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Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies

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A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2020) | Viewed by 58335

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fabio Murena

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: urban air quality; street canyon models; ship emissions; health impact; CO2 conversion

Prof. Dr. Pietro Salizzoni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

École Centrale de Lyon, 69134 Écully, France
Interests: environmental fluid mechanics; air pollution; atmospheric turbulence; urban air quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite significant advancement in the mitigation of atmospheric emissions of quite all anthropogenic activities, air quality is still a key environmental concern in the most urban agglomerations in the world. Generally, the scientific and technological community is still not able to give to the public authorities efficient tools to manage air pollution and to plan effective intervention policies.

In this global scenario, the Mediterranean area is not an exception, but with some important peculiarities.

The urban canopies of most historical centers in the Mediterranean area are characterized by the presence of deep street canyons where pollutants can accumulate due to an ineffective mass exchange with the above atmosphere. Road transport is generally the main way used to move both persons and goods. Moreover, the vehicular fleet is still quite old. The high population density increases the sanitary risk due to the low air quality generally observed. The tremendous cultural heritage present is jeopardized by atmospheric pollution and requires special attention to be preserved. The activities connected with tourism can increase atmospheric emissions significantly inside historical centers. With around 46,000 kilometers of coastline, emissions from ship traffic play an important role in determining air quality mostly in port cities.

For all these reasons, Mediterranean urban agglomerations are a very interesting case study to develop effective policies of environmental sustainability with respect to air quality.

All the above reported environmental forcers cannot be faced separately but would be framed in a sustainable development scenario. Therefore, we invite colleagues of different areas: environmental chemistry and engineering, medicine, urban planning, environmental legislation, and public administration to submit papers.

The goal of this Special Issue is to take a step ahead in the knowledge of the present status of air quality in the Mediterranean area, the main causes of the air pollutant levels observed, the assessment of the impact, and the possible solutions to take. Special attention will be given to assessment of traffic, ships and biomass combustion emissions, pervasive monitoring, local and urban scale air quality modelling, receptor models, assessment of the impact on human health and artistic artefacts, policies of mitigation, and indications for a sustainable development.

Prof. Fabio Murena
Prof. Pietro Salizzoni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Mediterranean urban areas
Air quality
Emission sources
Monitoring and modeling
Human health
Cultural heritage
Environmental policies
Sustainability

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

5 pages, 193 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies

by Fabio Murena and Pietro Salizzoni

Atmosphere 2021, 12(4), 487; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12040487 - 12 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1903

Abstract

Air quality in urban areas is one of the main challenges of sustainable development [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

29 pages, 898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Change and Health Impacts in Urban Areas: Towards Hybrid Evaluation Tools for New Governance

by Luigi Fusco Girard and Francesca Nocca

Atmosphere 2020, 11(12), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11121344 - 11 Dec 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6415

Abstract

The shift towards the new paradigm, that is, the “ecological and humanistic” paradigm, introduced by the United Nations in the Agenda 2030, and the current period of health emergency due to COVID-19 place the human dimension at the centre of the development strategies for our cities. The humanistic dimension, in particular, is related to human wellbeing, health and living conditions. The health and wellbeing of citizens depend on factors and actions that go beyond the health sector. In particular, here, the attention is focused on the negative impacts produced by pollution and climate change, issues that concern (and that are closely related to) most urban agglomerations in the world. The pandemic due to COVID-19 has highlighted the close relationship existing among social, natural and economic systems. Each system is interdependent on the other. Thus, the pandemic has boosted the necessity to accelerate efforts to address climate change. Therefore, in this framework, new urban development models are required. The circular economy model is proposed as a model able to reduce the negative impacts of urban transformations. The attention is then focused on implementation tools for improving decision-making processes and, in particular, on the evaluation tools for assessing the multidimensional impacts of urbanisation on human health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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15 pages, 6304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Site Suitability Analysis for Low Cost Sensor Networks for Urban Spatially Dense Air Pollution Monitoring

by Grazia Fattoruso, Martina Nocerino, Domenico Toscano, Luigi Pariota, Giampiero Sorrentino, Valentina Manna, Saverio De Vito, Armando Cartenì, Massimiliano Fabbricino and Girolamo Di Francia

Atmosphere 2020, 11(11), 1215; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11111215 - 11 Nov 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5268

Abstract

Urban air pollution continues to represent a primary concern for human health, despite significant efforts by public authorities for mitigating its effects. Regulatory monitoring networks are essential tools for air pollution monitoring. However, they are sparse networks, unable to capture the spatial variability of the air pollutants. For addressing this issue, networks of low cost stations are deployed, supplementing the regulatory stations. Regarding this application, an important question is where these stations are installed The objective of this study was to generate a site suitability map for the development of a network of low cost multi-sensor stations across a city for a spatially dense urban air quality monitoring. To do that, a site suitability analysis was developed based on two geographical variables properly selected for representing the impact of urban pollutant sources and urban form on the pollutant concentrations. By processing information about emissions patterns and street canyon effects, we were able to identify air quality hotspot areas supposed to show high spatial variability. Low cost monitoring stations, there located, are able to provide that informative content, which is lacking for both regulatory monitoring networks and predictive modelling for high resolution air quality mapping. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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32 pages, 13566 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Multiple-Scale Nature of Urban Heat Island and Its Footprint on Air Quality in Real Urban Environment

by Silvana Di Sabatino, Francesco Barbano, Erika Brattich and Beatrice Pulvirenti

Atmosphere 2020, 11(11), 1186; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11111186 - 2 Nov 2020

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5245

Abstract

The complex interaction between the Urban Heat Island (UHI), local circulation, and air quality requires new methods of analysis. To this end, this study investigates the multiple scale nature of the UHI and its relationship with flow and pollutant dispersion in urban street canyons with and without the presence of vegetation. Two field experimental campaigns, one in summer and one in winter, were carefully designed in two parallel urban street canyons in the city of Bologna (44°29′ N, 11°20′ E; Italy) characterized by a similar orientation with respect to the impinging background flow but with a different aspect ratio and a different presence of vegetation. In addition to standard meteorological variables, the dataset collected included high-resolution flow data at three levels and concentration data of several pollutants. The UHI has been evaluated by combining surface temperature of building facades and ground surfaces acquired during two intensive thermographic campaigns with air temperature from several stations in order to verify the presence of intra-city neighborhood scale UHIs additional to the more classical urban–rural temperature differences. The presence of trees together with the different morphologies was shown to mitigate the UHI intensity of around 40% by comparing its value in the center of the city free of vegetation and the residential area. To capture the multiple-scale nature of UHI development, a simple relationship for the UHI convergence velocity, used as a surrogate for UHI strength, is proposed and used to establish the relationship with pollutant concentrations. The reliability of the proposed relationship has been verified using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach. The existence of a robust relationship between UHI strength and pollutant concentration may indicate that the positive effect of mitigation solutions in improving urban thermal comfort likely will also positively impact on air pollution. These results may be useful for a quick assessment of the pollutant accumulation potential in urban street canyons. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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20 pages, 5025 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Urban Greening in a District of Lecce (Southern Italy) for the Analysis of CO₂ Storage and Air Pollutant Dispersion

by Riccardo Buccolieri, Elisa Gatto, Michela Manisco, Fabio Ippolito, Jose Luis Santiago and Zhi Gao

Atmosphere 2020, 11(9), 967; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090967 - 10 Sep 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4712

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the assessment of urban greening effects on two important ecosystem services, i.e., air quality and CO₂ storage, including the corresponding economic impacts in a real urban area, i.e., a district located in the Mediterranean city of Lecce (southern Italy). Two tools were employed, i-Tree Canopy and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) microclimate model ENVI-met. i-Tree Canopy allowed fully determining the land-cover percentage on the basis of different ground cover classes and obtaining an estimate of annual values of CO₂ storage, air pollutant removal, and economic benefits in the presence of urban greening. The estimate in i-Tree Canopy considered only the amount of greening; therefore, air pollutant removal estimates were only potential. As the vegetation was located in street canyons, its interaction with local meteorology and urban geometry strictly affected the dispersion of nitrogen oxides (NOx) (taken here as an example) as obtained from ENVI-met simulations. In ENVI-met, both deposition/absorption and aerodynamic effects were considered, and local increases in concentration were found in the district. The analysis of results obtained from different tools (one complex (CFD model) and the other simple (i-Tree model)) showed the error associated with the simple model in the computation of impacts if the interaction among the vegetation characteristics, the meteorological conditions, and the urban geometry was neglected; however, it also uncovers a novel approach for comprehensively characterizing a given area in terms of its vegetation cover, CO₂ storage, and economic benefits, as well as local effects on air quality. This study is set in a broader context aimed at assessing the air quality in urban canopies of Mediterranean areas characterized by the presence of narrow street canyons where pollutants can accumulate due to ineffective air exchange with the above atmosphere. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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13 pages, 2038 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Development of the Historic Centre of Naples: The Impact of Vehicular Traffic and Food Service Business on Air Quality

by Fabio Murena

Atmosphere 2020, 11(9), 938; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090938 - 2 Sep 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2906

Abstract

Monitoring campaigns were carried out to assess the impact of vehicular traffic and food service business on the air quality in the historic centre of Naples. These campaigns monitored fine particles (FPs) from 20 to 1000 nm, using a condensation particle counter (CPC) in four connected streets, during a period of four weeks, from 7 November to 7 December 2019. Two streets were pedestrian only, while the others had average traffic. The following variables were considered while analysing the data—street geometry, and traffic and food service business emissions. The results showed prevalent air contamination, with some critical situations. The FP concentration values in the pedestrian streets were similar to the average values measured at the roadside of other European cities. However, the FP concentration values measured on the streets with average traffic, were twice that of their European counterparts. Spatial maps of FP concentration were produced to assess the impact of food service business emissions at the street level. The maps showed an insignificant contribution to FP pollution. However, it must be noted that emissions of the food service businesses were not measured at the roof top level in this study. The aspect ratio (H/W) played a relevant role on FP concentration, as an increase in aspect ratio correlated to an increase in FP concentration. These findings showed critical preliminary information for the sustainable development of the historic centre of Naples, which should be confirmed through a long-term monitoring campaign. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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17 pages, 3959 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Validation of MODIS C6.1 and MERRA-2 AOD Using AERONET Observations: A Comparative Study over Turkey

by Midyan Aldabash, Filiz Bektas Balcik and Paul Glantz

Atmosphere 2020, 11(9), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090905 - 26 Aug 2020

Cited by 51 | Viewed by 5975

Abstract

This study validated MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, USA, Aqua and Terra Collection 6.1, and MERRA-2 (Modern-ERA Retrospective Analysis for Research and Application) Version 2 of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm against AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) ground-based sunphotometer observations over Turkey. AERONET AOD data were collected from three sites during the period between 2013 and 2017. Regression analysis showed that overall, seasonally and daily statistics of MODIS are better than MERRA-2 by the mean of coefficient of determination (R²), mean absolute error (MAE), and relative root mean square deviation (RMSD^rel). MODIS combined Terra/Aqua AOD and MERRA-2 AOD corresponding to morning and noon hours resulted in better results than individual sub datasets. A clear annual cycle in AOD was detected by the three platforms. However, overall, MODIS and MERRA-2 tend to overestimate and underestimate AOD, respectively, in comparison with AERONET. MODIS showed higher efficiency in detecting extreme events than MERRA-2. There was no clear relation found between the accuracy in MODIS/MERRA-2 AOD and surface relative humidity (RH). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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17 pages, 6171 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Combined Citizen Science—Modelling Approach for NO₂ Assessment in Torino Urban Agglomeration

by Matteo Bo, Pietro Salizzoni, Federica Pognant, Roberto Mezzalama and Marina Clerico

Atmosphere 2020, 11(7), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11070721 - 6 Jul 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4556

Abstract

The #CHEARIATIRA citizen science campaign was developed in February 2019 in Torino (western part of the Po Valley megacity region). The aim of the campaign was public engagement with measuring NO₂ concentrations in an urban area that often exceeds air quality standards. NO₂ diffusion tubes were employed by citizens under our supervision. In this paper, we present the main outcomes of a combined approach between the #CHEARIATIRA campaign and the urban dispersion model SIRANE. The results were validated against the available public Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS). The citizens’ passive samplers and the modelled data show a good response in central districts both during the campaign interval and by annual projection. Traffic hotspots and sensitive receptors (schools, hospital) have high concentrations of NO₂. Most of the study area (83% of the tubes) is subject to an increased risk of premature death according to epidemiological literature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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22 pages, 4557 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Halocarbon Emissions from Hazardous Waste Landfills: Analysis of Sources and Risks

by Marco Ravina, Angelica Facelli and Mariachiara Zanetti

Atmosphere 2020, 11(4), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11040375 - 11 Apr 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3536

Abstract

Landfills are sources of fugitive volatile organic carbon (VOC) emissions, including halocarbons. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of halogenated VOCs to the health risks associated with the exposure of workers operating in landfills, gathering information on the role of endogenous/exogenous sources present in anthropized areas. A hazardous waste landfill located in Turin, Italy was used as a case study. Ambient concentrations of 10 pollutants (BTEX, styrene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, and 1,2-dichloropropane), measured in 10 points of the landfill area, were considered and analyzed. The data had a monthly frequency and covered two years. A cumulative health risk analysis was conducted by applying a Monte-Carlo method. The results showed that the contribution of 1,2-dichloroethane and 1,2-dichloropropane was 17.9% and 19.4% for the total risk and hazard index respectively. Benzene and ethylbenzene gave the highest contribution to the total risk (56.8% and 24.8%, respectively). In the second phase of the study, waste typologies that are possibly responsible for halocarbon emissions were investigated. Halocarbon concentration trends and waste disposal records were compared. Although further investigation is needed, some waste typologies were not excluded to contribute to halocarbon emissions, in particular sludge coming from wastewater treatment plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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33 pages, 16911 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Green Roofs on Outdoor Thermal Comfort, Urban Heat Island Mitigation and Energy Savings

by Guglielmina Mutani and Valeria Todeschi

Atmosphere 2020, 11(2), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11020123 - 21 Jan 2020

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 12087

Abstract

There is growing attention to the use of greenery in urban areas, in various forms and functions, as an instrument to reduce the impact of human activities on the urban environment. The aim of this study has been to investigate the use of green roofs as a strategy to reduce the urban heat island effect and to improve the thermal comfort of indoor and outdoor environments. The effects of the built-up environment, the presence of vegetation and green roofs, and the urban morphology of the city of Turin (Italy) have been assessed considering the land surface temperature distribution. This analysis has considered all the information recorded by the local weather stations and satellite images, and compares it with the geometrical and typological characteristics of the city in order to find correlations that confirm that greenery and vegetation improve the livability of an urban context. The results demonstrate that the land-surface temperature, and therefore the air temperature, tend to decrease as the green areas increase. This trend depends on the type of urban context. Based on the results of a green-roofs investigation of Turin, the existing and potential green roofs are respectively almost 300 (257,380 m²) and 15,450 (6,787,929 m²). Based on potential assessment, a strategy of priority was established according to the characteristics of building, to the presence of empty spaces, and to the identification of critical areas, in which the thermal comfort conditions are poor with low vegetation. This approach can be useful to help stakeholders, urban planners, and policy makers to effectively mitigate the urban heat island (UHI), improve the livability of the city, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and gain thermal comfort conditions, and to identify policies and incentives to promote green roofs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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Review

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32 pages, 2177 KiB

Open AccessReview

Balancing Waste and Nutrient Flows Between Urban Agglomerations and Rural Ecosystems: Biochar for Improving Crop Growth and Urban Air Quality in The Mediterranean Region

by Anastasia Zabaniotou and Katerina Stamou

Atmosphere 2020, 11(5), 539; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11050539 - 22 May 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4700

Abstract

Mediterranean ecosystems are threatened by water and nutrient scarcity and continuous loss of soil organic carbon. Urban agglomerations and rural ecosystems in the Mediterranean region and globally are interlinked through the flows of resources/nutrients and wastes. Contributing to balancing these cycles, the present study advocates standardized biochar as a soil amendment, produced from Mediterranean suitable biowaste, for closing the nutrient loop in agriculture, with parallel greenhouse gas reduction, enhancing air quality in urban agglomerations, mitigating climate change. The study’s scope is the contextualization of pyrolytic conditions and biowaste type effects on the yield and properties of biochar and to shed light on biochar’s role in soil fertility and climate change mitigation. Mediterranean-type suitable feedstocks (biowaste) to produce biochar, in accordance with biomass feedstocks approved for use in producing biochar by the European Biochar Certificate, are screened. Data form large-scale and long-period field experiments are considered. The findings advocate the following: (a) pyrolytic biochar application in soils contributes to the retention of important nutrients for agricultural production, thereby reducing the use of fertilizers; (b) pyrolysis does not release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, contributing positively to the balance of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, with carbon uptake by plant photosynthesis; (c) biochar stores carbon in soils, counterbalancing the effect of climate change by sequestering carbon; (d) there is an imperative need to identify the suitable feedstock for the production of sustainable and safe biochar from a range of biowaste, according to the European Biochar Certificate, for safe crop production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality and Sustainable Development of Urban Agglomerations in the Mediterranean Area: Science, Technology and Policies)

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