Vaisala News174 / 2007 Urban air quality - A signifi cant threat to human health? Going back in time - Upper-air observations in Antarctica in 1969 Vaisala AviMet® - Weather at your service Seeing is believing - Vaisala weather camera service pilots Contents Vaisala in Brief – We develop, manufacture 3 Where there’s a will, there’s a way and market products and ser- vices for environmental and 4 Urban air quality industrial measurements. 8 Dr. Walter F. Dabberdt wins the – e purpose of these mea- surements is to provide a post of AMS President-Elect basis for a better quality of life, cost savings, environmental 9 Going back in time protection, improved safety Urban air pollution poses a signi - ® and better performance. cant threat to human health, the 12 Vaisala AviMet – Weather at your service environment and the quality of life – We focus on market seg- 14 In a (hydro)class of its own of millions of people in some of the ments where we can be the world’s largest cities. Page 4 world leader, the preferred 17 Professor David Schultz is a supplier. We put a high pri- mesoscale meteorology expert ority on customer satisfac- tion and product leadership. 18 Power station facelift We secure our competitive advantage through econo- 20 “Casablanca-style” mies of scale and scope. 22 This is rocket science Johan van der Merwe looks back to 24 Seeing is believing Cover photo: his experiences in Antarctica in 1969. Shutterstock® Page 9 26 With experience comes perspective Editor-in-Chief: 27 Wind measurement for the pros Marikka Metso 28 Briefl y noted Publisher: Vaisala Oyj P.O. Box 26 FI-00421 Helsinki FINLAND Phone (int.): Vaisala has started a pilot weather + 358 9 894 91 camera service with its rst pilot customers. e service consists of high resolution picture and Telefax: weather information delivered to the + 358 9 8949 2227 customer’s Internet site. Page 24 Internet: www.vaisala.com Design and Artwork: Sampo Korkeila Printed in Finland by: SP-Paino ISSN 1238-2388 2 | Vaisala News 174 / 2 0 07 President’s column Where there’s a will, there’s a way As I’m writing this, the fourth assessment predicting air quality is becoming vital for report of the Intergovernmental Panel preserving health and avoiding exposure on Climate Change (IPCC) has just been to critical levels of pollution. According released. The previous report stated that to the Economist magazine, foul air kills global warming is happening faster than some 1,000 people in London annually predicted, glaciers are melting and sea - and London is certainly not the most levels are rising. polluted city in the world. The new report deals with the conse- Climate change is a global phenom- quences of climate change. It makes for enon, hence the UN-based co-operation pretty grim reading. The list of effects is in the IPCC. Air quality is perhaps more long, from droughts in Africa to flooding easy to perceive, due to its drastic local in Asia, heat waves in Europe and North variations, and people are getting more America, and the list continues. One and more conscious about its effects on might argue it’s “An Inconvenient Truth” health. On a day-to-day level, weather is to accept. affecting air quality to a great extent. Accurate and comparable measure- Vaisala’s precision weather effort ments over long periods of time are the seeks to enable the use of more accurate foundation for observing climate change. weather information in terms of time Vaisala equipment is at the center stage and place. We believe that air quality here. We provide the means for the experts data should be incorporated in this to accurately assess what is happening. information. Kjell Forsén Understanding climate change is part of If you would like to know how Vaisala CEO our mission statement. is involved in air quality matters, please Greenhouse gases are believed to be see Dr. Talvitie’s article in this issue. We the major force behind climate change. at Vaisala work very hard to provide the But there is much more “in the air”. best possible tools to help address these Levels of particles and substances detri- challenges. Let’s join forces to establish mental to health are far too high at times and verify the facts, and to act upon in several locations. Monitoring and them. n 174 / 2007 Vaisala News | 3 Hannu Talvitie Research Manager Vaisala Helsinki, Finland Urban air quality – A signifi cant threat to human health? Urban air pollution poses a signifi cant the risks that air pollution poses to their diseases. According to the World Bank, threat to human health, the environment citizens. every year an estimated 800,000 people and the quality of life of millions of people On the other hand, such countries die prematurely from lung cancer, in some of the world’s largest cities. (e.g., still face the problem of polluted air even cardiovascular and respiratory diseases New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Jakarta, though air quality has been improving caused by outdoor air pollution. In Hong Los Angeles and Mexico City). Urbaniza- gradually over the last two decades. For Kong, for example, it is estimated that tion and the associated growth in indus- example, many large cities in Europe still by improving the air quality from the trialization and traffi c have resulted in exceed the specifi c air quality standards existing “average” level to “good” level, the increase of air pollution in densely for ambient pollutants. Th e Helsinki 64,000 hospital days would be saved. populated areas, causing deterioration metropolitan area in Finland, for example, Th ese severe health eff ects are the in air quality. Many cities will need to is one of the cleanest cities in Europe but reason that most countries have already take action to enhance their institutional still the daily limits are exceeded every taken preventative measures to limit and technical capabilities to monitor year. emissions and set limits (called standards) and control air quality and implement for urban air pollutants. City authorities preventive actions in order to reduce How can air pollutants focus on eff orts to reduce emissions and affect human health? monitor levels of air pollutants. A number of epidemiological studies have shown that ambient air pollutants, espe- What are the main cially fi ne and ultra fi ne particulates, pollutants in urban air? have an adverse eff ect on human Scientists have defi ned the main air health. Th is is due to the fact pollutants that pose a health risk for that these tiny particulates humans in urban areas. Th ese pollutants can penetrate deep into are: inhalable particulates (PM10) and the lungs and even be fi ne particulates (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides dissolved in the blood. (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), Th e health eff ects can be carbon monoxide (CO), and lead (Pd). especially hazardous for For each of these pollutants, the World sensitive groups, like Health Organization has defi ned air children, senior citi- quality guidelines for protection against zens, and people with harmful health eff ects. Th e guidelines asthma, obstructive defi ne the specifi c limits or concentra- lung disease (chronic tions that should not be exceeded. Coun- obstructive pulmo- tries often have their own standards that nary disease are similar but the specifi c levels can vary - COPD), and slightly. cardiovascular To measure air quality, networks of monitors record the concentrations of the major pollutants at more than 3,000 locations in the world each day, mostly in developed countries. Th ese raw measure- ments are then converted into Air Quality City authorities focus on e orts to reduce emissions and monitor levels of air pollutants. 4 | Vaisala News 174 / 2 0 07 800 1000 700 900 600 800 700 500 600 400 500 300 400 Altitude (meters) 200 300 200 100 100 0 00 06 12 18 24 Figure 1. Th is picture shows a 1-day measurement of aerosol profi le using the Vaisala Ceilometer CL31 on Nov 22, 2005, in the Helsinki area, Finland. During this day there was a strong inversion that lasted almost the whole day. A high concentration of low level aerosols (particulates from traffi c) can be seen below 100 m, increasing rapidly after 7:30 in the morning. Index (AQI) values. Th e AQI has been to remove it in energy production are that are diff erent from those formed in developed to make it easier for people available and already in common use in burning processes. to understand the signifi cance of moni- most developed countries. (Note: carbon tored and forecast air pollution levels. It dioxide is not counted as a pollutant but How does weather focuses on health eff ects that can take the main greenhouse gas.) affect air quality? place within a few hours or days after Pollution from traffic consists of Changes in day-to-day weather are the breathing polluted air. particulate matter, NOx, CO, volatile greatest factor in controlling the changes An AQI value is calculated for each organic compounds (VOCs), and also in air quality. Weather determines how of the individual pollutants in an area other compounds in small amounts, quickly pollutants are dispersed away (ground-level particulate matter, carbon like polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). from an area and also the thickness of monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen Lead emission from traffi c has reduced the atmospheric layer (called the mixing dioxide, and ozone). Th e pollutant with dramatically after moving to unleaded height) where the emissions are diluted the highest AQI is used as the overall AQI fuels.