The identification and quantification of population exposure of children and elderly people to PAHs in urban areas are the major goals of the EXPAH LIFE+ Project. To reach these objectives an integrated approach, based on measurements and modeling techniques, has been set up to preliminarily reconstruct PAHs levels in the Rome metropolitan area. Field campaigns of particulate PAHs (indoor, outdoor and personal exposure evaluations and data analysis), gaseous toxicants and PM2.5 have been performed in different sites and microenvironments from December 2011 to July 2012 in order to evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of these pollutants. These data are were essential to evaluate and integrate results of the Flexible Air quality Regional Model (FARM) that has been run, over the target area with an horizontal resolution of 1 km, from June 2011 to May 2012. The model has been updated in order to include gas-phase reactions and gas-aerosol partitioning processes that involves PAHs. State-of-the-art PAHs emission inventories and upgraded speciation profiles for specific sources have been developed to provide the model with proper emission data to the model. An integrated approach using both measurements and modeling techniques has been then implemented in order to produce, by means of data fusion methods, reliable PAHs concentration maps to be used to evaluate urban population exposure and support later epidemiological investigations. As high uncertainty in both quantity and spatial distribution are expected to be found for PAHs emissions when high spatial resolution is applied, the use of data assimilation techniques is essential to remove model biases for these pollutants. PAHs modeled concentrations are presented for the city of Rome as well as a comparison with observations. Capabilities, limits and research needs in modeling PAHs in urban areas are then discussed.

PAHs modelling over Rome urban area: integration of models results with experimental data

Cecinato A
2014

Abstract

The identification and quantification of population exposure of children and elderly people to PAHs in urban areas are the major goals of the EXPAH LIFE+ Project. To reach these objectives an integrated approach, based on measurements and modeling techniques, has been set up to preliminarily reconstruct PAHs levels in the Rome metropolitan area. Field campaigns of particulate PAHs (indoor, outdoor and personal exposure evaluations and data analysis), gaseous toxicants and PM2.5 have been performed in different sites and microenvironments from December 2011 to July 2012 in order to evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of these pollutants. These data are were essential to evaluate and integrate results of the Flexible Air quality Regional Model (FARM) that has been run, over the target area with an horizontal resolution of 1 km, from June 2011 to May 2012. The model has been updated in order to include gas-phase reactions and gas-aerosol partitioning processes that involves PAHs. State-of-the-art PAHs emission inventories and upgraded speciation profiles for specific sources have been developed to provide the model with proper emission data to the model. An integrated approach using both measurements and modeling techniques has been then implemented in order to produce, by means of data fusion methods, reliable PAHs concentration maps to be used to evaluate urban population exposure and support later epidemiological investigations. As high uncertainty in both quantity and spatial distribution are expected to be found for PAHs emissions when high spatial resolution is applied, the use of data assimilation techniques is essential to remove model biases for these pollutants. PAHs modeled concentrations are presented for the city of Rome as well as a comparison with observations. Capabilities, limits and research needs in modeling PAHs in urban areas are then discussed.
2014
Istituto sull'Inquinamento Atmosferico - IIA
Air pollution
PAH modelling
airborne particulate
Rome
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14243/269854
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