Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent Years
The ease of travel allowed by contemporary means of long-range transportation has brought increasingly higher numbers of visitors to remote and relatively undisturbed insular territories. In a framework of environmental conservation of the natural patrimony, sustainably accommodating touristic flood...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/1/188 |
| _version_ | 1797446206706679808 |
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| author | Filipe Bernardo Patrícia Garcia Armindo Rodrigues |
| author_facet | Filipe Bernardo Patrícia Garcia Armindo Rodrigues |
| author_sort | Filipe Bernardo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The ease of travel allowed by contemporary means of long-range transportation has brought increasingly higher numbers of visitors to remote and relatively undisturbed insular territories. In a framework of environmental conservation of the natural patrimony, sustainably accommodating touristic flooding and the associated polluting footprint poses a demanding challenge. Over the past decade, Ponta Delgada, the largest city of the mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago, has become a hotspot for transatlantic cruise ship (CS) lines in spring and autumn. CSs are substantial contributors to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), as well as hazardous sulphur (SO<sub>x</sub>) and nitrogen (NO<sub>x</sub>) oxides. It is hereby retrospectively investigated whether the background levels of air pollutants were raised following the CS influx at Ponta Delgada, which conventionally displays great air quality. The daily CS traffic at the local harbor was associated with the daily concentrations of air pollutants (SO<sub>2</sub>, O<sub>3</sub>, NO<sub>2</sub>, NO<sub>x</sub>, PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub>), monitored by the local urban background monitoring station (~1.3 km northwards). Exceedances above daily legislated limits from 2013 until 2020 only occurred sporadically for PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub>, often during episodes of natural dust storms. No major correlation was found between CS parameters with the recorded values of pollutants, although a noticeable signal of NO<sub>X</sub> increase of southern origin is observed during spring days with CS presence. Daily data suggest CS influx has not strongly influenced background air quality. A near-source, real-time monitoring network should be implemented in the city to provide the necessary spatial and temporal resolution for tracking short-term fluctuations in air pollutants during CS arrivals and departures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:36:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-51bcf10c7b954f0db26cd3d8e5f02721 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:36:57Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-51bcf10c7b954f0db26cd3d8e5f027212023-11-30T21:10:41ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332023-01-0114118810.3390/atmos14010188Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent YearsFilipe Bernardo0Patrícia Garcia1Armindo Rodrigues2Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of the Azores, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, PortugalFaculty of Sciences and Technology, University of the Azores, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, PortugalFaculty of Sciences and Technology, University of the Azores, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, PortugalThe ease of travel allowed by contemporary means of long-range transportation has brought increasingly higher numbers of visitors to remote and relatively undisturbed insular territories. In a framework of environmental conservation of the natural patrimony, sustainably accommodating touristic flooding and the associated polluting footprint poses a demanding challenge. Over the past decade, Ponta Delgada, the largest city of the mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago, has become a hotspot for transatlantic cruise ship (CS) lines in spring and autumn. CSs are substantial contributors to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), as well as hazardous sulphur (SO<sub>x</sub>) and nitrogen (NO<sub>x</sub>) oxides. It is hereby retrospectively investigated whether the background levels of air pollutants were raised following the CS influx at Ponta Delgada, which conventionally displays great air quality. The daily CS traffic at the local harbor was associated with the daily concentrations of air pollutants (SO<sub>2</sub>, O<sub>3</sub>, NO<sub>2</sub>, NO<sub>x</sub>, PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub>), monitored by the local urban background monitoring station (~1.3 km northwards). Exceedances above daily legislated limits from 2013 until 2020 only occurred sporadically for PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub>, often during episodes of natural dust storms. No major correlation was found between CS parameters with the recorded values of pollutants, although a noticeable signal of NO<sub>X</sub> increase of southern origin is observed during spring days with CS presence. Daily data suggest CS influx has not strongly influenced background air quality. A near-source, real-time monitoring network should be implemented in the city to provide the necessary spatial and temporal resolution for tracking short-term fluctuations in air pollutants during CS arrivals and departures.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/1/188air pollutantsair quality monitoringdieselcruise shipsisland tourism |
| spellingShingle | Filipe Bernardo Patrícia Garcia Armindo Rodrigues Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent Years Atmosphere air pollutants air quality monitoring diesel cruise ships island tourism |
| title | Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent Years |
| title_full | Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent Years |
| title_fullStr | Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent Years |
| title_full_unstemmed | Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent Years |
| title_short | Air Quality at Ponta Delgada City (Azores) Is Unaffected so Far by Growing Cruise Ship Transit in Recent Years |
| title_sort | air quality at ponta delgada city azores is unaffected so far by growing cruise ship transit in recent years |
| topic | air pollutants air quality monitoring diesel cruise ships island tourism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/1/188 |
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