ERTDI Programme

1
Regional issues, local impacts

• ESA/GMES-GATO
• Atmospheric Chemistry Applications Workshop
• Frank McGovern and Brendan Kelly
• Environmental Protection Agency,
• Ireland

2
Introduction

• Apologies
• Policy support
• Access
• Advantages/Disadvantages 2nd Day

3
Scope Content

• EPA Ireland
• Current monitoring/reporting
• Air quality issues in Ireland
• New developments and efficiencies
• Real time air quality data provision
• Future products from remote sensing and models

4
Environmental Protection Agency

• Statutory Role (Environmental protection,
  licensing, enforcement, monitoring, reporting wrt
  protocols, policy advice, etc)
• Actions Protocol/Policy Driven! (Kjetil Torseth
  legislation and conventions importantFrank Raes
  general focus on actions required under
  protocols or policy!)
• Distribution of environmental research funding in
  Ireland (ERTDI programme)
• National Environmental Research Centre of
  Excellence
• ICED FIRE Integrated Climate changE Database for
  IREland (Brief digression!)

5
ICED FIRE

• A system to
• Store the large amount of data relevant to
  climate change in Ireland
• Access and retrieve datasets, efficiently, easily
• Analyse data and produce models of climate change
  issues
• Disseminate climate change information to various
  categories of end-user EPA, DOELG, Irish and
  International Research Community, Public

6
ICED FIRE

• Quality assured data and targeted scientific
  analysis to inform both National policy and
  International negotiations on climate change
  issues
• Analysis of areas relevant to Kyoto commitments
  (approaching 2nd commitment period)
• Promote understanding of climate change issues
• Provide clear rationale for potentially difficult
  and expensive strategies to mitigate climate
  change

7
Benefits of Integration
ICED FIRE

• Data available at one-stop-shop
• Synergy from different datasets being co-located
• Standardised formats and QA/QC
• Customised products available for different
  end-users
• Increased communication co-ordination
• Data gathering needs clearer
• Paul Monks DÉJÀ VU??? (GMES-satellites)

8
Environmental Protection Agency

• Actions Protocol/Policy Driven!
• (Kjetil Torseth legislation and conventions
  importantFrank Raes general focus on actions
  required under protocols or policy!)
• UNFCCC/Kyoto
• CLRTAP
• Air Quality Framework Directive (improve where
  poor, maintain where good)

9
Framework Directive on air quality Zones

• Four national air quality zones based on
  population, area, current air quality (SO2, PM10,
  O3, NOx, Pb, CO, Benzene)
• Designated zones
• Greater Dublin area
• Cork City
• Smaller urban areas (non-contiguous) mobiles
• Rest of the country
• Annual report to EC (McGovern and
  McGettigan, 2001), immediate report of certain
  exceedances, reports on trends e.g. OzoneAOT40

10
Existing monitoring sites
Good location Background North Atlantic, but
influenced by mainland Europe, US etc Mace Head
GAW Background site, (AEROCE, GAGE, AGAGE, etc,
GHGs, CFCs, inverse modelling-Simonds, Ciais et
al.) Valentia Irish Met Service (GAW regional
site, Long time series, Radiation, UV,
ozonesondes, pheno gardens)
11
Air Quality Issues

• Dominance of mid-latitude North Atlantic
  westerly air flows means that air quality in
  Ireland is generally good but there are some
  problems
• Background levels of pollutants are low (except
  Ozone)
• Spring/Summer peaks close to or above eco-system
  protection threshold, most exceedances occur on
  the west coast (depressed by NOx?)
• Traffic emissions are high in congested city
  locations
• Heating can be a significant sources for PM in
  certain areas (ban on coal in Dublin improved
  situation, but other areas still use smoky
  fuels)
• Easterly conditions bring high levels of
  pollutants to Ireland from other European areas.
• These are considered to contribute to exceedances
  of PM limit values

12
Integration of data and analysis of issues
13
Regional/Local?
14
Transboundary Pollution (CLTAP)

• EMEP-related monitoring
• Four sites Valentia, Torlough hill, Ridge of
  Cappard, Burren Measured rainfall chemistry
  (full suite of ions), air (total sulfate, SO2)
• New EMEP strategy 2003EB.AIR/GE.1/2002/9 includes
  provision of data at key sites on
• PM10, PM2.5 mass
• Full ion composition
• Particulate carbon/light scattering
• Size distribution
• Pollutant gases designated supersites

15
New sites and transboundary pollution project

• Objectives
• Meet current monitoring requirements
• Link to air quality measurements- targets
• Better geographical spread
• New sites on east coast, north of country,
  midland
• Keep enhance key sites e.g. GAW sites
• Mace Head background sites, NUIG International
  Research Facility
• Valentia Observatory Regional site, Met Eireann,
  long-term site ecosystem analysis
• Link to research (Very active GHG flux studies
  programme - South east, Oak park central,
  Peatland site beside Valentia, Johnstown Castle,
  WX)
• Inland pollutant impacts studies
• Keep in touch with future regional developments
  in Europe and North Atlantic, EC projects
• Provide policy relevant analyses in relation to
  Gothenburg Protocol and Emissions Ceilings
  Directive. economic analysis, costs of abatement
  strategies.

16
New sites
Development of Carnsore site also seen as of
interest for studies of greenhouse gases and
ozone depleting substances, e.g. application and
validation of inverse modelling techniques such
as those applied to Mace Head data.
17
Real time air quality reporting
Ozone, SO2, NO2, PM10
18
PM10
Real time air quality reporting
19
Gases (O3, SO2, N2O)
Real time air quality reporting
20
Future and useful products

• Further integrate data from EMEP and air quality
  sites
• New EMEP regime calls for enhanced measurements
  of PM10, 2.5, as well as ion composition, etc
• Link other available data e.g. remote sensing and
  modelling
• Analysis of exceedances and methods for
  avoidances of these
• Analysis of policy effectiveness (e.g. as Nat.
  Emissions Ceilings directive is implemented
  throughout Europe does this improve situation
  in Ireland?
• Forecasting, issuing warnings to population e.g.
  high PM10
• Pollutant distribution maps (Ozone, PM10, PM2.5,
  SO2 (not a major problem), NO2 (problem in
  cities)
• Deposition maps link to GIS showing sensitive
  areas
• Analyses of scope and range of events (Regional
  events?)
• Participation in PROMOTE (Albert Goede, ESA/GMES
  Ser.Ele)
• Strengthen data links with other EAs, INSPIRE,
  etc.

21
Last thoughts

• Ireland good location for atmospheric chemistry
  research, monitoring
• Good potential for contributing to
  ground-truthing
• Need to enhance analysis, mapping and modelling
  capability
• Regional-scale satellite-derived products clearly
  of importance
• Interested in what types of data on what
  pollutants can reliably be provided and at what
  concentration level, temporal and spatial
  resolution?

22

• Thank you.