Action 13206 - Air Quality and Transport Modelling
(AIRMODE)
How can we model
the effects of emissions to air
quality?
Recently, the European Commissions
Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution (COM (2005) 446 final)
clearly stated that “In the coming years more research will be
required on emission sources, atmospheric chemistry and
pollutant dispersion… This will require EU RTD funding, work
by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and
the support of the Member States”. In response to this need
and in view of the new Air Quality Directive (COM(2005) 447
final), the JRC is now preparing to assist Member States in
assessing and increasing the quality of atmospheric modelling
as a tool for supplementary assessment and/or in order to
reduce the number of measurement points. At the same time, the
use of atmospheric models in emergency response has seen a
strong development in the past years with the use of the
ENSEMBLE system developed by the JRC in the field of
long-range dispersion of radioactive material. One of the
prerequisites for good air quality modeling is to be based on
the use of high-quality emission inventories. Many Member
States currently use of the EMEP/Corinair Atmospheric Emission
Inventories Guidebook as a basis for their emission
inventories. An effort, headed by DG Environment with the
participation of the JRC, is currently underway to update the
Guidebook, but more research is still needed in certain areas.
For the transport sector in particular, there is a clear need
to make use of available measured data and to stir further
research in such a way, as to obtain new and improved emission
factors and models.
Specific objectives of this Action
• To provide scientific support to DG
Environment in the review and implementation of the National
Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive, through participation to
the NEC Policy Instruments (NECPI) Working Group and to the
UN-ECE EMEP Task Force on Emission Inventories and Projections
(TFEIP).
• To provide scientific support to DG
Environment and competent authorities of Member States through
networking on the use of models for the implementation of the
Air Quality Directive and for the assessment of air quality
and relevant policies.
• To design, organise, perform and
participate to air quality modelling intercomparison exercises
in support to the development of the relevant policies (Air
Quality, Emissions and Global Change) of DG Environment and
Member States.
• To develop further the modelling
capabilities of the Action in the area of Air Quality
Modelling, including the issue of hot-spots.
• To extend the capabilities and
application range of the ENSEMBLE system and to support
relevant exercises.
• To assist DG Environment in the
further development of transport models, such as TREMOVE, with
emphasis on emissions from transport.
• To improve emission inventories
models used for the transport sector along Corridor V, through
the use of real-time data collected with portable emission
measurement instruments (PEMS).
• To study the diesel aerosol particle
behaviour in the Vehicle Emissions Labs and in new diesel
particle traps.
The Action has been running
international intercomparison exercises for air quality
modelling, both for routine as well as emergency situations
for many years. The necessary tools have been developed and
are currently used in support of the Revision of the National
Emission Ceilings Directive. The same tools are expected to be
used in the future in order to improve the quality of the
national and regional tools for modelling. Furthermore, effort
is now being concentrated in developing new tools for emission
inventories, with emphasis in emissions from the transport
sector.
Themes
Air Quality Modelling
Transport Modelling
Emission Inventories
Particle Formation and Transport
Meetings
The following meetings have been
organised recently within this Action.
 |
COPERT IV Training Session (22 March
2007, Ispra) |
|
FAIRMODE Experts Brainstorming Meeting (7
May 2007, Ispra) |
Contact info
Panagiota
Dilara
Tel: (+39) 0332 789207 E-mail: panagiota.dilara(at)jrc.it
Main customers
- DG Environment
- European Environmental Agency (EEA)
- DG Research and Technological
Development
- Members States emissions and air
quality experts
- Convention on Long-Range Transport of
Air Pollutants
EU Legislation and Documents supported by this
Action
- European Commissions Thematic
Strategy on Air Pollution (COM (2005) 446 final)
- Air Quality Directive (COM(2005) 447 final)
- National Emission Ceilings Directive
2001/81/EC
- Sixth Community Environment Action Programme
Relevant links
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