The role of air quality modelling in particulate matter management in cities. Results from the Air Implementation Pilot

Abstract

The European Commission and the EEA agreed to reinforce efforts to improve knowledge on implementation of air quality legislation through a joint pilot project. The Air Implementation Pilot run from March 2012 to June 2013 and aimed at better understanding the challenges cities faced in implementing air quality policy. Twelve European cities were selected and invited to join the project. One of the focus of the Pilot project was to assess the use of models for air quality assessment and management, share experiences, and identify needs for further guidance. The results of the analysis of modelling practices are presented in this work. More than 20 different models have been used for air quality assessment and management in these cities. The main purposes for which cities applied models are air quality assessment, quantification of source contribution and long term planning. The cities have found models helpful and the outputs have been used in urban air quality assessment and management, including the evaluation of strategies to reduce PM ambient levels. However, the cities found difficulties in the application of models as for instance the quality and availability of input data or the validation and uncertainty estimation of the model results.