Interim Annual Assessment Report for 2015
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Interim Annual Assessment Report for 2015 European air quality in 2015 Issued by: INERIS Date: 28/07/2016 REF.: CAMS71_2016SC1_D71.1.1.2_201609 Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service This document has been produced in the context of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The activities leading to these results have been contracted by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, operator of CAMS on behalf of the European Union (Delegation Agreement signed on 11/11/2014). All information in this document is provided "as is" and no guarantee or warranty is given that the information is fit for any particular purpose. The user thereof uses the information at its sole risk and liability. For the avoidance of all doubts, the European Commission and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts has no liability in respect of this document, which is merely representing the authors view. CAMS D71.1.1. | Interim Annual Assessment Report for 2015 Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Interim Annual Assessment Report for 2015 European air quality in 2015 NILU (L. Tarrasón, P.Hamer, C. Guerreiro) INERIS (F. Meleux, L. Rouïl) Date: 29/09/2016 REF.: CAMS71_2016SC1_D71.1.1.2_201609 CAMS D71.1.1. | Interim Annual Assessment Report for 2015 Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Contents: Contents ........................................................................................................................ 1 Contents: .......................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ............................................................................................ 2 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 4 1.1 Timeliness .............................................................................................. 4 1.2 Origin of episode events ........................................................................... 5 1.3 Extended use of CAMS data and information ............................................... 5 2. Pollution episodes in 2015 ........................................................................... 7 2.1 Rationale for episode identification ............................................................ 7 2.2 Identified pollution events in 2015 ............................................................. 7 2.3 Origin of pollution episodes ..................................................................... 10 st th 2.3.1 1 – 5 July Ozone Episode ............................................................... 12 th th 2.3.2 12 - 20 February PM10 Episode ........................................................ 14 th th 2.3.3 17 - 20 March PM10 Episode ............................................................ 17 th th 2.3.4 29 October to 7 November PM10 Episode ......................................... 20 3 Air Quality Indicators in 2015 ....................................................................... 25 3.1 Ozone in 2015 ...................................................................................... 25 3.1.1 Meteorological characterisation .......................................................... 25 3.1.2 Ozone Health Indicators.................................................................... 28 3.1.3 Ozone Ecosystem Indicator ............................................................... 30 3.2 Nitrogen Dioxide in 2015 ........................................................................ 31 3.2.1 Seasonal variations .......................................................................... 31 3.2.2 Nitrogen Dioxide Health Indicators ..................................................... 32 3.3 PM10 in 2015 ......................................................................................... 33 3.3.1 Meteorological characterisation .......................................................... 33 3.3.2 PM10 Health Indicators ..................................................................... 34 3.4 PM2.5 in 2015 ......................................................................................... 35 3.4.1 Meteorological characterisation and health indicators ........................... 35 4 Conclusions ................................................................................................ 37 5 References ................................................................................................. 39 CAMS D71.1.1. | Interim Annual Assessment Report for 2015 Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Executive Summary (WMO) as a historically warm record year globally. In Europe as a whole, 2015 was the second warmest in the last five This is the Copernicus Atmosphere years. There were floods caused by Monitoring Service (CAMS) Interim heavy rain in February in parts of Annual Assessment report (IAAR) for Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of 2015. It provides timely reference Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria and information for environmental record high monthly precipitation records authorities to support them when for different months over Northern reporting and assessing air quality in Europe and Scandinavia. Still, some their countries under European areas remained particularly dry, which legislation. gave rise to a series of forest fires that had consequences for recorded air The report is elaborated on the basis of quality values. non-validated up-to-date observations gathered by the European Environment In terms of air quality, 2015 experienced Agency (EEA) and selected modelled the highest maximum daily 8-hour mean data from the CAMS services. Therefore, ozone values over Central Europe over its timeliness is considerably advanced the last five years and elevated annual with respect to other existing European- levels of PM10 over the last years. A wide air quality assessments. Since the series of large scale pollution events CAMS Interim Annual Assessment is affected European air quality over the based on non-validated data, the report different seasons in 2015. There were does not aim at presenting a ozone episode events during the summer fullyquantitative estimate of the and significant PM10 pollution events in background European air quality winter, spring and autumn. situation in 2015 regarding regulatory objectives, but rather a characterization In 2015, a significant PM10 pollution of that year’s air quality status with event took place from 12th to 20th respect to previous years and an analysis February, affecting most areas in Europe. of the origin of identified episodes. The origin of this winter pollution episode varies from country to country but it is a The IAAR report is based on a number of complex combination of different products and data developed within the anthropogenic and natural sources. CAMS services: the interim CAMS re- Emissions from residential heating, analyses of the regional model ensemble, including wood and coal combustion, information from the CAMS regional dominate the PM10 pollution levels of the green-scenario calculations, as well as winter episode, especially in Southern the global aerosol production of dust and Eastern Europe, followed closely by concentrations. It provides information the contribution of ammonia emissions on the origin of single episodes by from agriculture. In Central Europe, identifying areas where the episodes are however, agriculture emissions dominate susceptible to have a significant natural as origin of this PM10 episode over other dust contribution as well as an indication anthropogenic sources. In the winter of what can be the main anthropogenic episode from 12th to 20th February, a emission sectors responsible of specific Saharan dust intrusion affected also PM10 episodes. pollution levels over Southern and Western Europe. The results from the The year 2015 has been characterised by CAMS post-processed PM20 data can be the World Meteorological Organisation used as indicator of the importance of the CAMS D71.1.1. | Interim Assessment Report for 2015 2 Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service contribution of Saharan dust in PM10. th th The winter PM10 episode involved also The PM10 episode of 29 October to 7 contributions from forest fires. Although November was the largest autumn these contributions have not yet been episode and it was actually divided in two quantified, ongoing work will provide different episodes. The first one, from such quantification in future analysis. 29th October to 31st October occurred over Central and Northern Europe. The rd th There was another important PM10 second one, from 3 November to 7 episode in March 2015. It took place from November affected mostly Eastern and 17th to 20th March and recorded the Southern Europe. The first part of the highest PM10 daily levels in 2015 over autumn episode was dominated by areas in The Netherlands, Belgium, agriculture emissions in Northern and Luxembourg, France, Germany, and Central Europe and, to a lesser degree, Southern United Kingdom. In these by residential emissions. The influence of areas, the episode included an important Saharan dust intrusions on this part of contribution from a Saharan dust the episode were very limited. The intrusion. It is interesting to note that second part of the episode, in the while the winter PM10 episode was beginning of November 2015, was primarily driven by a combination of centred over