Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> Levels
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 Spectro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-05-01
|
| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/840 |
| _version_ | 1797501571857121280 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria-Elissavet Koukouli Andreas Pseftogkas Dimitris Karagkiozidis Ioanna Skoulidou Theano Drosoglou Dimitrios Balis Alkiviadis Bais Dimitrios Melas Nikos Hatzianastassiou |
| author_facet | Maria-Elissavet Koukouli Andreas Pseftogkas Dimitris Karagkiozidis Ioanna Skoulidou Theano Drosoglou Dimitrios Balis Alkiviadis Bais Dimitrios Melas Nikos Hatzianastassiou |
| author_sort | Maria-Elissavet Koukouli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 NO<sub>2</sub> 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 NO<sub>2</sub> levels during wintertime and lower NO<sub>2</sub> levels during summertime, reflecting the importance of photochemistry in the abatement of this air pollutant. The spatial patterns of the NO<sub>2</sub> load, obtained by both space-born observations and model simulations, show the undeniable variability of the NO<sub>2</sub> load within the urban agglomerations. Furthermore, a clear diurnal variability is clearly identified by the ground-based measurements, as well as a Sunday minimum NO<sub>2</sub> 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:20:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-59a3371541d2404d88b40272d5442eda |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:20:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-59a3371541d2404d88b40272d5442eda2023-11-23T10:03:35ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-05-0113584010.3390/atmos13050840Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> LevelsMaria-Elissavet Koukouli0Andreas Pseftogkas1Dimitris Karagkiozidis2Ioanna Skoulidou3Theano Drosoglou4Dimitrios Balis5Alkiviadis Bais6Dimitrios Melas7Nikos Hatzianastassiou8Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54634 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54634 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54634 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54634 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54634 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54634 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54634 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54634 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Meteorology, Department of Physics, University of Ioannina, GR-45110 Ioannina, GreeceIn 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 NO<sub>2</sub> 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 NO<sub>2</sub> levels during wintertime and lower NO<sub>2</sub> levels during summertime, reflecting the importance of photochemistry in the abatement of this air pollutant. The spatial patterns of the NO<sub>2</sub> load, obtained by both space-born observations and model simulations, show the undeniable variability of the NO<sub>2</sub> load within the urban agglomerations. Furthermore, a clear diurnal variability is clearly identified by the ground-based measurements, as well as a Sunday minimum NO<sub>2</sub> 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/840remote sensingair qualityNOx emissionsS5P/TROPOMIMAX-DOASLOTOS-EUROS |
| spellingShingle | Maria-Elissavet Koukouli Andreas Pseftogkas Dimitris Karagkiozidis Ioanna Skoulidou Theano Drosoglou Dimitrios Balis Alkiviadis Bais Dimitrios Melas Nikos Hatzianastassiou Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> Levels Atmosphere remote sensing air quality NOx emissions S5P/TROPOMI MAX-DOAS LOTOS-EUROS |
| title | Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> Levels |
| title_full | Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> Levels |
| title_fullStr | Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> Levels |
| title_full_unstemmed | Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> Levels |
| title_short | Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> Levels |
| title_sort | air quality in two northern greek cities revealed by their tropospheric no sub 2 sub levels |
| topic | remote sensing air quality NOx emissions S5P/TROPOMI MAX-DOAS LOTOS-EUROS |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/840 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariaelissavetkoukouli airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels AT andreaspseftogkas airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels AT dimitriskaragkiozidis airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels AT ioannaskoulidou airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels AT theanodrosoglou airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels AT dimitriosbalis airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels AT alkiviadisbais airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels AT dimitriosmelas airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels AT nikoshatzianastassiou airqualityintwonortherngreekcitiesrevealedbytheirtroposphericnosub2sublevels |