TY - JOUR
T1 - Aerosol particle number concentration, ultrafine particle number fraction, and new particle formation measurements near the international airports in Berlin, Germany
T2 - First results from the BEAR study
AU - Kecorius, Simonas
AU - Sues, Susanne
AU - Madueño, Leizel
AU - Wiedensohler, Alfred
AU - Winkler, Ulf
AU - Held, Andreas
AU - Lüchtrath, Sabine
AU - Beddows, David C.
AU - Harrison, Roy M.
AU - Lovric, Mario
AU - Soppa, Vanessa
AU - Hoffmann, Barbara
AU - Wiese-Posselt, Miriam
AU - Kerschbaumer, Andreas
AU - Cyrys, Josef
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s)
PY - 2024/11
Y1 - 2024/11
N2 - Studies revealed airports as a prominent source of ultrafine particles (UFP), which can disperse downwind to residential areas, raising health concerns. To expand our understanding of how air traffic-related emissions influence total particle number concentration (PNC) in the airport's surrounding areas, we conduct long-term assessment of airborne particulate exposure before and after relocation of air traffic from “Otto Lilienthal” Airport (TXL) to Berlin Brandenburg Airport “Willy Brandt” (BER) in Berlin, Germany. Here, we provide insights into the spatial–temporal variability of PNC measured in 16 schools recruited for Berlin-Brandenburg Air Study (BEAR). The results show that the average PNC in Berlin was 7900 ± 7000 cm−3, consistent with other European cities. The highest median PNC was recorded in spring (6700 cm−3) and the lowest in winter (5100 cm−3). PNC showed a bi-modal increase during morning and evening hours at most measurement sites due to road-traffic emissions. A comparison between measurements at the schools and fixed monitoring sites revealed good agreement at distances up to 5 km. A noticeable decline in this agreement occurred as the distance between measurement sites increased. After TXL was closed, PNC in surrounding areas decreased by 30 %. The opposite trend was not seen after BER was re-opened after the COVID-lock-down, as the air traffic has not reached the full capacity yet. The analysis of particle number size distribution data showed that UFP number fraction exhibit seasonal variations, with higher values in spring and autumn. This can be explained by nucleation events, which notably affected PNC. The presented findings will play a pivotal role in forthcoming source attribution and epidemiological investigations, offering a holistic understanding of airports’ impact on airborne pollutant levels and their health implications. The study calls for further investigations of air-traffic-related physical–chemical pollutant properties in areas found further away (> 10 km) from airports.
AB - Studies revealed airports as a prominent source of ultrafine particles (UFP), which can disperse downwind to residential areas, raising health concerns. To expand our understanding of how air traffic-related emissions influence total particle number concentration (PNC) in the airport's surrounding areas, we conduct long-term assessment of airborne particulate exposure before and after relocation of air traffic from “Otto Lilienthal” Airport (TXL) to Berlin Brandenburg Airport “Willy Brandt” (BER) in Berlin, Germany. Here, we provide insights into the spatial–temporal variability of PNC measured in 16 schools recruited for Berlin-Brandenburg Air Study (BEAR). The results show that the average PNC in Berlin was 7900 ± 7000 cm−3, consistent with other European cities. The highest median PNC was recorded in spring (6700 cm−3) and the lowest in winter (5100 cm−3). PNC showed a bi-modal increase during morning and evening hours at most measurement sites due to road-traffic emissions. A comparison between measurements at the schools and fixed monitoring sites revealed good agreement at distances up to 5 km. A noticeable decline in this agreement occurred as the distance between measurement sites increased. After TXL was closed, PNC in surrounding areas decreased by 30 %. The opposite trend was not seen after BER was re-opened after the COVID-lock-down, as the air traffic has not reached the full capacity yet. The analysis of particle number size distribution data showed that UFP number fraction exhibit seasonal variations, with higher values in spring and autumn. This can be explained by nucleation events, which notably affected PNC. The presented findings will play a pivotal role in forthcoming source attribution and epidemiological investigations, offering a holistic understanding of airports’ impact on airborne pollutant levels and their health implications. The study calls for further investigations of air-traffic-related physical–chemical pollutant properties in areas found further away (> 10 km) from airports.
KW - Air traffic emissions
KW - Airport emissions
KW - Exposure to particulate pollution
KW - Particle number concentration
KW - Particle number size distribution
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85207011142
U2 - 10.1016/j.envint.2024.109086
DO - 10.1016/j.envint.2024.109086
M3 - Article
C2 - 39447469
AN - SCOPUS:85207011142
SN - 0160-4120
VL - 193
JO - Environment international
JF - Environment international
M1 - 109086
ER -
