An Interdisciplinary Project for Air-Quality Characterisation in the Sines Region (Portugal)
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LIFE ENV/P/000830 An interdisciplinary project for air-quality characterisation in the Sines region (Portugal) In this context the Coordinating Commission for the Development of the Alentejo Region (CCDR–Alentejo), the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST, Environmental Group of the CMRP), the Lisbon University Foundation (FUL; Laboratory Museum of the Botanic Garden) and the Instituto Superior for Work and Business Sciences (ISCTE; OBSERVA), carried out a project for the design and implementation of an air-quality monitoring, control and management tool for the Sines region. From the very beginning this project could count on the full support, including technical as well as financial participation, of the main businesses in the region, some of which holders of potential air-quality polluting industries – Petrogal, Borealis, CPPE, Transgás Atlântico e Administração do Porto de Sines. Apart from companies and universities this project was also financially supported by the Life–Environment programme of the European Commission (covering 50% of the costs). Geostatistical and mathematical modelling, bio monitoring and social enquiries form the methodological Sines is one of the big industrial regions of this country framework on which an information system (GIS and data suffering pressures not only from the normal demographic base) was built. This system – systematically fed with growth of the Portuguese littoral but also from industry industrial emission data, air quality records from several and, tourism. Local authorities are naturally concerned with monitoring stations and data from passive sampler these factors – industries and the need for environmental campaigns – will inform managers and the general public, sustainability – seeking for constant and efficient control through the internet, about the current state of the and management of environmental indicators and region’s air quality. particularly air quality. The residents feel that air quality is one of the most severe environmental problems in their area, which should deserve more attention from national and local authorities. This motivated and set off the ISCTE team to elaborate a picture of the way the population feels about the environment of their region. The FUL team used lichens, organisms sensitive to air quality, as bio-indicators (lichen biodiversity) for the most negatively affected areas. Subsequently, the same team used lichen bioaccumulation capacity to measure dioxin, PCB and heavy metal contamination in the whole region. Simultaneously, the CCDR–Alentejo set up and implemented a field survey, using passive samplers – diffusion tubes – to assess levels of the main pollutant gases in the region. These led to the first images of regional spatial dispersion of contaminants, clearly related to air quality. One of the main problems addressed by the (diffusive tubes) campaign, which resulted in a space-time project is the evaluation of relationships and, consequently, air quality model for the region. responsibilities between emissions and monitoring stations This model allowed another of the prime project records. achievements: environmental cost and profit analysis of the present monitoring station locations. Finally, the IST coordinated, in a plural and multi- disciplinary effort involving all of the research teams and industries, the design and implementation of an air quality monitoring, control and management system. A system composed of a geographic information system coupled to a database that integrates all models and all layers of information. This system, built on a web platform, allows for distinct outputs for managers, industries and the general public. The project has now come to an end. The monitoring and management tool is built and implemented, and its public part available under www.ccdr- a.gov.pt/sinesbioar. It is a tool that needs energy to start moving: current information and constant search for outputs from people, companies, local authorities and environmental organisations. The IST (CMRP) had the task to develop a model The CCDR-Alentejo holds the responsibility to relating emissions and monitoring stations records, keep the system updated and attractive. All of us have the considering the most important variables affecting the civic responsibility to take care that this instrument stays phenomenon – meteorology. In a second phase, this model alive and is used in our favour, in favour of the was generalised for the whole study area, taking into environment and the environmental health of the region. account contaminant dispersion patterns obtained from bioaccumulation data and from the passive samplers LIFE ENV/P/000830 Tasks Impacts on Environmental Field Monitoring air quality The first and main result and impact of this project lays on - Collection and analysis of historical data the innovation of the organizational approach by - Bioindication and biomonitoring using lichens integrating the different partners intervenient in the air - Laboratory analysis quality problem of the region: the industries with emissions, interested in the management and control of Modelling air quality the air quality of the region, given their economical and - Temporal analysis technological strengths for the reduction of their own - Spatial analysis of lichen biodiversity, bioaccumulation emissions; the different regional public services and social and passive samplers (diffusive tubes) entities interested in the achievement of the crucial - Classification of multi-sources contribution balance, between local economy and environment, for the - Simulation of extreme and critical scenarios sustainable development of the region; the research centers of different universities interested on the Social Component e impacts implementation of new technologies for the solution of - Development and application of a survey local problems such as the evaluation and management of - Elaboration of an institutional and framework analysis of the air quality. the main social actors participating in the ecological communication at the local level namely: governmental Innovative aspects (local and central level), industries and non- governmental organizations, dealing with environmental, The most relevant print of this project is precisely the nature conservation, sustainable development, and innovative organizational component for the achievement territory planning issues at the local level of one goal, which is integrated in the new way of - Case studies on recent past events and processes of approaching global environmental problems: “Think global, social and political mobilization and protest on act local”. In this approach, the project had the ability of environmental issues, focusing in particular air quality coupling and organizing private companies, public entities issues and pollution caused by, or ascribed to, industries and research centers for the local solution of a global installed on the region problem: air quality and reduction of emissions. Another innovative aspect was the use of multidisciplinary Risk analysis and environmental impact costs methodologies implemented in air quality evaluation and - Landuse map management tools. The approach of this problem, which is - Unitary costs map transversal to economic, social and environmental - Impact cost analysis of monitoring stations spatial components, was based on multidisciplinary location methodologies: the use of liquens as bio-monitors, the survey of most relevant social problems, the geostatistical Air quality control tool models of space-time dispersion of pollutants and the - Design and implementation of a geographical database geographical information systems to integrate all - Software Implementation of air quality modelling information layers in useful tools for the evaluation and control of impacts. Dissemination - Public presentations of the project - Press releases and short notes on media - Brochure of the project - Webpage - Technical workshops - Participation on international scientific meetings and conferences LIFE ENV/P/000830 One o the main aims of Sinesbioar Project consisted identification of the most disturbed areas due to atmospheric pollution through using lichens as biomonitors. Biomonitoring consists on measuring environment features, in this case atmospheric pollution, by using living organisms. Lichens were the biomonitor chosen for developing this study. Lichens are able to accumulate several pollutants. In some cases this pollution is so high that becomes toxic for the lichen itself, causing its death. It was because of these two features: accumulating pollutants and dying from toxic pollution that a biomonitoring system was developed in the region of Sines. The application of this methodology was based on two different strategies: i) using lichen biodiversity as a measure of ecological and anthropogenic disturbance and ii) using the pollutants accumulated in lichens as a measure of these pollutants atmospheric deposition. Finally we were able to combine both the two previous levels of information in order to establish the areas of the Sines Region that were subjected to chronic atmospheric deposition. Lichen Biodiversity On this approach we selected 73 sampling points equally distributed all over the Region of Sines and at each sampling site the number of lichen species was recorded. We used a standard methodology for sampling lichens also largely used and recommended in European Union. The main objective of this part of the work was to determine the areas most probably affect