High Spatial Resolution Assessment of the Effect of the Spanish National Air Pollution Control Programme on Street-Level NO2 Concentrations in Three Neighborhoods of Madrid (Spain) Using Mesoscale and CFD Modelling

• Published in: Atmosphere Vol. 13; no. 2; p. 248
• Main Authors: Santiago, Jose-Luis, Sanchez, Beatriz, Rivas, Esther, Vivanco, Marta G., Theobald, Mark Richard, Garrido, Juan Luis, Gil, Victoria, Martilli, Alberto, Rodríguez-Sánchez, Alejandro, Buccolieri, Riccardo, Martín, Fernando
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-02-2022
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air pollution control; Air quality; Air quality measurements; Air quality models; annual concentrations using CFD; Atmospheric models; computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling; Computer applications; Emission analysis; emission control; Emission measurements; Emissions; Emissions control; Legislation; Mathematical models; Mesoscale phenomena; Modelling; national programme; Neighborhoods; Nitrogen dioxide; NO2; Outdoor air quality; Pollutants; Pollution control; Resolution; Simulation; Spatial discrimination; Spatial resolution; Traffic; Urban air; Urban air quality; Urban areas; Madrid Spain; Europe; Spain
• ISSN: 2073-4433; 2073-4433
• DOI: 10.3390/atmos13020248

Current European legislation aims to reduce the air pollutants emitted by European countries in the coming years. In this context, this article studies the effects on air quality of the measures considered for 2030 in the Spanish National Air Pollution Control Programme (NAPCP). Three different emission scenarios are investigated: a scenario with the emissions in 2016 and two other scenarios, one with existing measures in the current legislation (WEM2030) and another one considering the additional measures of NAPCP (WAM2030). Previous studies have addressed this issue at a national level, but this study assesses the impact at the street scale in three neighborhoods in Madrid, Spain. NO2 concentrations are modelled at high spatial resolution by means of a methodology based on computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations driven by mesoscale meteorological and air quality modelling. Spatial averages of annual mean NO2 concentrations are only estimated to be below 40 µg/m3 in all three neighborhoods for the WAM2030 emission scenarios. However, for two of the three neighborhoods, there are still zones (4–12% of the study areas) where the annual concentration is higher than 40 µg/m3. This highlights the importance of considering microscale simulations to assess the impacts of emission reduction measures on urban air quality.