Simulating chemistry–aerosol–cloud–radiation–climate feedbacks over the continental U.S. using the online-coupled Weather Research Forecasting Model with chemistry (WRF/Chem)

The chemistry–aerosol–cloud–radiation–climate feedbacks are simulated using WRF/Chem over the continental U.S. in January and July 2001. Aerosols can reduce incoming solar radiation by up to ?9% in January and ?16% in July and 2-m temperatures by up to 0.16 °C in January and 0.37 °C in July over most of the continental U.S. The NO₂ photolysis rates decrease in July by up to ?8% over the central and eastern U.S. where aerosol concentrations are high but increase by up to 7% over the western U.S. in July and up to 13% over the entire domain in January. Planetary boundary layer (PBL) height reduces by up to ?23% in January and ?24% in July. Temperatures and wind speeds in July in big cities such as Atlanta and New York City reduce at/near surface but increase at higher altitudes. The changes in PBL height, temperatures, and wind speed indicate a more stable atmospheric stability of the PBL and further exacerbate air pollution over areas where air pollution is already severe. Aerosols can increase cloud optical depths in big cities in July, and can lead to 500–5000 cm^?3 cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) at a supersaturation of 1% over most land areas and 10–500 cm^?3 CCN over ocean in both months with higher values over most areas in July than in January, particularly in the eastern U.S. The total column cloud droplet number concentrations are up to 4.9 × 10⁶ cm^?2 in January and up to 11.8 × 10⁶ cm^?2 in July, with higher values over regions with high CCN concentrations and sufficient cloud coverage. Aerosols can reduce daily precipitation by up to 1.1 mm day^?1 in January and 19.4 mm day^?1 in July thus the wet removal rates over most of the land areas due to the formation of small CCNs, but they can increase precipitation over regions with the formation of large/giant CCN. These results indicate potential importance of the aerosol feedbacks and an urgent need for their accurate representations in current atmospheric models to reduce uncertainties associated with climate change predictions.     

Using of “pseudo-second-order model” in adsorption

A research paper's contribution exists not only in its originality and creativity but also in its continuity and development for research that follows. However, the author easily ignores it. Citation error and quotation error occurred very frequently in a scientific paper. Numerous researchers use secondary references without knowing the original idea from authors. Sulaymon et al. (Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:3011–3023, 2013) and Spiridon et al. (Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:6367–6381, 2013) presented wrong pseudo-second-order models in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 20. This comment pointed the errors of the kinetic models and offered information for citing original idea of pseudo-second-order kinetic expression. In order to stop the proliferation of the mistake, it is suggested to cite the original paper for the kinetic model which provided greater accuracy and more details about the kinetic expression.     

Does the pollution halo hypothesis exist in this “better” world? The evidence from STIRPAT model

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Multinational corporation has changed their host countries. The new wave of FDI inflow attracted the interest of policymakers. FDI has significant...     

Vitality of viruses,including SARS-CoV-2, in airborne particulate matter: the “micellar model” hypothesis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Comments On “Particulate Pollutants in the Air of the United States”

This study was undertaken to identify seasonal and source effects on the par-ticulate contaminants of the New York City atmosphere and ultimately to relate the concentrations of these contaminants to the tissue concentrations in residents of New York City. Continual weekly samples of particulates have been collected at three stations in the New York area on 8 by 10 in. glass fiber filters at a flow rate of 20 cfm.

The sample is ashed with a Tracerlab Low Temperature Asher and leached with nitric acid. Metals analyzed by the Atomic Absorption method include Pb, V, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn. Lead-210, total particulate, and benzene and acetone soluble organic material are also determined.

The data have been related to various meteorological parameters over a one year period to define significant seasonal and source influences, as well as site to site variations. Very significant inverse correlations to temperature are obtained for suspended particulates, vanadium, and nickel at both Manhattan and Bronx sites. Particulates show a less significant inverse correlation to temperature In lower Manhattan. Oil-fired space heating sources appear to account for as much as 50% of the particulates in the Bronx at the peak demand period.

Lead, copper, and cadmium show a general inverse correlation to average wind speed, and a direct correlation to temperature. The latter is most likely due to an inverse relation between wind speed and temperature. The heating season input for particulates, vanadium, and nickel is so great as to overcome most of the dilution effect due to winds. The other elements having more constant nonseasonal inputs, definitely reflect the effects of the wind.

The most significant site effect occurs with cadmium, which has a concentration in lower Manhattan three times that of the Bronx over a period of six to seven months in the summer and fall. The differences observed for cadmium and particulates may be explained by emission source factors which have not as yet been studied.     

“Let’s knock off the slogans and concentrate on the work”

In preparing for this address, I went back and read the Presidential Addresses given by the last six presidents. For a while, I toyed with the idea of cutting and pasting bits and pieces out of each, adding a few appendices, having it published in the Journal with ninety days for comment, and calling it an “implementation speech.” But I passed up that opportunity. I did note that Presidential Addresses come in a limited variety of styles. There is the one whose theme is “serving you as President has been a period of great personal satisfaction and pride.” There is the one that refers to all the things that happened in APCA during the year of the term with suggestions for what should happen in the next few years, or the State of the Association speech. There is the speech that deplores and decries something about the Clean Air Act or the way air pollution control is going in the country, or the way it should go. And of course, there is the simple exhortation for us all to pull together and clean up the atmosphere for future generations, the APCA Statesman speech. None of those fit my mood.     

Air pollution “holiday effect” resulting from the Chinese New Year

Our study was an attempt to conduct a comprehensive and systematical examination of the holiday effect, defined as the difference in air pollutant concentrations between holiday and non-holiday periods. This holiday effect can be applied to other countries with similar national or cultural holidays. Hourly and daily surface measurements of six major air pollutants from thirteen air quality monitoring stations of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration during the Chinese New Year (CNY) and non-Chinese New Year (NCNY) periods were used. We documented evidence of a “holiday effect”, where air pollutant concentrations were significantly different between holidays (CNY) and non-holidays (NCNY), in the Taipei metropolitan area over the past thirteen years (1994–2006).The concentrations of NO_x, CO, NMHC, SO₂ and PM₁₀ were lower in the CNY than in the NCNY period, while the variation in the concentration of O₃ was reversed, which was mainly due to the NO titration effect. Similar differences in these six air pollutants between the CNY and NCNY periods were also found in the diurnal cycle and in the interannual variation. For the diurnal cycle, a common traffic-related double-peak variation was observed in the NCNY period, but not in the CNY period. Impacts of dust storms were also observed, especially on SO₂ and PM₁₀ in the CNY period. In the 13-year period of 1994–2006, decreasing trends of NO_x and CO in the NCNY period implied a possible reduction of local emissions. Increasing trends of SO₂ and PM₁₀ in the CNY period, on the other hand, indicated a possible enhancement of long-range transport. These two mechanisms weakened the holiday effect.     

On the contribution of motor vehicles to the athenian “Nephos”: An application of factor signatures

Suspended particles were sampled at several sites in Athens during the summer of 1982 and the winter of 1982–1983. This paper examines the trace element and carbon composition of the Athens aerosol. Chemical element balances indicate that motor vehicle exhaust was a major contributor to fine particle mass concentrations. Statistical analyses of the ambient measurements indicate that the emissions of elemental and organic carbon by local vehicles were relatively high. The observed effects of an experiment in which stringent restrictions were placed on vehicle use were somewhat ambiguous.     

Is the evaluation of “traditional” physicochemical parameters sufficient to explain the potential toxicity of the treated wastewater at sewage treatment plants?

Water scarcity is one of the most important environmental and public health problems of our century. Treated wastewater reuse seems to be the most attractive option for the enhancement of water resources. However, the lack of uniform guidelines at European and/or Mediterranean level leaves room for application of varying guidelines and regulations, usually not based on risk assessment towards humans and the environment. The benefits of complementing the physicochemical evaluation of wastewater with a biological one are demonstrated in the present study using Cyprus, a country with extended water reuse applications, as an example. Four organisms from different trophic levels were used for the biological assessment of the wastewater, namely, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Daphnia magna, Artemia salina and Vibrio fischeri. The physicochemical assessment of wastewater based on “traditional” chemical parameters indicated that the quality of the wastewater complies with the limits set by the relevant national guidelines for disposal. The ecotoxicological assessment, however, indicated the presence of toxicity throughout the sampling periods and most importantly an increase of the toxicity of the treated wastewater during summer compared to winter. The resulting poor correlation between the physicochemical and biological assessments demonstrates that the two assessments are necessary and should be performed in parallel in order to be able to obtain concrete results on the overall quality of the treated effluent. Moreover, a hazard classification scheme for wastewater is proposed, which can enable the comparison of the data sets of the various parameters deriving from the biological assessment in a comprehensive way.     

Acid Particles and the Tracheobronchial Region of the Respiratory System—An “Irritation-Signaling” Model for Possible Health Effects

This paper explores some detailed mechanistic hypotheses for the possible action of acid particles on the tracheobronchial region of the human respiratory system. Because of the buffering capacity and volume of mucus produced per day it appears doubtful that ordinary ambient exposures to acid particles could markedly change the overall pH of tracheobronchial mucus considered as a whole. However it is possible that individual acidic particles could contain enough acid to deliver localized “irritant signals” that could be the triggers for enhanced mucus secretion and cell division in sensitive portions of the bronchial tree, and thereby contribute to the processes involved in chronic bronchitis.

Depending on the exact pH depression required for a “signal” to be perceived by the tracheobronchial epithelium, the acid content of the incoming particles per unit weight, and the effect of neutralization by ammonia in the upper respiratory tract, the minimum size of an acidic particle required to deliver a perceptible signal might range from about 0.4 to 0.7 microns for portions of the epithelium that are frequently swept by 4-micron mucus droplets. (For unprotected epithelium, however, it is conceivable that the minimum effective size for acid particles could be less.) Since particle number per unit weight declines dramatically with increasing particle size, the most potent fraction of particles in terms of signals delivered per μg/m³is likely to be just above the minimum size that is needed to produce an effective signal. The model developed here makes predictions of the relative potency of particles of different size and acid delivery capacity that could be tested in both experimental animal systems and human epidemiological studies.     

The distribution and transport of sulfate “species” in the New York metropolitan area during the 1977 Summer Aerosol Study

The atmospheric distribution of sulfate was analyzed at four sites operated by various cooperating laboratories for the period of 18 July–29 August 1977 in the New York metropolitan subregion. The sulfate concentrations measured in NYC were categorized according to wind trajectory and values ≥ 15 μg m⁻³ were normally associated with a strong westerly component. SO^{2 −}₄ values ≤ 5 μg m⁻³ were associated with other wind trajectories, that had not passed over the Ohio Valley. Comparison of the 1977 study with the New York Summer Aerosol Study (1976) indicated that on the average the SO^{2 −}₄ concentrations were slightly lower in 1977. The highest concentrations (> 20 μgm⁻³) occurred simultaneously with the return flow of ozone-laden high pressure systems.The results of a SO^{2 −}₄ episode which affected the region from 3–9 August 1977 were analyzed using trajectory analyses, satellite imagery and measurements of the chemical species H⁺, NH⁺₄, and SO^{2 −}₄. Transport of SO^{2 −}₄ was observed and the presence of a strong acid distribution in the rural areas was denonstrated. The aerosol in New York City appeared to be more nearly neutral, probably a result of reaction with ammonia.     

How does “the Belt and Road” and the Sino-US trade conflict affect global and Chinese CO2 emissions?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the context of the rapid development of the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, the continuous transfer of Sino-US trade to the B&R...     

Research on the nonlinear dynamic relationship between FDI and CO2 emissions in the “One Belt,One Road” countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study examines the relationship between FDI and CO2 emissions in a nonlinear framework using data from countries along the “One Belt, One...