Air Pollution Modeling in a North Aegean City: Effects of the Transportation System on Local Air Quality

Abstract

We use the AERMOD atmospheric dispersion modeling system in order to investigate how the spatial distribution of PM10 is affected by the transportation system (i.e., road traffic and shipping activity at the port) in the city of Mytilene, Greece. AERMOD is a steady-state Gaussian plume model recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and one of the most widely used models for regulatory purposes. Simulations of the PM10 concentrations are performed for the period 1 to 10 July 2014, with the emissions by road transport being estimated using COPERT 4 v.10 and distributed spatially and temporarily over the road network of Mytilene. Estimations of the shipping emissions were performed using the Tier 3 EMEP methodology. The required meteorological data for the application of AERMOD were taken from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS) weather station of Mytilene (surface data) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis (upper air data). Preliminary results indicate that the road traffic emissions contribute to the ambient PM10 concentrations up to 10 mu g/m(3) (daily averaged values) in the city center. The results of the simulations are compared with in situ PM10 measurements performed during the study period in the city.