This document discusses hemispheric, transboundary, and regional air pollution. It provides information on sources of air pollution impacting Ireland from other regions, including biomass burning events transported from North America and Wales. Long-term observations from Mace Head and Valentia Observatory show reductions in air pollution concentrations like sulphate aerosol that correspond to decreased emissions in Ireland over time. Real-time aerosol measurement techniques like aerosol mass spectrometry can identify pollution sources to inform effective emissions control strategies.

1. Hemispheric, Transboundary
& Regional Air Pollution
Colin O’Dowd & Team C-CAPS
National University of Ireland Galway
Dublin Borough
3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31
January 1982
15
20
25
30
35
40
Deaths
Deaths
Black
Smoke

3. Climate Impacts - Radiative Forcing
Warming
Cooling

4. Health Impacts Beijing 2013

5. Irish perspective: where our air come from?
An ideal world………………

6. MarinePolluted
PM1
Organics (41%)
Nitrate (10%)
Sulphate (30%) Ammonium (13%)
Sea Salt (1%)
BC (5%)
Organics (5%)
Nitrate (2%)
Sea Salt (86%)
BC (1%)
Sulphate (5%)
Is it how much or what?

7. Carbon Isotope Analysis – offline source apportionment

8. Realtime aerosol chemistry: Aerosol Mass Spectrometry
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
NEM,µgm
-3
100908070605040302010
m/z
Org
NO3
SO4
NH4
Chl
Nitrate
Organics
Sea salt &
etc.
Sulphate
20
15
10
5
0
Concentration,µgm
-3
12:00
09/02/2009
00:00
12/02/2009
12:00
14/02/2009
00:00
17/02/2009Date

9. What organics
come from where?

10. The need to source apportion:
Informed effective emissions control

11. Cork city air quality
Traffic/Industry
Peat/Coal burning
Wood burning
Aged/Processed
20
15
10
5
0
Concentration,µgm
-3
12:00
09/02/2009
00:00
12/02/2009
12:00
14/02/2009
00:00
17/02/2009Date
8
6
4
2
0
10/02/2009 13/02/2009 16/02/2009Date
8
6
4
2
0
8
6
4
2
0
8
6
4
2
0
Organics
PMF

12. 5
2
50
87
0
8
2
101
79
0
13
2204
61
0
15
324
4
52
1
22
2
32
6
36
3
331
45
5
12
4
21
1
59
3
9
7
401
38
4
15
4
24
2
36
4 31
3
28
3
34
6 29
1
11
2
121
73
0
7
2
61
84
0
19%
25%
3%
50%
2%
2%
mP
Jan
Feb March
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
AugSep
Oct
v
14
426
1
54
0
23
216
1
58
0
16
320
3
57
0
20
2
48
4
24
1
21
2
46
6 21
4
352
40
5
15
3
18
1
50
4 22
5
20
1
56
5
13
5
21
4
21
3
49
1
9
2
91
78
0
11
3
111
75
0
20%35%
4%
37%
3%
2%
mA
Jan
Feb March
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
AugSep
Oct
Nov
Dec
9
2
40
85
0
14
3141
69
0
17
327
4
49
0
14
235
5
41
1
21
2
51
6
14
5
20
2
51
10
14
4
20
1
56
3
14
6322
47
4
12
3
302
32
4 30
2
283
28
6
34
1
10
2
25
4
58
0
14
520
3
58
0
18%
36%
4%
37%
2%
2%
mT
Jan
Feb March
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
AugSep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sea salt
NO3
-
Organics
MSA
SO4
2-
NH4
+
43
11
32
13
1
0
38
11
33
17
1
0
43
23
21
12
0
0
37
24
23
15
0
1
49
6
30
13
1
1
43
4
37
14
0
2
36
2
47 10
1
458
5
27
9
0
1
334
46 15
1
0
44
7
38
10
0
0
49
6
33
11
1
0
43%
13%
30%
13%
1%
1%
cP
Jan
Feb March
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
AugSep
Oct
Nov
Dec
5 years of continuous AMS measurements
at Mace Head revealed seasonal trends in
the chemical composition of aerosol as
well as general chemical signatures
associated with air masses of different
origin.

13. 50
40
30
20
10
0
AMS,gm
-3
1/May 3/May 5/May 7/May 9/May 11/May 13/May 15/May 17/May 19/May
Date
Sea salt
NO3
-
Organics
MSA
SO4
2-
NH4
+
Ash
Cloud
Local Biomass
Burning

14. Volcanic ash Mace Head
Plume entered the surface layer at 22 UTC, sulphate increased from 23 UTC.
Ground measurements with
AMS

15. • Non spherical particles detected using depolarisation ratio
• Biomass burning aerosols 02/04/2013 to 07/04/2013
Biomass burning aerosol: transported from Wales to Shannon

16. CO2 Time Series

17. CO2 Time SeriesBiomass burning aerosol: North America

18. Biomass burning aerosol: North America

19. Biomass burning aerosol: North America

21. Modelling Capability: WRF-CHEM- FLEXPART
 Weather forecasting
 Air Pollution
 Volcanic Ash
 Biomass Burning
 Radioactive Fallout

22. Modelling Capability: WRF-CHEM- FLEXPART

23. 160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
Emissions-Ireland,Ggyear
-1
200920082007200620052004200320022001
Year
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
Sulphate(PM10),gm
-3
120100806040200
SOx Emissions-Ireland, Gg year
-1
NOx
PM2.5 x 10
SOx
a) b)
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
Sulphate(PM10),gm
-3
130
125
120
115
110
105
100
95
Surfaceglobalradiation,Wm
-2
0.42012201020082006200420022000
Year
r = -0.77
a) b)
Reduced Emissions, Reduced Air Pollution:
Annual Averages for sulphate aerosol mass, all sector, Mace Head.

24. Annual Averages, all sector, Mace Head & Valentia Observatory:
SO2 and SO4.

25. Conclusion
 Aerosol Mass Spectrometry an excellent method for realtime in-
situ source apportionment.
 LIDAR useful for identifying upper air pollution transport.
 Combined LIDAR and AMS most effect for evaluating pollution
transport.
 Multiple sources of transboundary air pollution (ash, biomass
buring, radioation, etc.)
 Need integrated and multi-purpose modelling capacity in Ireland
 Long term observations demonstrate a reduction in air pollution
in line with a reduction on emissions.
 Effective emissions control.