1. Spatiotemporal Variability of Urban Air Pollution in Bucharest City.
- Author
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Ilie, Alexandru, Vasilescu, Jeni, Talianu, Camelia, Iojă, Cristian, and Nemuc, Anca
- Subjects
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URBAN pollution , *AIR pollutants , *AIR quality monitoring , *AIR pollution , *URBAN health , *PARTICULATE matter , *NITROGEN dioxide - Abstract
Urban air pollution is one of the major challenges that cities around the world face. Particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other pollutants are many times over the recommended airborne exposure, generating a strong impact on human health and city well-being. Considering Bucharest as a case study, this study aimed to investigate the patterns of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. Multiyear data from the Romanian National Air Quality Monitoring Network were used to investigate spatial and temporal variability. All air pollutants presented a typical bimodal trend during the day, with specific double peaks corresponding to the morning rush hours and nighttime. Spatial variability in NO 2 concentrations was observed, with almost double the concentration values in the city center during midday compared with those for the background and industrial areas. A weekly pattern of PM was noticed, with lower concentrations during the weekends in comparison with those during weekdays, more pronounced in the case of PM 10 compared with the case of PM 2.5 . The fine particle fraction presented monthly and seasonal variability, with higher levels during the cold months compared with the warm months, mainly corresponding to the increased household heating. The estimated proportion of mortality attributable to annual exposure to an air PM 2.5 above 5 μ g/m 3 in Bucharest ranged between 7.55% and 8.26%, with the maximum from 2021. By contrast, the estimated proportion of mortality attributable to PM 10 and NO 2 above 10 μ g/m 3 was significantly lower, with values around 4%. The results are useful in supporting environmental planning measures to decrease urban air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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