No abstract

A substantial amount of air pollution is emitted from urban sources. Hence, investigating air pollutant dispersion from urban sources is of great importance. The mechanisms influencing air pollutant dispersion also need to be studied thoroughly. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based systems offer great potential for mobile exploration of air pollutants in the lower atmosphere due to the high maneuverability of multi-rotor UAVs. The aim of this study was to develop an effective UAV system that can perform high-resolution three-dimensional profiling of pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), ultrafine particles (UFP), black carbon (BC), as well as meteorological parameters, including air temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Different experiments were performed to finalize the positioning of the instruments on the UAV platform so as not to destabilize the drone during flight, even when the wind speed is high and during turbulent flight conditions. Another very crucial question is where to place the air inlet of the measurement devices. In addition, field tests were conducted to evaluate the stability of the UAV platform and the in-flight performance of the sensors. This UAV platform was deployed to perform vertical profiles at the University campus in Stuttgart-Vaihingen and in an area near the campus, close to the federal highway B14. The measurement campaign was performed on three days in February 2021, with a maximum flight height of 120 m above ground. The vertical profiles showed that concentrations were higher on the ground due to the proximity to the source and that high wind speeds assisted pollutant dispersion. The horizontal profiles showed that the pollutant concentrations were higher at the roadside and decreased with increasing distance from the road. In conclusion, this UAV platform represented a low-cost, practical, and reliable method for studying the three-dimensional distribution of pollutants near the source.

The Stuttgart S-Bahn network comprises six subway lines and is used by approximately 425,000 people on a daily basis. In previous studies in other cities, it was found that subways can be a source and collection point of particulate matter (PM), which is detrimental to human health. This study focused on making an initial assessment of the pollution situation inside the trains and on the underground platforms. Real-time measurements were performed with high time-resolution instruments inside the S-Bahn trains, two underground stations, and two outdoor stations in the Stuttgart subway network in November 2019. Firstly, the variation in concentration inside the train as it traveled through the tunnel was investigated, and it was recurrently observed that the pollutant concentration in the train increased while traveling through the tunnel and then decreased when nearing the tunnel exit. Secondly, the measurement location with the highest particulate matter concentrations was determined. The particulate matter concentrations on underground platforms were higher than those on the train and on the outdoor platforms. In addition, the dominant fraction of the particulate matter measured was in the range of ultrafine particles (UFP). Finally, the wind speed and wind direction data were analyzed in conjunction with specific locations along the platforms. From the wind measurement results, it was assumed that the combined airflows led to higher particle resuspension and particulate matter concentrations in these areas. In conclusion, it was determined that subway users were exposed to higher particle concentrations, particularly UFP (10–116 nm), while standing on underground platforms and when traveling through underground tunnels. It was found that the PNCs inside the train wagons as well as PM and BC mass concentrations increase when passing through the tunnel. Additionally, the average number concentration of UFPs on underground platforms was significantly higher than in other locations by factors of around 1.7 to 1.9 for UFPs and 1.6 to 2 for coarse and fine particles.

Air quality investigations at airports have shown that aircrafts cause a significant increase in air pollution at and around the vicinity of the airport, which can cause adverse effects on human health. The objective of this research was to investigate the aircraft-sourced pollutant levels at the Stuttgart airport and in the surrounding areas during and after COVID-19 lockdown measures. Three phases of stationary measurements of ultrafine particles (UFP), particulate matter (PM), black carbon (BC), CO2, O3, NO, and NO2 were made at various points on the east and west sides of the airport in the extension of the airport runway. In first phase of measurement, the airport was closed for construction, and no air traffic took place. In the second phase, the airport was reopened with limited operation due to a lockdown period at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, in the third phase, measurements were performed during the peak summer holiday travel season to measure the air quality during maximum air traffic, after the end of the first lockdown period. While there were fewer notable changes in the BC concentrations, coarse PM fractions, and gases across the three phases, there were significant increases in the UFP concentrations from aircraft emissions. Throughout the three phases, the peak particle concentration decreased from between 27 and 86 nm in phase 1. to between 27 and 35 nm in phase 2, to finally 11 nm in phase 3 on all days in which the aircraft plumes were measured. During flight arrivals, definite increases in UFP particle number concentration (PNC) were observed, with the majority of the particles being in the 10 nm size class. These results were measured repeatedly on both sides of the airport in the direct prolongation of the runway and even at distances of up to 3 km away in nearby neighbouring communities. While the overall PM and UFP levels are affected by vehicular traffic, the freeway measurements showed particles from aircrafts and vehicles are distinguishable using the parameters PNC and Dp. The BC concentrations were rarely influenced by aircraft activity, while only some NO and NO2 peaks were measured depending on the consistency of the wind.