Levels and drivers of urban black carbon and health risk assessment during pre- and COVID19 lockdown in Augsburg, Germany.

This study aimed to evaluate the levels and phenomenology of equivalent black carbon (eBC) at the city center of Augsburg, Germany (01/2018 to 12/2020). Furthermore, the potential health risk of eBC based on equivalent numbers of passively smoked cigarettes (PSC) was also evaluated, with special emphasis on the impact caused by the COVID19 lockdown restriction measures. As it could be expected, peak concentrations of eBC were commonly recorded in morning (06:00-8:00 LT) and night (19:00-22:00 LT) in all seasons, coinciding with traffic rush hours and atmospheric stagnation. The variability of eBC was highly influenced by diurnal variations in traffic and meteorology (air temperature (T), mixing-layer height (MLH), wind speed (WS)) across days and seasons. Furthermore, a marked "weekend effect" was evidenced, with an average eBC decrease of ∼35% due to lower traffic flow. During the COVID19 lockdown period, an average ∼60% reduction of the traffic flow resulted in ∼30% eBC decrease, as the health risks of eBC exposure was markedly reduced during this period. The implementation of a multilinear regression analysis allowed to explain for 53% of the variability in measured eBC, indicating that the several factors (e.g., traffic and meteorology) may contribute simultaneously to this proportion. Overall, this study will provide valuable input to the policy makers to mitigate eBC pollutant and its adverse effect on environment and human health.

Thermal internal boundary layer and its effects on air pollutants during summer in a coastal city in North China.

The thermal internal boundary layer (TIBL) is associated with coastal pollution dispersion, which can result in high concentrations of air pollutants near the surface of the Earth. In this study, boundary layer height data which were obtained using a ceilometer were used to assess the effect of the TIBL on atmospheric pollutants in Qinhuangdao, a coastal city in North China. A TIBL formed on 33% of summer days. When a TIBL formed, the sunshine duration was 2.4hr longer, the wind speed was higher, the wind direction reflected a typical sea breeze, and the boundary layer height was lower from 9:00 LT to 20:00 LT compared to days without a TIBL. If no TIBL formed, the average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 decreased with increasing boundary layer height. However, when a TIBL was observed, the average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 increased with increasing boundary layer height. Because the air from the sea is clean, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations reached minimums in the daytime at 16:00 LT. After 16:00 LT, the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations increased rapidly on days when a TIBL formed, which indicated that the TIBL leads to the rapid accumulation of atmospheric pollutants in the evening. Therefore, the maximum concentrations of particulate matters were larger when a TIBL formed compared to when no TIBL was present during the night. These results indicate that it is suitable for outdoor activities in the daytime on days with a TIBL in coastal cities.