Long Term Trends in Concentration of Major Pollutants (SO2, CO, NO, NO2, O3 and PM10) in Prague – Czech Republic (Analysis of Data Between 1992 and 2005)

Abstract

To assess the effect of changes in traffic density and fuels used for heating at the beginning of the 1990s, 1992–2005 monthly averages of PM10, SO2, NO2, NO, CO and O3 from Prague, the Czech capital, were analyzed together with long term trends in emissions of major pollutants, fuel consumption and number of vehicles registered in Prague. The data from all monitoring stations were retrieved from the database of the state automated monitoring system. Correlation coefficients between ambient monthly averaged temperature and all pollutants of concern showed distinct seasonal trends. The results showed that while SO2 and to some extent also CO concentrations dropped namely in the first half of the analyzed period (1992–1997) as a result decreased fossil fuel consumption for local heating, the behaviour of other pollutant concentrations followed a different pattern. PM10 concentrations decreased during the beginning of the 1990s but showed a sign of increase after 2000. Concentrations of ozone and NO2 did not reveal any significant change throughout the whole studied period. It can be concluded that during the studied period traditional urban sources of pollution, such as coal and oil combustion, lost their importance but were simultaneously substituted by pollutants from automotive transport (namely PM and NO2) making the problem of air quality even worse.