1

Limitations of current Limitations of current air quality data in Europe?air quality data in Europe?

Frank de LeeuwFrank de Leeuw

Real time pollution data exchange Real time pollution data exchange and forecast in Europeand forecast in Europe

Copenhagen, 7-8 April 2005Copenhagen, 7-8 April 2005

2

LimitationsLimitations

• Cannot measure in the future• Cannot redo measurements in the past

3

Are costs a limitation?Are costs a limitation?

• Monitoring costs: 3000 stations• Running costs 30-55 k€/a• Investment cost 10 k€/a• total costs 120-200 M€ about 0.50 € per capita • Emission control costs: 31.7 B€ (2000) 73-135 B€ (2020)

4

ShortcomingsShortcomings

Depends on:• What• Where• When• How accurate

5

What is (easily) available?What is (easily) available?

On line European datasets:• AIRBASE: all FWD-pollutants (& more); 2000

stations • EMEP: S, N, Ox, POP, HM; 100 stations• CAMP: N, POP, HM; 30 stations• HELCOM: POP, HM (included in EMEP)

• Shortcoming: time lag of 15 – 27 months

6

What is where available?What is where available?

SO2 stations2003

AirBase

Benzene stations2003

AirBase

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What is where available?What is where available?

Shortcoming re. spatial coverage: • only landbased• highly variable per country & pollutant

number of O3 stations / 1000 km2; 2003

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

AT

BA

BE

BG

CH

CY CZ

DE

DK

EE

ES FI

FR

GB

GR

HU IE IS IT LT LV MK

MT

NL

NO PL

PT

RO

SE SI

SK

8

What is when available?What is when available?

• Episodic data (situation 2003):%-age valid data per year

0

20

40

60

80

100

SO2 O3 NO2 PM10

perc

enta

ge >75

>85

>90

9

What is when availableWhat is when available

• Long time series show gaps:

NO2

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

2400

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

# st

atio

ns

SO2

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

# st

atio

ns

O3

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

# st

atio

ns

PM10

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

# st

atio

ns

10

How accurate?How accurate?• Depends on assessments

• Spatial scale

station concentration as ratio of urban mean, SOMO35, 2002

0.50

0.75

1.00

1.25

1.50

1.75

2.00

REIMS

GRAZ

STRASBOURG

BREMEN

BRUXELLES

HAMBURG

WEST M

IDLANDS

ATHINAI

LONDON

PARIS

11

How accurate?How accurate?

• Depends on assessments• Problems with detection limit vs target or

effect levelAs in precipitation

0

1

2

3

4

5

11-4-95 23-8-96 5-1-98 20-5-99 1-10-00 13-2-02

con

cen

trat

ion

(u

g/l)

source: CAMP network

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How to solve shortcomings?How to solve shortcomings?

• Shorten time lag• Submission deadline 1 April (now 1 October)?

• Fill gaps in time• Recommend countries to submit historical data

• Fill gaps in space• better reporting: not all stations report under the

EoI• improve information content of networks

13

How to solve shortcomings?How to solve shortcomings?

• Fill gaps in space: • Interpolation techniques• Co-kriging with model or

satellite data• Data assimilation or

Kalman filtering

14

Conclusions: Are there limitations?Conclusions: Are there limitations?

• Yes, two unavoidable limitations• But also some shortcomings which can

be remedied by• Improving reporting cycle• Optimalisation of networks• Improve analytical methods• New interpolation/assimilation techniques