Technical Report No 90.Fm

1 Technical report 90 EuroAirnet Status report 2000 Prepared by: Steinar Larssen and Lubor Kozakovic Project manager: Roel Van Aalst European Environment Agency 2 EuroAirnet Layout: Brandenborg a/s Legal notice The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Commission or other European Communities institutions. Neither the European Environment Agency nor any person or company acting on behalf of the Agency is responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained in this report. A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int) ©EEA, Copenhagen, 2003 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged ISBN: 92-9167-513-X European Environment Agency Kongens Nytorv 6 DK-1050 Copenhagen K Tel. (45) 33 36 71 00 Fax (45) 33 36 71 99 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.eea.eu.int Contents 3 Contents Executive summary . 5 1. Introduction . 6 2. EuroAirnet objectives . 8 3. EuroAirnet criteria in relation to EU air quality directives . 10 4. EuroAirnet selection status . 11 4.1. Status on selection, evaluation and modification . 11 4.2. Areas and stations overview . 11 4.3. Coverage of priority pollutants . 20 5. EuroAirnet on the Internet . 23 6. Fulfilment of EuroAirnet criteria . 25 6.1. Assessment of population exposure . 25 6.1.1. Area and station selection, cities and agglomerations . 25 6.1.2. Area and station selection, industrial areas outside cities . 26 6.1.3. Area and station selection, rural areas . 26 6.1.4. Pollutant coverage . 26 6.2. Assessment of ecosystems exposure . 27 6.2.1. Area and station selection . 27 6.2.2. Pollutant coverage . 27 6.3. Assessment of materials exposure . 28 6.3.1. Area and station selection . 28 6.3.2. Pollutant coverage . 28 6.4. QA/QC . 28 6.4.1. Data quality objectives (DQO) . 28 6.4.2. QA/QC Class of networks . 30 7. Data reporting and data quality . 32 7.1. Data availability from countries . 32 7.2. EuroAirnet data reporting to Airbase . 32 7.3. Data quality and validation . 33 8. EuroAirnet Improvements 2000 . 35 8.1. Quantitative station classification criteria . 35 8.2. Re–evaluation of data quality objectives . 35 8.3. Improved guidance on station location and representativeness . 37 8.4. Sufficient coverage and exposure assessment . 38 9. Concluding remarks . 39 4 EuroAirnet Annex 1 Criteria for EuroAirnet . 40 Annex 2 List 1 of areas — agglomerations/cities selected for EuroAirnet monitoring . 44 Annex 3 List 2 of areas — industrial areas selected for EuroAirnet monitoring . 57 Annex 4 List 3 of areas — rural areas selected for EuroAirnet monitoring . 63 Executive summary 5 Executive summary The main goal for EuroAirnet, the ecosystems and material exposure stations European–wide air quality monitoring should be improved. network being developed by the European countries and co–ordinated by the EEA, is to Further analysis is needed to develop more improve significantly the extent and quality cost–effective European air quality of reporting of air quality in Europe and thus monitoring, in accordance with Article 6 of to improve the basis for representative Directive 96/62/EC. In this context, the still assessments of European air quality. very substantial coverage of SO2, TSP and CO may be subject to reconsideration. The EuroAirnet development process has since 1996 gone through stages of criteria Activities related to data quality (QA/QC) development, area and station selection, are important; currently the overall quality of evaluations and modifications of these, the data is often not known, and accuracy development of data quality assurance, and and precision are not sufficient for trend reporting of EuroAirnet data to the analysis and for mapping air quality across European air quality database Airbase. A Europe. Countries have evaluated their own report describing the status of EuroAirnet in QA/QC procedures, and since estimated 1998 has been produced. The present report data quality often does not meet the data describes EuroAirnet status as of November quality objectives it is necessary to continue 2000, summarising the euroairnet work in to concentrate on improving QA/QC work 1999 and 2000. and thus the quality of the data reported to the European Commission and the EEA. As of November 2000, 29 countries have selected areas and monitoring stations to be Data from the EuroAirnet stations are now included in the EuroAirnet network. reported extensively to Airbase. The number Seventeen of the countries have re–evaluated of 1998 time series reported to Airbase was and modified their selection during 2000. In close to 1 200 for SO2 and NO2, 900 for O3, 5– total 850 areas and 1 506 stations are 600 for CO and TSP, and about 250 for PM10. included. In many Member States, EuroAirnet stations and EU Exchange of Information decision The 411 cities and agglomerations included stations largely overlap. (with 946 stations) cover a population of about 126 million people in total. There are A EuroAirnet Internet web site has been 297 rural stations included in the network. produced with status summaries and detailed information on EuroAirnet stations for each The EuroAirnet criteria for selection of country. urban areas are largely fulfilled. For selection of industrial areas and rural areas for Improvements in EuroAirnet during 2000, in assessment of population and ecosystems addition to the extended and improved exposure, it is left to the countries to ensure selection and reporting, are connected to that the criteria are fulfilled. Pollutant ongoing work on development of a coverage is extensive, but some shortcomings quantitative station classification scheme exist in coverage of priority pollutants as (within the EU Exchange of Information defined in the air quality framework decision working group), and to guidance on directive. The coverage of PM10 and benzene station location and representativeness needs to be improved, especially at urban provided to the EEA by its Topic Centre on stations. Priority pollutant coverage at Air Quality. 6 EuroAirnet 1. Introduction The main goal for EuroAirnet, the according to the criteria. The status of European–wide air quality monitoring the site selection process was reported at network being developed by the European the Eionet Air Quality workshop in 1998. countries and coordinated by the EEA, is to Since 1997, the Phare Topic Link for Air improve significantly the extent and Quality (PTL/AQ) has worked with timeliness of reporting of air quality in ETC/AQ, taking care of the EuroAirnet Europe and thus to improve the basis for activities with the Phare countries. representative assessments of European air quality. 3. Visits to national reference centres were conducted throughout 1996–2000, to This EuroAirnet status report 2000 describes discuss criteria, networks selection, data the preparation for and the development of quality and data availability. The ETC/ EuroAirnet up to November 2000 and AQ made a total of 26 visits to 15 updates the earlier report (EUROAIRNET countries. The PTL/AQ have made 13 site selection 1998, EEA Technical Report visits to 11 countries. No 16, 1999) 4. In the evaluation and acceptance process, Until 1997 the reporting of air quality data up to mid–1999, 29 countries had made from European countries to the European their first (and some their second, Commission and to the EEA was by far modified) selection of sites for inclusion neither complete nor representative enough in EuroAirnet. The evaluation of each to allow European–wide assessments of air country’s selection was carried out in quality on the urban and other scales to be mid–1999 by means of an evaluation made. The development of EuroAirnet has scheme where the selection was evaluated helped to improve that situation. Through against each of the criteria for the EuroAirnet criteria, 29 countries EuroAirnet. The schemes were sent back (including 11 of the Phare countries) have to each country for comments and re– made a selection of areas and stations, and, evaluation of the EuroAirnet selection. As beginning with 1997 data, have reported data of November 2000, many countries have from these stations to the European air made their re–evaluation and modified quality database Airbase. EEA member the selection. A country summary has also countries have done this under the been made for each country and sent to requirements of the EU Exchange of countries for comments. Information (EoI) decision. 5. EuroAirnet selection and status reports The development of EuroAirnet has gone have been prepared, representing the through the following stages: status by the end of 1998, 1999 and by late 2000 (the present report). 1. The development of criteria for EuroAirnet. This process started during 6. Data reporting: The countries report the first EIONET workshop in 1996 at the data from EuroAirnet stations to Airbase, EEA in Copenhagen. Draft criteria using the Air Quality Data Exchange reports were discussed at the following Module (DEM) data reporting tool. In two workshops, in 1997 and 1998 in practice, this reporting is done Brussels and Copenhagen, leading to the concurrently under the EoI reporting, final criteria report published early in which is obligatory for all EU Member 1999 (EEA Technical Report No 12). States, and also for Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, under the 2. The site selection process. Site selection European Economic Area agreement. started in mid–1997, when site Reporting under the present EoI description tables were sent out to all decision started in 1997, for 1996 data. In EEA member countries and all Phare the reporting tool, it has been possible to countries, with a request to select mark which of the stations reported are networks and monitoring stations EuroAirnet stations.

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