Measures and Policies for Reducing PM Exceedances through the Use of Air Quality Modeling: The Case of Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract

The main aim of this study is the identification of the most appropriate measures and policies to combat particulate air pollution in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece through a methodology including the calculation of emissions by sector and the application of an air quality modeling system. The identification of the current air quality situation showed that the exceedances of the mean PM10 daily levels occur during the cold winter months with residential heating being the major contributor representing a 73% share of total PM10 emissions. Moreover, the effect of the biomass consumption for heating purposes on PM10 concentrations has been verified and quantified by implementing a regression model identifying that a PM10 emissions reduction by 45% would result in the elimination of the exceedances of the mean PM10 daily values. Based on the above, a set of cost-effective measures and policies were defined and their impact on PM10 emissions was estimated. Finally, the air quality modeling system was applied for the mitigation scenarios selected, leading to a significant reduction of 67% in the number of exceedances observed and ensuring compliance with the limit of 35 exceedances of the daily value limit per year pursuant to European Legislation.