Effects of building aspect ratio, diurnal heating scenario, and wind speed on reactive pollutant dispersion in urban street canyons

A photochemistry coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based numerical model has been developed to model the reactive pollutant dispersion within urban street canyons, particularly integrating the interrelationship among diurnal heating scenario (solar radiation affections in nighttime, daytime, and sun-rise/set), wind speed, building aspect ratio (building-height-to-street-width), and dispersion of reactive gases, specifically nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃) such that a higher standard of air quality in metropolitan cities can be achieved. Validation has been done with both experimental and numerical results on flow and temperature fields in a street canyon with bottom heating, which justifies the accuracy of the current model. The model was applied to idealized street canyons of different aspect ratios from 0.5 to 8 with two different ambient wind speeds under different diurnal heating scenarios to estimate the influences of different aforementioned parameters on the chemical evolution of NO, NO₂ and O₃. Detailed analyses of vertical profiles of pollutant concentrations showed that different diurnal heating scenarios could substantially affect the reactive gases exchange between the street canyon and air aloft, followed by respective dispersion and reaction. Higher building aspect ratio and stronger ambient wind speed were revealed to be, in general, responsible for enhanced entrainment of O₃ concentrations into the street canyons along windward walls under all diurnal heating scenarios. Comparatively, particular attention can be paid on the windward wall heating and nighttime uniform surface heating scenarios.     

The traffic emission and its impact on air quality in Guangzhou area

A comprehensive field measurement was set up in Guangzhou City of China and the key was placed on NO_x and O₃ pollution. The results indicated that the average driving speed of vehicle was only 14 km/h in downtown with high frequency of idle and acceleration. Upward fluxes of CO and NO were observed in Dongfeng street. NO_x annual mean concentration in urban area increased year by year, and NO_x was identified as the most important pollutant since 1995. Photochemical smog pollution was serious in general,spatial and seasonal distribution of O₃ was observed. O₃ concentration was kept in a high level in autumn, and its formation was restrained in summer due to frequent thunderstorm and high humidity. The numerical simulation showed the average concentration and maximum concentration of O₃ would increase 60%—100% if vehicular emission increased 100% in Guangzhou.     

Air pollution and liver cancer: A systematic review

Air pollution has previously been linked to several adverse health outcomes, but the potential association between air pollution and liver cancer remains unclear. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science from inception to 10 October 2021, and manually reviewed the references of relevant papers to further identify any related literature investigating possible associations between air pollution and liver cancer. Risk estimates values were represented by statistical associations based on quantitative analyses. A total of 13 cohort studies obtained from 11 articles were included, with 10,961,717 participants. PM_2.5 was the most frequently examined pollutant (included in 11 studies), followed by NO₂ and NO_x (included in 6 studies), and fewer studies focused on other pollutants (PM_{2.5 absorbance}, PM₁₀, PM_2.5–10, O₃, and BC). In all the 16 associations for liver cancer mortality, 14 associations reported the effect of PM_2.5 on liver cancer mortality. Eight associations on PM_2.5 were significant, showing a suggestive association between PM_2.5 and liver cancer mortality. Among 24 associations shown by risk estimates for liver cancer incidence, most associations were not statistically significant. For other air pollutants, no positive associations were presented in these studies. PM_2.5 was the most frequently examined pollutant, followed by NO₂ and NO_x, and fewer studies focused on other pollutants. PM_2.5 was associated with liver cancer mortality, but there was no association for other air pollutants. Future research should use advanced statistical methods to further assess the impact of multiple air pollutants on liver cancer in the changing socio-environmental context.     

Ozone pollution characteristics and sensitivity analysis using an observation-based model in Nanjing, Yangtze River Delta Region of China

Ground-level ozone (O₃) has become a critical pollutant impeding air quality improvement in Yangtze River Delta region of China. In this study, we present O₃ pollution characteristics based on one-year online measurements during 2016 at an urban site in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Then, the sensitivity of O₃ to its precursors during 2 O₃ pollution episodes in August was analyzed using a box model based on observation (OBM). The relative incremental reactivity (RIR) of hydrocarbons was larger than other precursors, suggesting that hydrocarbons played the dominant role in O₃ formation. The RIR values for NO_X ranged from –0.41%/% to 0.19%/%. The O₃ sensitivity was also analyzed based on relationship of simulated O₃ production rates with reductions of VOC and NO_X derived from scenario analyses. Simulation results illustrate that O₃ formation was between VOCs-limited and transition regime. Xylenes and light alkenes were found to be key species in O₃ formation according to RIR values, and their sources were determined using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model. Paints and solvent use was the largest contributor to xylenes (54%), while petrochemical industry was the most important source to propene (82%). Discussions on VOCs and NO_X reduction schemes suggest that the 5% O₃ control goal can be achieved by reducing VOCs by 20%. To obtain 10% O₃ control goal, VOCs need to be reduced by 30% with VOCs/NO_X larger than 3:1.     

Design and demonstration of a next-generation air quality attainment assessment system for PM2.5 and O3

Due to the increasingly stringent standards, it is important to assess whether the proposed emission reduction will result in ambient concentrations that meet the standards. The Software for Model Attainment Test—Community Edition (SMAT-CE) is developed for demonstrating attainment of air quality standards of O₃ and PM_2.5. SMAT-CE improves computational efficiency and provides a number of advanced visualization and analytical functionalities on an integrated GIS platform. SMAT-CE incorporates historical measurements of air quality parameters and simulated air pollutant concentrations under a number of emission inventory scenarios to project the level of compliance to air quality standards in a targeted future year. An application case study of the software based on the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) shows that SMAT-CE is capable of demonstrating the air quality attainment of annual PM_2.5 and 8-hour O₃ for a proposed emission control policy.     

Transverse approach between real world concentrations of SO2, NO2, BTEX, aldehyde emissions and corrosion in the Grand Mare tunnel

With regard to automotive traffic, a tunnel-type semi enclosed atmosphere is characterized by a higher concentration of gaseous pollutants than on urban traffic roads and highlights the gaseous effluent species having an impact on material degradation. Therefore, a transverse approach between air quality and its consequences upon the longevity of materials is necessary, implying better knowledge of tunnel atmosphere and a better understanding of material degradation inside a tunnel for operating administration. Gaseous pollutant measurements carried out in a road tunnel in Rouen (Normandy) give the real world traffic concentrations of experimental exposure conditions. The sampling campaigns, achieved in summer and winter include SO₂, NO₂, BTEX and aldehyde analyses. Effluent profiles in the upward and downward tubes have been established. The current work shows that SO₂, NO₂, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal and butanal must be considered in the degradation process of materials in a stuffy environment. As regards NO₂, its concentration depends on the modification of the automotive fleet. The total aldehyde concentrations indicate no particular trend between the two bores. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, butanal and acrolein species are the most abundant species emitted by vehicles and represent 90% to 95% of the total aldehyde emissions.     

Study on the wind field and pollutant dispersion in street canyons using a stable numerical method

A stable finite element method for the time dependent Navier-Stokes equations was used for studying the wind flow and pollutant dispersion within street canyons. A three-step fractional method was used to solve the velocity field and the pressure field separately from the governing equations. The Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin(SUPG) method was used to get stable numerical results. Numerical oscillation was minimized and satisfactory results can be obtained for flows at high Reynolds numbers. Simulating the flow over a square cylinder within a wide range of Reynolds numbers validates the wind field model. The Strouhal numbers obtained from the numerical simulation had a good agreement with those obtained from experiment. The wind field model developed in the present study is applied to simulate more complex flow phenomena in street canyons with two different building configurations. The results indicated that the flow at rooftop of buildings might not be assumed parallel to the ground as some numerical modelers did. A counter-clockwise rotating vortex may be found in street canyons with an inflow from the left to right. In addition, increasing building height can increase velocity fluctuations in the street canyon under certain circumstances, which facilitate pollutant dispersion. At high Reynolds numbers, the flow regimes in street canyons do not change with inflow velocity.     

Rural vehicle emission as an important driver for the variations of summertime tropospheric ozone in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region during 2014–2019

Tropospheric ozone (O₃) pollution is increasing in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region despite a significant decline in atmospheric fine aerosol particles (PM_2.5) in recent years. However, the intrinsic reason for the elevation of the regional O₃ is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the spatio-temporal variations of tropospheric O₃ and relevant pollutants (PM_2.5, NO₂, and CO) in the BTH region based on monitoring data from the China Ministry of Ecology and Environment during the period of 2014–2019. The results showed that summertime O₃ concentrations were constant in Beijing (BJ, 0.06 µg/(m³•year)) but increased significantly in Tianjin (TJ, 9.09 µg/(m³•year)) and Hebei (HB, 6.06 µg/(m³•year)). Distinct O₃ trends between Beijing and other cities in BTH could not be attributed to the significant decrease in PM_2.5 (from -5.08 to -6.32 µg/(m³•year)) and CO (from -0.053 to -0.090 mg/(m³•year)) because their decreasing rates were approximately the same in all the cities. The relatively stable O₃ concentrations during the investigating period in BJ may be attributed to a faster decreasing rate of NO₂ (BJ: -2.55 µg/(m³•year); TJ: -1.16 µg/(m³•year); HB: -1.34 µg/(m³•year)), indicating that the continued reduction of NO_x will be an effective mitigation strategy for reducing regional O₃ pollution. Significant positive correlations were found between daily maximum 8 hr average (MDA8) O₃ concentrations and vehicle population and highway freight transportation in HB. Therefore, we speculate that the increase in rural NO_x emissions due to the increase in vehicle emissions in the vast rural areas around HB greatly accelerates regional O₃ formation, accounting for the significant increasing trends of O₃ in HB.     

Nocturnal atmospheric chemistry of NO3 and N2O5 over Changzhou in the Yangtze River Delta in China

Comprehensive observations of the nocturnal atmospheric oxidation of NO₃ and N₂O₅ were conducted at a suburban site in Changzhou in the YRD using cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) from 27 May to 24 June, 2019. High concentrations of NO₃ precursors were observed, and the nocturnal production rate of NO₃ was determined to be 1.7 ± 1.2 ppbv/hr. However, the nighttime NO₃ and N₂O₅ concentrations were relatively low, with maximum values of 17.7 and 304.7 pptv, respectively, illustrating the rapid loss of NO₃ and N₂O₅. It was found that NO₃ dominated the nighttime atmospheric oxidation, accounting for 50.7%, while O₃ and OH only contributed 34.1% and 15.2%, respectively. For the reactions of NO₃ with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), styrene was found to account for 60.3%, highlighting its dominant role in the NO₃ reactivity. In general, the contributions of the reactions between NO₃ and VOCs and the N₂O₅ uptake to NO₃ loss were found to be about 39.5% and 60.5%, respectively, indicating that N₂O₅ uptake also played an important role in the loss of NO₃ and N₂O₅, especially under the high humidity conditions in China. The formation of nitrate at night mainly originated from N₂O₅ uptake, and the maximum production rate of NO₃⁻ reached 6.5 ppbv/hr. The average NO_x consumption rate via NO₃ and N₂O₅ chemistry was found to be 0.4 ppbv/h, accounting for 47.9% of the total NO_x removal. The predominant roles of NO₃ and N₂O₅ in nitrate formation and NOx removal in the YRD region was highlighted in this study.     

Characteristics of ozone pollution and the sensitivity to precursors during early summer in central plain, China

In this study, we conducted an observation experiment from May 1 to June 30, 2018 in Zhengzhou, a major city in central China, where ground ozone (O₃) pollution has become serious in recent years. The concentrations of O₃ and its precursors, as well as H₂O₂ and meteorological data were obtained from the urban site (Yanchang, YC), suburban (Zhengzhou University, ZZU) and background sites (Ganglishuiku, GLSK). Result showed that the rates of O₃ concentration exceeded Chinese National Air Quality Standard Grade II (93.3 ppbv) were 59.0%, 52.5%, and 55.7% at the above three sites with good consistency, respectively, indicating that O₃ pollution is a regional problem in Zhengzhou. The daily peak O₃ appeared at 15:00–16:00, which was opposite to VOCs, NO_x, and CO and consistent with H₂O₂. The exhaustive statistical analysis of meteorological factors and chemical effects on O₃ formation at YC was advanced. The high concentration of precursors, high temperature, low relative humidity, and moderately high wind speed together with the wind direction dominated by south and southeast wind contribute to urban O₃ episodes in Zhengzhou. O₃ formation analysis showed that reactive alkenes such as isoprene and cis-2-butene contributed most to O₃ formation. The VOCs/NO_x ratio and smog production model were used to determine O₃-VOC-NO_x sensitivity. The O₃ formation in Zhengzhou during early summer was mainly under VOC-limited and transition regions alternately, which implies that the simultaneous emission reduction of alkenes and NO_x is effective in reducing O₃ pollution in Zhengzhou.     

城市交通系统的可持续发展

从城市交通发展战略、交通规划和交通环境量化评价指标三方面，研究了可持续发展理论如何在城市交通体系中得以体现，同时给出了可持续发展观念下的城市交通规划流程。     

上海城市热岛效应的特征分析

根据上海市城区和郊区的６个Ｄａｖｉｓ自动气象观测仪，１９９８、１９９９年两年观测记录，分析了近年来上海市城市热岛的变化特征。结果表明：上海市全年出现城市热岛的概率为８５．１３％，大多数的热岛强度约为２～３℃，有时可以达到３～５℃，最大热岛强度可达７．３７℃；上海市城市热岛可分为Ａ、Ｂ两大类，Ａ类日变化较平稳，强度较弱，主要发生在春夏季节；而Ｂ类有明显的日变化，强度较大，基本上发生在秋冬季节，上海市     

城市垃圾处理技术研究近况

详尽地介绍了近年来国内外各种城市垃圾处理技术的研究状况     

城市垃圾能源化初探

简要介绍了城市垃圾能源化的可行性及利用城市垃圾制取气态、液态、固态燃料方法     

论城市规划与环境规划的隔阂与合力

文章通过分析城市规划与环境规划的在起源、价值观、技术方法和工作流程中的联系,论述了二者在理想状态下相互促进、形成合力的可能性;通过分析实践中可能存在缺位错位的环节和深层的思想、制度根源,指出城市规划和环境规划出现隔阂甚至对立的症结,并着重就做好规划环评、重新定义各类规划角色地位、城市规划自身的全面生态化三方面寻求解决途径。     

厦门市城市污水资源化的探讨

讨论了厦门市污水再生利用的模式，提出民营化的实施策略并分析其特点和政府的角色定位。     

New policies to deal with climate change and other drivers impacting on resilience to flooding in urban areas: the CORFU approach

In the context of urban flood management, resilience is equal to resisting, recovering, reflecting and responding. The variety of causes of flooding and their consequences underpin the need for increased and internationally coordinated efforts to enhance technologies and policies for dealing with floods. This paper addresses this issue and presents some novel research ideas related to resilience to flooding in urban areas, which are under development within the EU FP7 project ‘Collaborative research on flood resilience in urban areas’ (CORFU). The approach adopted in this project aims to quantify the cost-effectiveness of resilience measures and integrative and adaptable flood management plans for different scenarios of relevant drivers: urban development, socio-economic trends and climate changes. It is believed that the way in which the different models are being put together, combined with the variability of conditions in case study areas in Asia and in Europe, will ultimately enable more scientifically sound policies for the management of the consequences of urban flooding.     

Risks in urban rooftop agriculture: Assessing stakeholders’ perceptions to ensure efficient policymaking

Rooftop agriculture (RA) is an innovative form of urban agriculture that takes advantage of unused urban spaces while promoting local food production. However, the implementation of RA projects is limited due to stakeholders’ perceived risks. Such risks should be addressed and minimized in policymaking processes to ensure the sustainable deployment of RA initiatives. This paper evaluates the risks that stakeholders perceive in RA and compares these perceptions with the currently available knowledge, including scientific literature, practices and market trends. Qualitative interviews with 56 stakeholders from Berlin and Barcelona were analyzed for this purpose. The results show that perceived risks can be grouped into five main categories: i) risks associated with urban integration (e.g., conflicts with images of “agriculture”), ii) risks associated with the production system (e.g., gentrification potential), iii) risks associated with food products (e.g., soil-less growing techniques are “unnatural”), iv) environmental risks (e.g., limited organic certification) and v) economic risks (e.g., competition with other rooftop uses). These risks are primarily related to a lack of (scientific) knowledge, insufficient communication and non-integrative policymaking. We offer recommendations for efficient project design and policymaking processes. In particular, demonstration and dissemination activities as well as participatory policymaking can narrow the communication gap between RA developers and citizens.     

Climate change in the urban environment: Advancing,measuring and achieving resiliency

Climate change poses new and unique challenges that threaten lives and livelihoods. Given the increasing risks and looming uncertainty of climate change, increasing attention has been directed towards adaptation, or the strategies that enable humanity to persist and thrive through climate change the best it can. Though climate change is a global problem often discussed at the national scale, urban areas are increasingly seen as having a distinct role, and distinctive motivation and capacity, for adaptation. The 12 articles in this special issue explore ways of understanding and addressing climate change impacts on urban areas. Together they reveal young but rapidly growing scholarship on how to measure, and then overcome, challenges of climate change. Two key themes emerge in this issue: 1) that we must identify and then overcome current barriers to urban adaptation and 2) frameworks/metrics are necessary to identify and track adaptation progress in urban settings. Both of these themes point to the power of indicators and other quantitative information to inform priorities and illuminate the pathway forward for adaptation. As climate change is an entirely new challenge, careful measurement that enables investment by private and public parties is necessary to provide efficient outcomes that benefit the greatest number of people.     

城市森林生态系统服务功能价值评估初探

城市森林为城市生态系统提供了多方面的服务功能。本文以大连市为例,对城市森林净化环境、涵养水源、固碳释氧、保护土壤等生态服务功能进行评估计算,并分析城市森林系统生态服务功能总价值的构成。