-suspended dust. These results are crucial for evaluating the level of exceedances on PM10 concentrations in Cyprus, as per EU regulatory limits, and for determining the level and sources of PM10 that can be managed through dust control measures.
The improved knowledge of pollution episodes and their origins should lead to more effective environmental measures being implemented for pollution control. In particular, coordinating beneficiary DLI intends to produce a long-term dust management strategy, which includes the identification of emissions by PM sources and the establishment of source-specific emission reduction targets. The goal is the reduction of ambient dust concentrations for the improvement of public health and the environment. Enhanced pollution forecasting and the dissemination of information in a timely manner should result in savings on hospital and healthcare costs for the most vulnerable population segments in urban areas.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
