OMI and Ground-Based In-Situ Tropospheric Nitrogen Dioxide Observations over Several Important European Cities during 2005-2014.

Spiru Paraschiv,Simona-Lizica Paraschiv,Mirela Voiculescu,Daniel-Eduard Constantin

doi:10.3390/ijerph14111415

Abstract

In this work we present the evolution of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) content over several important European cities during 2005–2014 using space observations and ground-based in-situ measurements. The NO2 content was derived using the daily observations provided by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), while the NO2 volume mixing ratio measurements were obtained from the European Environment Agency (EEA) air quality monitoring stations database. The European cities selected are: Athens (37.98° N, 23.72° E), Berlin (52.51° N, 13.41° E), Bucharest (44.43° N, 26.10° E), Madrid (40.38° N, 3.71° W), Lisbon (38.71° N, 9.13° W), Paris (48.85° N, 2.35° E), Rome (41.9° N, 12.50° E), and Rotterdam (51.91° N, 4.46° E). We show that OMI NO2 tropospheric column data can be used to assess the evolution of NO2 over important European cities. According to the statistical analysis, using the seasonal variation, we found good correlations (R > 0.50) between OMI and ground-based in-situ observations for all of the cities presented in this work. Highest correlation coefficients (R > 0.80) between ground-based monitoring stations and OMI observations were calculated for the cities of Berlin, Madrid, and Rome. Both types of observations, in-situ and remote sensing, show an NO2 negative trend for all of locations presented in this study.

Highlights

Nowadays, atmospheric pollution represents one of the most important threats to humans and life on Earth
We present the evolution of NO2 content in the troposphere for several European cities using in-situ ground based information provided by EEA (European Environment Agency) and remote sensing observations derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) space instrument
In Europe, many cities, including those presented in this work, are experiencing severe air quality degradation due to urban development and increased industrialization; in order to implement effective strategies to reduce emissions, it is necessary to assess the spatio-temporal distribution of NO2 in these regions

Summary

Introduction

Atmospheric pollution represents one of the most important threats to humans and life on Earth. The emissions of major air pollutants have declined over the past decades which have led to a general improvement of air quality in Europe; some sectors have not reduced their emissions sufficiently so as to meet the European Union (EU) air quality standards. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 1415 example, the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx ) from road transport have not decreased sufficiently to meet air quality standards in many urban areas; the annual limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ) has been exceeded across Europe in 2014; approximately 94% of all of values above the annual limit value were measured at the traffic stations [4]. We present the evolution of NO2 content in the troposphere for several European cities using in-situ ground based information provided by EEA (European Environment Agency) and remote sensing observations derived from the OMI space instrument.

Data and Methodology

Results and Discussion

Conclusions