Bioclimatic and air quality conditions in the greater Athens area, Greece, during the warm period of the year: Trends, variability and persistence

Citation:

Moustris, K.P., Proias, G.T., Larissi, I.K., Nastos, P.T. & Paliatsos, A.G. Bioclimatic and air quality conditions in the greater Athens area, Greece, during the warm period of the year: Trends, variability and persistence. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 21, 2368 - 2374 (2012). Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/yymvgy2w

Abstract:

The aim of this work is to study the bioclimatic conditions as well as the air quality for three different regions of the greater Athens area (GAA), during the warm period of the year for the time period 2001-2005. Furthermore, the thermal discomfort and the air pollution persistence within 24 hours were studied. Finally, both the variability and the trend of the bioclimatic and air quality conditions during the examined period were studied. In order to determine the human thermal comfort-discomfort levels, a widely used biometeorological index, the Cooling Power Index, and microclimatic data (air temperature and wind speed) were used. On the other hand, data concerning the air pollutant concentrations surface ozone (O 3) and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10μm (PM 10) measured over this area were used for the determination of the air quality levels. The performed analysis indicates throughout the examined area degradation of the air quality and intensive thermal discomfort episodes. More specifically, during the warm period of the year a relatively high frequency of days, in the city center of Athens showing thermal discomfort and air quality degradation, simultaneously, is observed. On the contrary, on the suburban GAA's monitoring sites a reduction of the frequency of days with thermal discomfort is observed while the number of days with air pollution exacerbations is relatively high. In any case, during the examined period the environmental conditions due to bioclimatic and air quality parameters seem to be rather degraded. © by PSP.

Notes:

Cited By :1Export Date: 2 November 2015CODEN: FENBECorrespondence Address: Proias, G.T.; Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, 38334, Volos, Greece; email: giproias@prd.uth.grReferences: Katsouyanni, K., Pantazopoulou, A., Touloumi, G., Moustris, K., Tselepidaki, I., Asimakopoulos, D., Poulopoulou, G., Trichopoulos, D., Evidence for interaction between air pollution and high temperature in the causation of excess mortality (1993) Archives of Environmental Health, 48, pp. 235-242;Paliatsos, A.G., Nastos, P.T., Relation between air pollution episodes and discomfort index in the greater Athens area, Greece (1999) Global Nest, 1, pp. 91-97; Dockery, D.W., Schwartz, J., Spengler, J.D., Air pollution and daily mortality: Associations with particulates and acid aerosols (1992) Environmental Research, 59 (2), pp. 362-373. , DOI 10.1016/S0013-9351(05)80042-8; Touloumi, G., Pocock, S.J., Katsouyanni, K., Trichopoulos, D., Short-term effects of air pollution on daily mortality in Athens: A time-series analysis (1994) International Journal of Epidemiology, 23 (5), pp. 957-967; Katsouyanni, K., Touloumi, G., Spix, C., Schwarte, J., Balducci, F., Medina, S., Rossi, G., Anderson, H.R., Short term effects of ambient sulphur dioxide and particulate matter on mortality in 12 European cities: Results from time series data from the APHEA project (1997) British Medical Journal, 314 (7095), pp. 1658-1663; Schwartz, J., Air pollution and hospital admissions for respiratory disease (1996) Epidemiology, 7, pp. 20-28; Paliatsos, A.G., Priftis, K.N., Ziomas, I.C., Panagiotopoulou-Gartagani, P., Tapratzi-Potamianou, P., Zachariadi-Xypolita, A., Nicolaidou, P., Saxoni-Papageorgiou, P., Association between ambient air pollution and childhood asthma in Athens, Greece (2006) Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 15 (7), pp. 614-618; Pope III, C.A., Dockery, D.W., Spengler, J.D., Raizenne, M.E., Respiratory health and PM10 pollution. A daily time series analysis (1991) American Review of Respiratory Disease, 143, pp. 668-674; Schwartz, J., Slater, D., Larson, T.V., Pierson, W.E., Koenig, J.Q., Particulate air pollution and hospital emergency room visits for asthma in Seattle (1993) American Review of Respiratory Disease, 147 (4), pp. 826-831; Dockery, D.W., Pope III, C.A., Xu, X., Spengler, J.D., Ware, J.H., Fay, M.E., Ferris Jr., B.G., Speizer, F.E., An association between air pollution and mortality in six U.S. cities (1993) New England Journal of Medicine, 329 (24), pp. 1753-1759. , DOI 10.1056/NEJM199312093292401; Seaton, A., Godden, D., MacNee, W., Donaldson, K., Particulate air pollution and acute health effects (1995) Lancet, 345, pp. 176-178; Pope III, C.A., Epidemiology of fine particulate air pollution and human health: Biological mechanisms and who's at risk? (2000) Environmental Health Perspectives, 108, pp. 713-723; Grigoropoulos, K.N., Natos, P.T., Ferentinos, G., Gialouris, A., Vasiliou, T., Mavroidakos, J., Avgeri, D., Saratsiotis, D., Spatial distribution of PM1 and Sinus Arrhythmias in Athens, Greece (2008) Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 17, pp. 1426-1431; Givoni, B., (1998) Climatic Considerations in Building and Urban Design., , Van Nostrond Reinholds, New York; Conti, S., Meli, P., Menelli, G., Solimini, R., Toccaceli, V., Vichi, M., Beltrano, C., Perini, L., Epidemiologic study of mortality during the summer 2003 heat wave in Italy (2005) Environmental Research, 98, pp. 390-399; Mayer, H., Hoppe, P., Thermal comfort of man in different urban environments (1987) Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 38, pp. 3-9; Höppe, P.R., The physiological equivalent temperature-a universal index for the biometeorological assessment of the thermal environment (1999) International Journal of Biometeorology, 43, pp. 71-75; Matzarakis, A., Mayer, H., Iziomon, M.G., Applications of a universal thermal index: Physiological equivalent temperature (1999) International Journal of Biometeorology, 43 (2), pp. 76-84; Nastos, P.T., Matzarakis, A., Variability of tropical days over Greece within the second half of the twentieth century (2008) Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 93, pp. 75-89; Matzarakis, A., Nastos, P.T., Human biometeorological assessment of heat waves in Athens (2011) Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 105, pp. 99-106; Nastos, P.T., Matzarakis, A., Weather impacts on respiratory infections in Athens, Greece (2006) International Journal of Biometeorology, 50 (6), pp. 358-369. , DOI 10.1007/s00484-006-0031-1; Jendritzky, G., Maarouf, A., Fiala, D., Staiger, H., (2002) An Update on the Development of a Universal Thermal Climate Index. 15 th Conf. Biomet. Aerobiol. and 1 th ICB02, pp. 129-133. , 27 Oct1 Nov 2002, Kansas City, AMS; Nastos, P.T., Philandras, C.M., Paliatsos, A.G., Fourier analysis of the mean monthly NOx concentrations in the Athens basin (2002) Global Nest, 4, pp. 145-152; Paliatsos, A.G., Kaldellis, J.K., Koronakis, P.S., Garofalakis, J.E., Fifteen year air quality trends associated with the vehicle traffic in Athens, Greece (2002) Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 11-12 (B), pp. 1119-1126; Moustris, K.P., Tsiros, L.X., Ziomas, I.C., Paliatsos, A.G., Artificial neural network models as a useful tool to forecast human thermal comfort using microclimatic and bioclimatic data in the great Athens area (Greece) (2010) Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part a, 45, pp. 447-453; Moustris, K.P., Ziomas, I.C., Paliatsos, A.G., 24 hours in advance forecasting of thermal comfort-discomfort levels during the hot period of the year at representative locations of Athens city, Greece (2009) Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 18, pp. 601-608; Siple, P.A., Passel, C.F., Measurements of dry atmospheric cooling in subfreezing temperatures (1945) Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 89, pp. 177-199; Tzenkova, A.S., Kandjov, I.M., Ivancheva, J.N., Some biometeorological aspects of Urban climate in Sofia (2003) Proceedings of Fifth International Conference on Urban Climate, 2, pp. 103-106. , Lodz, Poland; Besancenot, J.P., Le bioclimat humain de Rio (1978) Recherches de Climatologie en Milieu Tropical et Mediterranean. Cahier No. 6 du Centre de Recherches de Climatologie, , J.B. Suchel, E. Altes, J.P. Besancenot, and P. Maheras (Eds.), Universite de Dijon, Dijon; On ambient air quality assessment and management (1996) Official Journal of the European Communities, L296, pp. 55-63. , Council Directive 96/92/EC 21.11.1996; Limit values of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air (1999) Official Journal of the European Communities, LL 63, pp. 41-60. , Council Directive 1999/30/EC 29.6.1999; Ozone in ambient air (2002) Official Journal of the European Communities, L67, pp. 14-31. , Council Directive 2002/3/EC of the European Parliament and the Council 9.3.2002

Website