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Atmosphere
Special Issues
Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities
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Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (16 March 2022) | Viewed by 19268

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Natalia Liora

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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: air pollution; anthropogenic pollutant emissions; natural emissions; air quality modelling; evaluation of modelling systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anastasia Poupkou

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Guest Editor
Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology, Academy of Athens, 106 79 Athina, Greece
Interests: atmosphere; chemical composition; atmospheric modeling; pollutant emissions; climate change
Dr. Dimitris Κ. Papanastasiou

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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41110 Larissa, Greece
Interests: atmospheric pollution; meteorology; urban heat island; air quality and climate in livestock buildings; comfort conditions of humans and animals; environmental monitoring; environmental impact assessment
Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Melas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: atmospheric pollution; air quality modeling; boundary-layer meteorology; mesoscale meteorological modeling; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Serafim Kontos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: air quality modelling; natural emissions estimations; aerosol science; atmospheric physics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid urbanization of Mediterranean cities in combination with the climate change is expected to deteriorate urban air quality leading to adverse effects on human health. Thus, it is of utmost importance to develop accurate air quality modeling systems in urban scale with high horizontal resolution and identify the most important emissions sources which contribute to high pollutant concentrations in Mediterranean cities. The study of the impacts of meteorology on air quality is also an important issue since Mediterranean region is characterized by hot and dry climate in summer which contribute to poor air quality in cities which is expected to be deteriorated due to climate change. This special issue welcomes manuscripts which cover the following research aspects:

  • Estimation of air pollutant emissions in urban centres
  • Air quality modelling
  • Urban air quality Monitoring
  • Meteorology and Air Quality
  • Impacts of Urban Air pollution on human health
  • Climate change

Dr. Natalia Liora
Dr. Anastasia Poupkou
Dr. Dimitris Κ. Papanastasiou
Prof. Dimitrios Melas
Dr. Serafim Kontos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • air quality modelling
  • emissions
  • urban Air quality
  • climate change
  • Mediterranean cities

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2437 KiB  
Article
Short-Term Effects of Apparent Temperature on Cause-Specific Mortality in the Urban Area of Thessaloniki, Greece
by Daphne Parliari, Stavros Cheristanidis, Christos Giannaros, Stavros Ch. Keppas, Sofia Papadogiannaki, Francesca de’Donato, Christos Sarras and Dimitrios Melas
Atmosphere 2022, 13(6), 852; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13060852 - 24 May 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2311
Abstract
Although there is a growing interest in the association between ambient temperatures and mortality, little evidence is available for Thessaloniki, the second largest city of Greece. In this study, we present an assessment of the effects of temperature on daily mortality from 2006 [...] Read more.
Although there is a growing interest in the association between ambient temperatures and mortality, little evidence is available for Thessaloniki, the second largest city of Greece. In this study, we present an assessment of the effects of temperature on daily mortality from 2006 to 2016 in the urban area of Thessaloniki, by describing the exposure-lag-response association between temperature and cause-specific mortality with the use of a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM). A J-shaped relationship was found between temperature and mortality. The highest values of risk were evident for respiratory (RR > 10) and cardiovascular causes (RR > 3), probably due to the fact that health status of individuals with chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases rapidly deteriorates during hot periods. Cold effects had longer lags of up to 15 days, whereas heat effects were short-lived, up to 4 days. Percentage change in all- and cause-specific mortality per 1 °C change above and below Minimum Mortality Temperature showed a larger increase for all-cause mortality in heat (1.95%, 95% CI: 1.07–2.84), in contrast to a smaller increase in cold (0.54%, 95% CI: 0, 1.09). Overall, 3.51% of all-cause deaths were attributable to temperature, whereas deaths attributed to heat (2.34%) were more than deaths attributed to cold (1.34%). The findings of this study present important evidence for planning public-health interventions, to reduce the health impact of extreme temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities)
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22 pages, 9069 KiB  
Article
Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO2 Levels
by Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Andreas Pseftogkas, Dimitris Karagkiozidis, Ioanna Skoulidou, Theano Drosoglou, Dimitrios Balis, Alkiviadis Bais, Dimitrios Melas and Nikos Hatzianastassiou
Atmosphere 2022, 13(5), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050840 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2244
Abstract
In this article, we aim to show the capabilities, benefits, as well as restrictions, of three different air quality-related information sources, namely the Sentinel-5Precursor TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) space-born observations, the Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) ground-based measurements and the LOng Term [...] Read more.
In this article, we aim to show the capabilities, benefits, as well as restrictions, of three different air quality-related information sources, namely the Sentinel-5Precursor TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) space-born observations, the Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) ground-based measurements and the LOng Term Ozone Simulation-EURopean Operational Smog (LOTOS-EUROS) chemical transport modelling system simulations. The tropospheric NO2 concentrations between 2018 and 2021 are discussed as air quality indicators for the Greek cities of Thessaloniki and Ioannina. Each dataset was analysed in an autonomous manner and, without disregarding their differences, the common air quality picture that they provide is revealed. All three systems report a clear seasonal pattern, with high NO2 levels during wintertime and lower NO2 levels during summertime, reflecting the importance of photochemistry in the abatement of this air pollutant. The spatial patterns of the NO2 load, obtained by both space-born observations and model simulations, show the undeniable variability of the NO2 load within the urban agglomerations. Furthermore, a clear diurnal variability is clearly identified by the ground-based measurements, as well as a Sunday minimum NO2 load effect, alongside the rest of the sources of air quality information. Within their individual strengths and limitations, the space-borne observations, the ground-based measurements, and the chemical transport modelling simulations demonstrate unequivocally their ability to report on the air quality situation in urban locations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities)
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19 pages, 5419 KiB  
Article
“On-Line” Heating Emissions Based on WRF Meteorology—Application and Evaluation of a Modeling System over Greece
by Natalia Liora, Serafim Kontos, Daphne Parliari, Dimitris Akritidis, Anastasia Poupkou, Dimitris K. Papanastasiou and Dimitrios Melas
Atmosphere 2022, 13(4), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13040568 - 31 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2344
Abstract
The main objective of the present study is the development of an “on-line” heating emissions modeling system based on simulated meteorological data and its integration with air quality modeling systems in order to improve their accuracy. The WRF-CAMx air quality modeling system is [...] Read more.
The main objective of the present study is the development of an “on-line” heating emissions modeling system based on simulated meteorological data and its integration with air quality modeling systems in order to improve their accuracy. The WRF-CAMx air quality modeling system is applied over Greece for the cold period of 2015 (January–April, October–December) for two emissions scenarios: using the (a) “on-line” heating emissions based on WRF meteorology and (b) “static” heating emissions based on static temporal profiles. The monthly variation in total “on-line” heating emissions followed the temporal pattern of the air temperature over Greece, leading to the highest heating emissions in January and February, while higher differences in emissions between winter and spring/autumn months were identified in comparison with the static ones. The overall evaluation of the WRF-CAMx modeling system using the “on-line” heating emissions revealed satisfactory model performance for the mean daily air quality levels. The comparison between the simulated and observed mean monthly concentrations revealed an improvement in the pattern of mean monthly concentrations for the “on-line” scenario. Higher values of the index of agreement and correlation for the mean daily values were also identified for the “on-line” scenario in most monitoring sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities)
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20 pages, 8210 KiB  
Article
Computer Simulations of Air Quality and Bio-Climatic Indices for the City of Sofia
by Georgi Gadzhev and Kostadin Ganev
Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 1078; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12081078 - 22 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2222
Abstract
Air pollution is responsible for many adverse effects on human beings. Thermal discomfort, on the other hand, is able to overload the human body and eventually provoke health implications due to the heat imbalance. Methods: The aim of the presented work is to [...] Read more.
Air pollution is responsible for many adverse effects on human beings. Thermal discomfort, on the other hand, is able to overload the human body and eventually provoke health implications due to the heat imbalance. Methods: The aim of the presented work is to study the behavior of two bio-climatic indices and statistical characteristics of the air quality index for Sofia city—the capital of Bulgaria for the period 2008–2014. The study is based on the WRF-CMAQ model system simulations with a spatial resolution of 1 km. The air quality is estimated by the air quality index, taking into account the influence of different pollutants and the thermal conditions by two indices, respectively, for hot and cold weather. It was found that the recurrence of both the heat and cold index categories and of the air quality categories have heterogeneous space distribution and well manifested diurnal and seasonal variability. For all of the situations, only O3 and PM10 are the dominant pollutants—these which determine the AQI category. It was found that AQI1, AQI2, and AQI3, which fall in the “Low” band, have the highest recurrence during the different seasons, up to more than 70% in some places and situations. The recurrence of AQI10 (very high) is rather small—no more than 5% and concentrated in small areas, mostly in the city center. The Heat index of category “Danger” never appears, and the Heat index of category “Extreme caution” appears only in the spring and summer with the highest recurrence of less than 5% in the city center. For the Wind-chill index category, “Very High Risk” never appears, and the category “High Risk” appears with a frequency of about 1–2%. The above leads to the conclusion that both from a point of view of bioclimatic and air quality indices, the human health risks in the city of Sofia are not as high. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities)
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24 pages, 5542 KiB  
Article
Future Climate Change Impact on Urban Heat Island in Two Mediterranean Cities Based on High-Resolution Regional Climate Simulations
by Stavros Ch. Keppas, Sofia Papadogiannaki, Daphne Parliari, Serafim Kontos, Anastasia Poupkou, Paraskevi Tzoumaka, Apostolos Kelessis, Prodromos Zanis, Giampietro Casasanta, Francesca de’Donato, Stefania Argentini and Dimitrios Melas
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 884; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070884 - 07 Jul 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3941
Abstract
The Mediterranean is recognized among the most responsive regions to climate change, with annual temperatures projected to increase by 1–5 °C until 2100. Large cities may experience an additional stress discomfort due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. In the present study, [...] Read more.
The Mediterranean is recognized among the most responsive regions to climate change, with annual temperatures projected to increase by 1–5 °C until 2100. Large cities may experience an additional stress discomfort due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. In the present study, the WRF-ARW numerical weather prediction model was used to investigate the climate change impact on UHI for two Mediterranean cities, Rome and Thessaloniki. For this purpose, three 5-year time-slice simulations were conducted (2006–2010, 2046–2050, 2096–2100) under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 emission scenario, with a spatial resolution of 2 km. In order to comprehensively investigate the urban microclimate, we analyze future simulation data across sections crossing urban/non-urban areas, and after grouping them into three classes depending on the location of the grid cells. The urban areas of both cities present increased average minimum temperature (Tmin) in winter/summer compared to other rural areas, with an UHI of ~+1.5–3 °C on average at night/early morning. Considering UHI under future climate change, we found no significant variations (~±0.2 °C). Finally, we found that the numbers of days with Tmin ≥ 20 °C will mostly increase in urban coastal areas until 2100, while the largest increase of minimum Discomfort Index (DImin) is expected in urban low-ground areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities)
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24 pages, 10987 KiB  
Article
Forecasting Particulate Pollution in an Urban Area: From Copernicus to Sub-Km Scale
by Areti Pappa and Ioannis Kioutsioukis
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070881 - 07 Jul 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2709
Abstract
Particulate air pollution has aggravated cardiovascular and lung diseases. Accurate and constant air quality forecasting on a local scale facilitates the control of air pollution and the design of effective strategies to limit air pollutant emissions. CAMS provides 4-day-ahead regional (EU) forecasts in [...] Read more.
Particulate air pollution has aggravated cardiovascular and lung diseases. Accurate and constant air quality forecasting on a local scale facilitates the control of air pollution and the design of effective strategies to limit air pollutant emissions. CAMS provides 4-day-ahead regional (EU) forecasts in a 10 km spatial resolution, adding value to the Copernicus EO and delivering open-access consistent air quality forecasts. In this work, we evaluate the CAMS PM forecasts at a local scale against in-situ measurements, spanning 2 years, obtained from a network of stations located in an urban coastal Mediterranean city in Greece. Moreover, we investigate the potential of modelling techniques to accurately forecast the spatiotemporal pattern of particulate pollution using only open data from CAMS and calibrated low-cost sensors. Specifically, we compare the performance of the Analog Ensemble (AnEn) technique and the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network in forecasting PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations for the next four days, at 6 h increments, at a station level. The results show an underestimation of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by a factor of 2 in CAMS forecasts during winter, indicating a misrepresentation of anthropogenic particulate emissions such as wood-burning, while overestimation is evident for the other seasons. Both AnEn and LSTM models provide bias-calibrated forecasts and capture adequately the spatial and temporal variations of the ground-level observations reducing the RMSE of CAMS by roughly 50% for PM2.5 and 60% for PM10. AnEn marginally outperforms the LSTM using annual verification statistics. The most profound difference in the predictive skill of the models occurs in winter, when PM is elevated, where AnEn is significantly more efficient. Moreover, the predictive skill of AnEn degrades more slowly as the forecast interval increases. Both AnEn and LSTM techniques are proven to be reliable tools for air pollution forecasting, and they could be used in other regions with small modifications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities)
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Review

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9 pages, 237 KiB  
Review
Setting Emission Reduction Trajectories in Mediterranean Cities with the Use of Science-Based Targets: The Pathway towards Climate Neutrality and the Ambitious European Goals by 2050
by Eleni Feleki and Nicolas Moussiopoulos
Atmosphere 2021, 12(11), 1505; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12111505 - 15 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1557
Abstract
Mediterranean cities, having already suffered from climate change and at risk of being further affected if actions are not taken, need to reduce their emissions and set themselves on a path towards achieving the Paris Agreement ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5 [...] Read more.
Mediterranean cities, having already suffered from climate change and at risk of being further affected if actions are not taken, need to reduce their emissions and set themselves on a path towards achieving the Paris Agreement ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. There are several methodologies that have been developed recently for cities in order to set a science-based target in line with a 1.5 °C scenario, that can be adopted by Mediterranean cities. In this short communication, we have selected to refer to two of them with the aim of inspiring experts from Mediterranean cities and providing relevant tools and further learning resources in order to make this task achievable. The new framework is guiding cities towards a greener and more sustainable transition. With a concrete framework to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the Mediterranean Basin can follow the global push to net-zero emissions by mid-century. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Climate and Air Quality in Mediterranean Cities)
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