In:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, American Geophysical Union (AGU), Vol. 124, No. 23 ( 2019-12-16), p. 13055-13070
Abstract:
More than 80% of people living in urban areas are exposed to air quality levels that exceed the World Health Organization limits. Ambient air pollution made of high concentrations of fine particles is one of the greatest risks to health—causing more than three million premature deaths worldwide every year. Automobile emissions have been considered as the major source of particles in urban areas, followed by the contribution from other sources. Here we emphasize the importance of an additional, less well‐understood source of particles. These particles may not be directly related to human emissions of pollutants and be likely formed above the ground. Large concentrations of these freshly produced particles can be brought to the surface by daytime mixing. Understanding the processes that form these particles is important because they appear during the midday when contributions from traffic are less. This study reemphasizes the importance of local meteorology for determining the ambient air pollution levels in a surprising way. Breaking the boundary layer usually leads to the dilution of traffic‐related particles. However, here we show that breaking of the boundary layer can also bring particles formed aloft and subsequently can lead to surface concentrations comparable to those experienced during rush hour.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2169-897X
,
2169-8996
DOI:
10.1029/2019JD031367
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Publication Date:
2019
detail.hit.zdb_id:
710256-2
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2016800-7
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2969341-X
SSG:
16,13
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