Special Issue "Trace Species Associated with Atmospheric Pollution"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Robert W. Talbot
Institute for Multidimensional Air Quality Studies, Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Science & Research Bldg. 1, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Website: http://eas.uh.edu/people/faculty/robert-talbot/index.php
E-Mail: rtalbot@uh.edu
Phone: +1 713 893 1670; Mob: +1 603 969 3806
Interests: regional and global cycling of atmospheric mercury; distribution, composition and chemistry of reactive odd-nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere; intercontinental transport of trace gases and aerosols; regional tropospheric chemistry and climate change in New England; climate-air quality connections; biosphere-atmosphere exchange of trace gases; development of advanced instrumentation for the measurement of reactive trace gases and aerosols

Dear Colleague,

Air pollution generated in urban areas, especially megacities, not only affects significantly air quality locally, but it can be transported over 1000’s of kilometers downwind. The general aspects of photochemical processing of these air masses as they age have been studied. However, recent advances in measurement capabilities over the past decade allows for many more chemical species to be studied to obtain a deeper understanding of air masses processing. These processes can be studied from ground-based, aircraft, and satellite platforms. Combination of data from these platforms provides a rich database for study.

This special issue is devoted to papers which investigate various aspects of trace gases that originate from anthropogenic sources. Particular emphasis is on urban and their downwind areas characterized by diverse emissions and chemistry. The primary focus spans hydrocarbons, halocarbons, oxygenated compounds, greenhouse gases, organic toxins, and mercury. Both observational and modeling studies are welcome.

Kind regards,
Prof. Dr. Robert W. Talbot

Submission

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• trace gases
• anthropogenic sources
• hydrocarbons
• halocarbons
• oxygenated compounds
• greenhouse gases
• organic toxins
• mercury

Type of Paper: Original Research
Title: Cloud Cover Impacts on the Formation of Ground-Level Ozone in Central Athens, Greece
Author: Mary J. Thornbush ^1,2
Affiliation: ¹ Lakehead University, Orillia Campus, Ontario, Canada
² The Initiative for Heritage Conservancy, Eleusis, Greece; E-Mail: m.thornbush@inherity.org
Abstract: This paper focuses on the climatic variable cloud cover and its interaction with atmospheric pollution at ground-level in Athens, Greece. The emphasis is on anthropogenic sources of atmospheric pollution, namely tropospheric ozone. By examining climate-air quality connections such as this, it is hoped that a better understanding of the consequences of a polluted atmosphere can be achieved. Researchers have already investigated (ground-level) ozone in Greece; however, they have not yet provided a combined study of how such a climatic variable as cloud cover, which affects sunlight hours, can impact photochemical reactions involved in the formation of tropospheric ozone. In this study, several climatic variables were considered, particularly the number of hours of sunlight, as an indication of sky conditions of cloud cover. Mean monthly data were provided by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (Athens, Greece) since the operation of meteorological stations from 1970. Historic pollution data of pollutant gases, including ozone, were provided by the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate Change (Athens, Greece). A linear correlation was drawn for overlapping data between 1984 and 2003 based on measurements of sunlight and ozone at urban locations, and the results are presented. Further research of this nature is needed in order to decipher trends in synergistic climatic impacts with atmospheric pollution in urban environments such as this.