Measurement of Air Pollution in Time and Space

Abstract

The assessment of air quality is for a large part the collection and evaluation of data. A review is given of the specific information such as the emission sources, the ambient air quality, geographical and topographical data, meteorology etc., that is needed. A brief description is given of the methods for trend analysis, the measurement of air pollution in time. Next to the statistical distributions using the results of monitoring stations, trend analysis with biological effect determinations is demonstrated. Major emphasis is given to the air pollution measurements in space. Results of aerial determination of pollution transport are used to describe the transport within urban and industrial plumes and the transformations during transport under varying meteorological conditions over the North Sea. Total fluxes and removal rates for SO2 and NO2 are calculated. The overall measurement strategy needed for a good time and space description of air pollutant concentrations is discussed using recent results of the Dutch national monitoring network. Finally the relation between air pollution transport measurements and model calculations is indicated with the results of an O3 removal study carried out over the North Sea and the bordering coastal areas.