Download or read book Understanding the Spatial Variations of Pollutant Concentrations in Near Road Environments written by Dilhara Roshini Ranasinghe and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many epidemiological studies have associated elevated concentrations of air pollutants found on and near roadways with a variety of adverse health outcomes. Concentrations of freshly emitted pollutants in urban areas exhibit a high degree of spatial variability, which makes pollutant exposures, and potentially their resulting health effects both very location dependent and difficult to estimate. Mobile air pollution monitoring offers an opportunity to map pollutants with much higher spatial resolution than sparse stationary monitors. In the first study, we developed a framework to address the challenges and constraints to developing higher spatial resolution maps from mobile data. For 1 s time resolution data collected at normal city driving speeds, we showed that concentration maps of 5 m spatial resolution can be obtained, by including up to 21% interpolated values. We estimated the minimum number of sampling runs needed to make a representative concentration map with a specific spatial resolution, and found that generally between 15 to 21 repeats of a particular route under similar traffic and meteorological conditions is sufficient. The concentration maps can afford insights into factors influencing pollutant concentrations at the city block and sub block scale; information that is useful in urban planning strategies to reduce pollution exposure. Methodical analysis of mobile monitoring data facilitate meaningful comparison of concentration maps of different routes/studies. Solid sound walls and vegetation barriers are commonly used to mitigate noise but they also help to reduce near-road air pollution. In the second study, we assessed the effectiveness of adding vegetation to sound walls (combination barriers) and vegetation-only barriers in reducing pollution concentrations downwind of roads. Using field measurements collected with a mobile monitoring platform, we developed concentration decay profiles of ultrafine particles, fine particles, oxides of nitrogen (NO and NO2) and carbon monoxide downwind of two roads in California with different solid barrier-vegetation barrier configurations and meteorological conditions. Generally, when winds were blowing approximately perpendicular to the road, both vegetation and combination barriers were effective in reducing near road air pollution. Under calm and stable atmospheric conditions (wind speed
Download or read book Spatial and Temporal Variations of Vehicular Pollutant Concentrations in the Near road Environment written by Nichole Baldwin and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Multiscale Spatial Patterns of Outdoor Air Pollution in California written by Sarah Elisabeth Chambliss and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exposure to air pollution causes diseases of the lungs, cardiovascular system, brain, and numerous other systems, and is a leading environmental health risk worldwide. The burden of air pollution exposure is not distributed evenly across the population of the United States, and often falls more heavily on low-income groups and people of color. An accurate understanding of how air pollution levels vary on multiple spatial scales is critical for shaping effective policies to improve air quality for the highest exposed communities. Pollutants with primary and secondary contributions like fine particulate matter (PM2.5) vary significantly within urban areas on length scales of 1 km but are influenced by emissions at scales of 100 km or more, while other pollutant categories exhibit strong near-source decay at length scales of 100 m. In this dissertation I apply two complementary approaches to assess multiscale spatial patterns for five health-relevant pollutants: PM2.5, black carbon (BC), ultrafine particles (UFP), nitrogen oxide (NO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Using a reduced-complexity chemical transport model I show that current emissions patterns lead to significant PM2.5 exposure disparity among racial-ethnic groups, income categories, and other socioeconomic groupings, driven by the systematically higher proximity to emissions from on-road mobile sources, industry, natural gas and petroleum development, and other major sources. To estimate exposure disparity for pollutants that vary at very fine spatial scales and follow difficult-to-model patterns driven by complex characteristics of the urban landscape (BC, UFP, NO, and NO2), I use data collected via mobile monitoring to construct empirical air pollution maps for a variety of neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area. These measurements show high exposure disparities both within and among racial-ethnic groups, with disparity in mean concentrations driven by differences in neighborhood background concentrations but higher within-group disparity driven by highly localized near-source gradients. I also assess sources of uncertainty in mobile monitoring-based mapping techniques. These complementary approaches provide a broad picture of causes of urban exposure disparity in California and can inform future mitigation measures
Download or read book Handbook of Road Ecology written by Rodney van der Ree and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-06-15 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the IENE Project Award 2016. This authoritative volume brings together some of the world’s leading researchers, academics, practitioners and transportation agency personnel to present the current status of the ecological sustainability of the linear infrastructure – primarily road, rail and utility easements – that dissect and fragment landscapes globally. It outlines the potential impacts, demonstrates how this infrastructure is being improved, and how broad ecological principles are applied to mitigate the impact of road networks on wildlife. Research and monitoring is an important aspect of road ecology, encompassing all phases of a transportation project. This book covers research and monitoring to span the entire project continuum – starting with planning and design, through construction and into maintenance and management. It focuses on impacts and solutions for species groups and specific regions, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges facing Asia, South America and Africa. Other key features: Contributions from authors originating from over 25 countries, including from all continents Each chapter summarizes important lessons, and includes lists of further reading and thoroughly up to date references Highlights principles that address key points relevant to all phases in all road projects Explains best-practices based on a number of successful international case studies Chapters are "stand-alone", but they also build upon and complement each other; extensive cross-referencing directs the reader to relevant material elsewhere in the book Handbook of Road Ecology offers a comprehensive summary of approximately 30 years of global efforts to quantify the impacts of roads and traffic and implement effective mitigation. As such, it is essential reading for those involved in the planning, design, assessment and construction of new roads; the management and maintenance of existing roads; and the modifying or retrofitting of existing roads and problem locations. This handbook is an accessible resource for both developed and developing countries, including government transportation agencies, Government environmental/conservation agencies, NGOs, and road funding and donor organisations.
Download or read book Eco efficient Materials for Mitigating Building Cooling Needs written by F. Pacheco-Torgal and published by Woodhead Publishing. This book was released on 2015-02-27 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is one of the most important environmental problems faced by Planet Earth. The majority of CO2 emissions come from burning fossil fuels for energy production and improvements in energy efficiency shows the greatest potential for any single strategy to abate global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the energy sector. Energy related emissions account for almost 80% of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions. The building sector is the largest energy user responsible for about 40% of the EU’s total final energy consumption. In Europe the number of installed air conditioning systems has increased 500% over the last 20 years, but in that same period energy cooling needs have increased more than 20 times. The increase in energy cooling needs relates to the current higher living and working standards. In urban environments with low outdoor air quality (the general case) this means that in summer-time one cannot count on natural ventilation to reduce cooling needs. Do not forget the synergistic effect between heat waves and air pollution which means that outdoor air quality is worse in the summer aggravating cooling needs. Over the next few years this phenomenon will become much worse because more people will live in cities, more than 2 billion by 2050 and global warming will aggravate cooling needs. An overview of materials to lessen the impact of urban heat islands Excellent coverage of building materials to reduce air condtioning needs Innovative products discussed such as Thermo and Electrochromic materials
Download or read book The Microenvironmental Impact of Roadways and Distributed Generation on Local Air Quality written by Zheming Tong and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microscale air quality in highly populated urban areas has gained increasing attention in recent years. Various emission sources are present, and their contributions need to be quantified for assessing human exposure and developing effective emission control strategies. This dissertation presents the effort towards establishing a better understanding of the spatial variation of multiple air pollutants in complex urban microenvironments through numerical modeling and experimental evaluation. In the first part, I investigated the transport of Black Carbon (BC) in a typical highwaybuilding environment next to an urban high school in South Bronx, NYC. Two generalized configurations i.e., highway-building canyon and highway viaductbuilding are discovered, which is critical to the spatial variation of BC. The second part focuses on roadside barrier designs with the objective to mitigate near-road air pollution. Our analysis revealed two potentially viable design options: a) wide vegetation barriers with high leaf area density which reduces downwind particle concentrations significantly, while resulting in a moderate increase in on-road concentrations, and b) vegetation-solid barrier combinations lead to the greatest reduction in downwind particle concentrations among all configurations and a large increase in on-road concentrations at the same time. The third part investigates the near-source environmental impact of diesel backup generators that participate in demand response programs. The micro-environmental air quality simulation is improved by coupling with a meteorology processor to provide realistic boundary conditions. The study found the near-ground PM2.5 concentration for the worst scenarios could well exceed 100 [MICRO SIGN]g m-3, posing a potential health risk to people living and working nearby. Our analysis also implies that the siting of diesel backup generators stacks should consider not only the interactions of fresh air intake and exhaust outlet, but also the dispersion of exhaust plumes in the surrounding environment. The last part studies the environmental impact of a biomass boiler with and without PM emission control. A micro-environmental model was applied to simulate the experimental conditions, and a good agreement between predicted and on-site measurement is observed. Our analysis shows that the absence of ESP could lead to an almost 7 times increase of the near-ground PM2.5 concentrations in the surrounding environment.
Download or read book Global Sources of Local Pollution written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-02-15 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent advances in air pollution monitoring and modeling capabilities have made it possible to show that air pollution can be transported long distances and that adverse impacts of emitted pollutants cannot be confined to one country or even one continent. Pollutants from traffic, cooking stoves, and factories emitted half a world away can make the air we inhale today more hazardous for our health. The relative importance of this "imported" pollution is likely to increase, as emissions in developing countries grow, and air quality standards in industrial countries are tightened. Global Sources of Local Pollution examines the impact of the long-range transport of four key air pollutants (ozone, particulate matter, mercury, and persistent organic pollutants) on air quality and pollutant deposition in the United States. It also explores the environmental impacts of U.S. emissions on other parts of the world. The book recommends that the United States work with the international community to develop an integrated system for determining pollution sources and impacts and to design effective response strategies. This book will be useful to international, federal, state, and local policy makers responsible for understanding and managing air pollution and its impacts on human health and well-being.
Download or read book Air Pollution Calculations written by Daniel A. Vallero and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2019-05-03 with total page 571 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Air Pollution Calculations introduces the equations and formulae that are most important to air pollution, but goes a step further. Most texts lack examples of how these equations and formulae apply to the quantification of real-world scenarios and conditions. The ample example calculations apply to current air quality problems, including emission inventories, risk estimations, biogeochemical cycling assessments, and efficiencies in air pollution control technologies. In addition, the book explains thermodynamics and fluid dynamics in step-by-step and understandable calculations using air quality and multimedia modeling, reliability engineering and engineering economics using practical examples likely to be encountered by scientists, engineers, managers and decision makers. The book touches on the environmental variables, constraints and drivers that can influence pollutant mass, volume and concentrations, which in turn determine toxicity and adverse outcomes caused by air pollution. How the pollutants form, move, partition, transform and find their fate are explained using the entire range of atmospheric phenomena. The control, prevention and mitigation of air pollution are explained based on physical, chemical and biological principles which is crucial to science-based policy and decision-making. Users will find this to be a comprehensive, single resource that will help them understand air pollution, quantify existing data, and help those whose work is impacted by air pollution. Explains air pollution in a comprehensive manner, enabling readers to understand how to measure and assess risks to human populations and ecosystems actually or potentially exposed to air pollutants Covers air pollution from a multivariate, systems approach, bringing in atmospheric processes, health impacts, environmental impacts, controls and prevention Facilitates an understanding of broad factors, like climate and transport, that influence patterns and change in pollutant concentrations, both spatially and over time
Download or read book From Pollution to Renewal written by Daphney Christina Bonner and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the World Health Organization (2021), ambient air pollution accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths globally, largely due to upper respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Studies analyzing the impact of traffic related particulate matter (PM) on public health have highlighted the social disparities that are embedded within this issue. A large body of research has demonstrated that many racially and economically segregated communities are plagued by high concentrations of air pollution, such as industrial toxics (Ard 2016) and particulate matter (PM) from vehicle emissions (Thompson 2019). Increased concentrations of PM2.5 leave these communities more susceptible to respiratory and cardiovascular disparities (Allen et al. 2009; Dominici et al. 2006; Ostro et al. 2001). The consequences of this environmental inequality have been tied to racially based laws, regulations, and policies. Archer (2020) contends that our racially and economically segregated cities are the result of several factors, including the implementation of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. Several studies have identified this policy as a large-scale policy of displacement, demolition, and economic disenfranchisement (Archer 2020; DiMento and Ellis 2012). Though this policy has been identified as a contributor to segregation and White flight, little research has been done to link how the implementation of this policy may have contributed to the health and environmental disparities related to increased exposure to traffic-related particulate matter. To address these gaps in knowledge, I use spatial analysis to examine how demographics vary around the US highway network, a national level, to determine if minority populations are more concentrated near major interstates. Furthermore, I conduct a case study near Route 34 in New Haven, Connecticut, spatially analyzing demography and traffic-related air pollutant trends to further examine the relationship between demographics and environmental impacts of highway proximity. Findings from this study support trends arguing that minority communities are more likely to reside near a major U.S. highway and that historical federal transportation policy has heavily influenced community demography and subsequent segregation in U.S. cities. Additionally, maps displaying traffic-related air pollutant levels all display higher concentrations of these pollutants in census tracts in close spatial proximity to various highways, supporting previous research. Results from this study can aid public health officials in identifying and targeting intervention for vulnerable communities most impacted by the ill effects of historic, racialized public policy. Broadly, the results from this study provide further evidence supporting the argument that the implementation of federal highways were physically, racially, and environmentally detrimental to urban cities, and impacted African American communities most.
Download or read book U S Health in International Perspective written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-04-12 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.
Download or read book Exposure Assessment in Environmental Epidemiology written by Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This completely updated edition of Exposure Assessment in Environmental Epidemiology offers a practical introduction to exposure assessment methodologies in environmental epidemiologic studies. In addition to methods for traditional methods -- questionnaires, biomonitoring -- this new edition is expanded to include geographic information systems, modeling, personal sensoring, remote sensing, and OMICs technologies. In addition, each of these methods is contextualized within a recent epidemiology study, maximizing illustration for students and those new to these to these techniques. With clear writing and extensive illustration, this book will be useful to anyone interested in exposure assessment, regardless of background.
Download or read book OECD Environmental Outlook written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2001-04-05 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The OECD Environmental Outlook provides economy-based projections of environmental pressures and changes in the state of the environment to 2020.
Download or read book Predicting the Spatial Variation of Maximum Air Pollutant Concentrations from Limited Observations written by John Ashley Taylor and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Urban Climates written by T. R. Oke and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-14 with total page 549 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban Climates is the first full synthesis of modern scientific and applied research on urban climates. The book begins with an outline of what constitutes an urban ecosystem. It develops a comprehensive terminology for the subject using scale and surface classification as key constructs. It explains the physical principles governing the creation of distinct urban climates, such as airflow around buildings, the heat island, precipitation modification and air pollution, and it then illustrates how this knowledge can be applied to moderate the undesirable consequences of urban development and help create more sustainable and resilient cities. With urban climate science now a fully-fledged field, this timely book fulfills the need to bring together the disparate parts of climate research on cities into a coherent framework. It is an ideal resource for students and researchers in fields such as climatology, urban hydrology, air quality, environmental engineering and urban design.
Download or read book The Ongoing Challenge of Managing Carbon Monoxide Pollution in Fairbanks Alaska written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-08-22 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic air pollutant produced largely from vehicle emissions. Breathing CO at high concentrations leads to reduced oxygen transport by hemoglobin, which has health effects that include impaired reaction timing, headaches, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, weakness, clouding of consciousness, coma, and, at high enough concentrations and long enough exposure, death. In recognition of those health effects, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as directed by the Clean Air Act, established the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for CO in 1971. Most areas that were previously designated as "nonattainment" areas have come into compliance with the NAAQS for CO, but some locations still have difficulty in attaining the CO standards. Those locations tend to have topographical or meteorological characteristics that exacerbate pollution. In view of the challenges posed for some areas to attain compliance with the NAAQS for CO, congress asked the National Research Council to investigate the problem of CO in areas with meteorological and topographical problems. This interim report deals specifically with Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks was chosen as a case study because its meteorological and topographical characteristics make it susceptible to severe winter inversions that trap CO and other pollutants at ground level.
Download or read book Indoor Pollutants written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1981-01-01 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses pollution from tobacco smoke, radon and radon progeny, asbestos and other fibers, formaldehyde, indoor combustion, aeropathogens and allergens, consumer products, moisture, microwave radiation, ultraviolet radiation, odors, radioactivity, and dirt and discusses means of controlling or eliminating them.
Download or read book Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-01-22 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All phases of road developmentâ€"from construction and use by vehicles to maintenanceâ€"affect physical and chemical soil conditions, water flow, and air and water quality, as well as plants and animals. Roads and traffic can alter wildlife habitat, cause vehicle-related mortality, impede animal migration, and disperse nonnative pest species of plants and animals. Integrating environmental considerations into all phases of transportation is an important, evolving process. The increasing awareness of environmental issues has made road development more complex and controversial. Over the past two decades, the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation agencies have increasingly recognized the importance of the effects of transportation on the natural environment. This report provides guidance on ways to reconcile the different goals of road development and environmental conservation. It identifies the ecological effects of roads that can be evaluated in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of roads and offers several recommendations to help better understand and manage ecological impacts of paved roads.
