Medium-term Air Quality Benchmarking for Ecosystem Monitoring and Sustainability Planning: Case Study Dallas County (U.S.A.) 2015 to 2020

Authors

  • David A. Wood DWA Energy Limited, Lincoln, LN5 9JP, United Kingdom

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v3i4.4180

Abstract

Medium-term air quality assessment, benchmarking it to recent past data can usefully complement short-term air quality index data for monitoring purposes. By using daily and monthly averaged data, medium-term air quality benchmarking provides a distinctive perspective with which to monitor air quality for sustainability planning and ecosystem perspectives. By normalizing the data for individual air pollutants to a standard scale they can be more easily integrated to generate a daily combined local area benchmark (CLAB). The objectives of the study are to demonstrate that medium-term air quality benchmarking can be tailored to reflect local conditions by selecting the most relevant pollutants to incorporate in the CLAB indicator. Such a benchmark can provide an overall air quality assessment for areas of interest. A case study is presented for Dallas County (U.S.A.) applying the proposed method by benchmarking 2020 data for air pollutants to their trends established for 2015 to 2019. Six air pollutants considered are: ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene and particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometres. These pollutants are assessed individually and in terms of CLAB, and their 2020 variations for Dallas County compared to daily trends established for years 2015 to 2019. Reductions in benzene and carbon monoxide during much of 2020 are clearly discernible compared to preceding years. The CLAB indicator shows clear seasonal trends for air quality for 2015 to 2019 with high pollution in winter and spring compared to other seasons that is strongly influenced by climatic variations with some anthropogenic inputs. Conducting CLAB analysis on an ongoing basis, using a relevant nearpast time interval for benchmarking that covers several years, can reveal useful monthly, seasonal and annual trends in overall air quality. This type of medium-term, benchmarked air quality data analysis is well suited for ecosystem monitoring.

Keywords:

Local air pollution assessment; Medium-term air quality; Local area benchmarking; Critical pollutants; Seasonal variations in air quality; Sustainability planning

References

[1] Von Schneidemesser, E., Driscoll, C., Rieder, H.E., Schiferl, L.D., 2020. How will air quality effects on human health, crops and ecosystems change in the future? Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.378, 20190330. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0330.

[2] Varotsosa, C.A., Mazei, Y., Saldaev, D., Efstathiou, M., Voronova, T., Xue, Y., 2021. Nowcasting of air pollution episodes in megacities: A case study for Athens, Greece. Atmospheric Pollution Research. 12(7), 101099. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2021.101099.

[3] Driscoll, C.T., Lawrence, G.B., Bulger, A.G., Butler, T.J., Cronan, C.S., Eagar, C., Lambert, K.F., Likens, G.E., Stoddard, J.L., Weathers, K.C., 2001. Acidic deposition in the Northeastern United States: sources and inputs, ecosystem effects, and management strategies: the effects of acidic deposition in the northeastern United States include the acidification of soil and water, which stresses terrestrial and aquatic biota. BioScience 51, 180-198. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0180:ADITNU]2.0.CO;2

[4] Driscoll, C.T., Wang, Z., 2019. Ecosystem effects of acidic deposition. In Encyclopedia of water (ed. P Maurice). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119300762.wsts0043.

[5] Erisman, J.W., Galloway, J.N., Seitzinger, S., Bleeker, A., Dise, N.B., Petrescu, A.M., Leach, A.M., De Vries, W., 2013. Consequences of human modification of the global nitrogen cycle. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 368, 20130116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0116.

[6] Fenn, M.E., Baron, J.S., Allen, E.B., Rueth, H.M., Nydick, K.R., Geiser, L., Bowman, W.D., Sickman, J.O., Meixner, T., Johnson, D.W., Neitlich, P., 2003. Ecological effects of nitrogen deposition in the Western United States. BioScience 53, 404-420. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0404:EEONDI]2.0.CO;2

[7] Barker, J.R., Tingey, D.T., 1992. The effects of air pollution on biodiversity: a synopsis. In: Barker J.R., Tingey D.T. (eds) Air Pollution Effects on Biodiversity. Springer, Boston, MA. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3538-6_1.

[8] Stevens, C.J., Bell, J.N.B., Brimblecombe, P., Clark, C.M., Dise, N.B., Fowler, D., Lovett, G.M., Wolseley, P.A., 2020. The impact of air pollution on terrestrial managed and natural vegetation Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.378, 20190317. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0317.

[9] Tian, J., McNabola, A., Misstear, B., 2020. The potential impacts of different traffic management strategies on air pollution and public health for a more sustainable city: A modelling case study from Dublin, Ireland. Sustainable Cities and Society. 60, 102229. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102229.

[10] Zhu, L., Hao, Y., Lu, Z.N., Wu, H., Ran, Q., 2019. Do economic activities cause air pollution? Evidence from China’s major cities. Sustainable Cities and Society. 49, 101593. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101593.

[11] Shahid, N., Shah, M.A., Khan, A., Maple, C., Jeon, G., 2021. Towards greener smart cities and road traffic forecasting using air pollution data. Sustainable Cities and Society. 72, 103062. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103062.

[12] Ingraham, C., 2019. Air pollution is getting worse, and data show more people are dying. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/10/23/air-pollution-is-getting-worsedata-show-more-people-are-dying/ [Accessed 2 September 2021]

[13] Shaddick, G., Thomas, M.L., Mudu, P., Ruggeri, G., Gumy, S., 2020. Half the world’s population are exposed to increasing air pollution. Climate and Atmospheric Science. 3, 23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-020-0124-2.

[14] Peng, M., Zhang, H., Evans, R.D., Zhong, X., Yang, K., 2019. Actual Air Pollution, Environmental Transparency, and the Perception of Air Pollution in China.Journal of Environment & Development. 28(1), 78- 105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1070496518821713.

[15] Cusworth, D.H., Mickley, L.J., Sulprizio, M.P., Liu, T., Marlier, M.E., DeFries, R.S., et al., 2018. Quantifying the influence of agricultural fires in northwest India on urban air pollution in Delhi, India. Environ. Res. Lett. 13, 044018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aab303.

[16] Munsif, R., Zubair, M., Aziz, A., Zafar, M.N., 2021. Industrial Air Emission Pollution: Potential Sources and Sustainable Mitigation. IntechOpen. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93104.

[17] Goyal, P., Gulia, S., Goyal, S.K., 2021. Review of land use specific source contributions in PM2.5 concentration in urban areas in India. Air Qual Atmos Health. 14, 691-704. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-020-00972-x.

[18] Ashrafi, K., Motlagh, M.S., Neyestani, S.E., 2017. Dust storms modeling and their impacts on air quality and radiation budget over Iran using WRF-Chem. Air Qual Atmos Health. 10, 1059-1076. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-017-0494-8.

[19] Tian, M., Gao, J., Zhang, L., Zhang, H., Feng, C., Jia, X., 2021. Effects of dust emissions from wind erosion of soil on ambient air quality. Atmospheric Pollution Research. 12(7), 101108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2021.101108.

[20] Murthy, B.S., Latha, R., Tiwari, A., Rathod, A., Singh, S., Beiga, G., 2020. Impact of mixing layer height on air quality in winter. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. 197, 105157. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2019.105157.

[21] Grundstrom, M., Tang, L., Hallquist, M., Nguyen, H., Chen, D., Pleije, H., 2015. Influence of atmospheric circulation patterns on urban air quality during the winter. Atmospheric Pollution Research. 6, 278-285. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5094/APR.2015.032.

[22] Graham, A.M., Kirsty, J., Pringle, K.J., Arnold, S.R., Pope, R.J., Vieno, M., Butt, E.W., et al., 2020. Impact of weather types on UK ambient particulate matter concentrations. Atmospheric Environment. X5, 100061. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeaoa.2019.100061.

[23] WHO, 2017. Evolution of WHO air quality guidelines: past, present and future. World Health Organization, Copenhagen, Denmark, 32. ISBN 9789289052306. https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/331660/Evolution-air-quality.pdf [Accessed 2 December 2021]

[24] Fowler, D., Brimblecombe, P., Burrows, J., Heal, M.R., Grennfelt, P., Stevenson, D.S., et al., 2020. A chronology of global air quality. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 378, 20190314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0314.

[25] EEA, 2020. Air pollution: how it affects our health. European Environmental Agency. https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summary [Accessed: 2 December 2021]

[26] EPA, 2021. Air Quality National Summary (USA). Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summary [Accessed 2 December 2021]

[27] Yan, L., 2020. Legislation of air pollution control in China. IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 512, 012029. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/512/1/012029.

[28] Amann, M., Kiesewetter, G., Schöpp, W., Klimont, Z., Winiwarter, W., Cofala, J., et al., 2020. Reducing global air pollution: the scope for further policy interventions. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 378, 20190331. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0331.

[29] Caiazzo, F., Ashok, A., Waitz, I.A., Yim, S.H.L., Barrett, S.R.H., 2013. Air pollution and early deaths in the United States. Part I: Quantifying the impact of major sectors in 2005. Atmospheric Environment. 79, 198-208.

[30] Cohen, A.J., Brauer, M., Richard Burnett, R., Anderson, H.R., Frostad, J., Estep, K., et al., 2017. Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015. The Lancet www.thelancet.com. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30505-6.

[31] Pimpin, L., Retat, L., Fecht, D., de Preux, L., Sassi, F., Gulliver, J., et al., 2018. Estimating the costs of air pollution to the National Health Service and social care: An assessment and forecast up to 2035. PLoS Med. 15(7), e1002602. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002602.

[32] EPA, 2021. Ecosystems and Air Quality. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecosystems-and-air-quality [Accessed 2 December 2021].

[33] Gulia, S., Nagendra, S.M., Khare, M., Khanna, I., 2015. Urban air quality management-A review. Atmospheric Pollution Research. 6, 286-304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5094/APR.2015.033.

[34] He, L., Aiwen Lin, A., Chen, X., Zhou, H., Zhou, Z., He, P., 2019. Assessment of MERRA-2 Surface PM2.5 over the Yangtze River Basin: Ground-based Verification, Spatiotemporal Distribution and Meteorological Dependence. Remote Sensing. 11, 460. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11040460.

[35] Hvidtfeldt, U.A., Ketzel, M., Sørensen, M., Hertel, O., Khan, J., Brandt, J., Raaschou-Nielsen, O., 2018. Evaluation of the Danish AirGIS air pollution modeling system against measured concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and black carbon. Environmental Epidemiology. 2, e104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/EE9.0000000000000014.

[36] Kuklinska, K., Wolska, L., Namiesnik, J., 2015. Air quality policy in the U.S. and the EU - a review. Atmospheric Pollution Research. 6, 129-137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5094/APR.2015.015.

[37] EPA, 2013. America’s children and the environment. Third Edition EPA 240-R-13-001. Environmental Protection Agency. 504 pages. https://www.epa.gov/criteria-air-pollutants. [Accessed 2 December 2021]

[38] Anenberg, S.C., Henze, D.K., Tinney, V., Kinney, P.L., Raich, W., Fann, N., et al., 2018. Estimates of the global burden of ambient PM2.5, Ozone, and NO2 on asthma incidence and emergency room visits. Environmental Health Perspectives. 126(10), 107004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3766.

[39] Liu, H., Liu, S., Xu, B., Lv, Z., Meng, Z., Yang, X., Xu, T., Yu, Q., He, K., 2018. Ground-level ozone pollution and its health impacts in China. Atmospheric Environment. 173, 223-230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.11.014.

[40] Olstrup, H., Forsberg, B., Orru, H., Spanne, M., Nguyen, H., Molnár, P., Johansson, C., 2018. Trends in air pollutants and health impacts in three Swedish cities over the past three decades. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 18, 15705-15723. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15705-2018.

[41] Manisalidis, I., Stavropoulou, E., Stavropoulos, A., Bezirtzoglou, E., 2020. Environmental and Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A Review. Front. Public Health. 8, 14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014.

[42] Capraz, O., Deniz, A., 2021. Assessment of hospitalizations from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute bronchitis in relation to air pollution in İstanbul, Turkey. Sustainable Cities and Society. 72, 103040. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103040.

[43] Neill, P., 2020. The crucial link between air pollution and biodiversity loss. Airqualitynews.com. https://airqualitynews.com/2020/07/03/the-crucial-link-between-air-pollution-and-biodiversity-loss/ [Accessed: 2 December, 2021]

[44] Brancher, M., 2021. Increased ozone pollution alongside reduced nitrogen dioxide concentrations during Vienna’s first COVID-19 lockdown: Significance for air quality management. Environmental Pollution. 284, 117153. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117153.

[45] Rojas, J.P., Urdanivia, F.R., Garay, R.A., García, A.J., Carlos Enciso, C., Medina, E.A., Toro, R.A., Manzano, C., Leiva-Guzmán, M.A., 2021. Effects of COVID-19 pandemic control measures on air pollution in Lima metropolitan area, Peru in South America. Air Qual Atmos Health. 14, 925-933. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-021-00990-3.

[46] Teixidó, O., Tobías, A., Massagué, J., Mohamed, R., Ekaabi, R., Hamed, H.I., Perry, R., Querol, X., Al Hosani, S., 2021. The influence of COVID-19 preventive measures on the air quality in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). Air Qual Atmos Health. 14, 1071-1079. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-021-01000-2.

[47] Qi, J., Mo, Z., Yuan, B., Huang, S., Huangfu Y., Wang, Z., et al., 2021. An observation approach in evaluation of ozone production to precursor changes during the COVID-19 lockdown. Atmospheric Environment. 262, 118618. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2021.118618.

[48] Jephcote, C., Hansell, A.L., Adams, K., Gulliver, J., 2021. Changes in air quality during COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ in the United Kingdom. Environmental Pollution. 272, 116011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116011.

[49] EPA, 2018. Technical Assistance Document for the Reporting of Daily Air Quality - the Air Quality Index (AQI). Report EPA 454/B-18-007. Environmental Protection Agency (USA), 22 pages. https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/aqi-technical-assistance-document-sept2018.pdf [Accessed 2 December 2021]

[50] Robertson, K.R., Anderson, R.C., Schwartz, M.W., 1997. The Tallgrass Prairie Mosaic. In: Schwartz M.W. (eds) Conservation in Highly Fragmented Landscapes. Springer, Boston, MA. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0656-7_3.

[51] TCEQ, 2021. Air quality successes - air emissions. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/airsuccess/airsuccessemissions [Accessed 2 December 2021]

Downloads

How to Cite

Wood, D. A. (2021). Medium-term Air Quality Benchmarking for Ecosystem Monitoring and Sustainability Planning: Case Study Dallas County (U.S.A.) 2015 to 2020. Research in Ecology, 3(4), 35–53. https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v3i4.4180

Issue

Vol. 3 , Iss. 4 (December 2021)

Article Type

Articles

License

Copyright © 2021 David A. Wood

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC