Evaluation of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide at nine sites in Saudi Arabia during 2007

Butenhoff, C. L.; Khalil, M. A. K.; Porter, William C.; Al-Sahafi, Mohammed Saleh; Almazroui, Mansour; Alkhalaf, Abdulrahman K.

doi:10.1080/10962247.2015.1031921

Cited by 23 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Although the Hajj is concentrated in Makkah, where it has the greatest impact on air quality, it is a period when normal activities of the society are affected to varying degrees everywhere in the country (Butenhoff et al, 2015). At Yanbu, the effect was seen to be small and negligible but had a similar pattern to the Eid days.…”

Section: Eids and The Hajj Periodmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Perhaps the more probable cause of the unusual VOC-NO x -O 3 connection could be that substantial amounts of ozone may come in from a background pool, possibly aloft. This can increase observed ozone concentrations without being connected with the observed VOC and NO x emissions (Khalil et al, 2015). Qualitative evidence for the background factor is seen in the high ozone concentrations just before sunrise and before the high NO from traffic (shown later in Figure 5d).…”

Section: Voc-no X -O 3 Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…The pollution levels seen at Yanbu are similar to other industrialized urban areas of similar size and character. This was shown in our earlier paper by Butenhoff et al (2015). There is a widespread difference in standards used to gauge the quality of air.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…The data, therefore, consist of hourly measurements of oxides of nitrogen (NO x ; NO and NO 2 ), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), ozone (O 3 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and respirable particles (PM 2.5 [particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm]: 4 yr; PM 10 [particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm]: 5 yr), taken for 6 yr between 2000 and 2005 under the direction of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, which is charged with enforcing the clean air requirements of Saudi Arabia. The methodology for data acquisition and their treatment are described in our earlier papers dealing with companion measurements from various locations in Saudi Arabia (Porter et al, 2014;Butenhoff et al, 2015). The site for the measurements of the pollutants is located at 24°0.764N 38°13.698E in a park in the central part of Yanbu (Butenhoff et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The methodology for data acquisition and their treatment are described in our earlier papers dealing with companion measurements from various locations in Saudi Arabia (Porter et al, 2014;Butenhoff et al, 2015). The site for the measurements of the pollutants is located at 24°0.764N 38°13.698E in a park in the central part of Yanbu (Butenhoff et al, 2015). The meteorological data, including temperature, were obtained from the Yanbu Airport archive (WeatherSpark, 2015a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Air quality in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia

Khalil

Butenhoff

Porter

et al. 2015

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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Yanbu, on the Red Sea, is an affluent Saudi Arabian industrial city of modest size. Substantial effort has been spent to balance environmental quality, especially air pollution, and industrial development. We have analyzed six years of observations of criteria pollutants O 3 , SO 2 , particles (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) and the known ozone precursors-volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ). The results suggest frequent VOC-limited conditions in which ozone concentrations increase with decreasing NO x and with increasing VOCs when NO x is plentiful. For the remaining circumstances ozone has a complex non-linear relationship with the VOCs. The interactions between these factors at Yanbu cause measurable impacts on air pollution including the weekend effect in which ozone concentrations stay the same or even increase despite significantly lower emissions of the precursors on the weekends. Air pollution was lower during the Eids (al-Fitr and al-Adha), Ramadan and the Hajj periods. During Ramadan, there were substantial night time emissions as the cycle everyday living is almost reversed between night and day. The exceedances of air pollution standards were evaluated using criteria from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), World Health Organization (WHO), the Saudi Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) and the Royal Commission Environmental Regulations (RCER). The latter are stricter standards set just for Yanbu and Jubail. For the fine particles (PM 2.5 ), an analysis of the winds showed a major impact from desert dust. This effect had to be taken into account but still left many occasions when standards were exceeded. Fewer exceedances were found for SO 2 , and fewer still for ozone. The paper presents a comprehensive view of air quality at this isolated desert urban environment.Implications: Frequent VOC-limited conditions are found at Yanbu in Saudi Arabia that increase ozone pollution if NO x is are reduced. In this desert environment, increased nightlife produces the highest levels of VOCs and NO x at night rather than the day. The effects increase during Ramadan. Fine particles peak twice a day-the morning peak is caused by traffic and increases with decreasing wind, potentially representing health concerns, but the larger afternoon peak is caused by the wind, and it increases with increasing wind speeds. These features suggest that exposure to pollutants must be redefined for such an environment.PAPER HISTORY

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Section: Eids and The Hajj Periodmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Voc-no X -O 3 Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Air quality in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia

Khalil

Butenhoff

Porter

et al. 2015

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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Regulatory effects on particulate pollution in the early hours of Chinese New Year, 2015

Lai

Brimblecombe

2017

Environ Monit Assess

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Human activities are a key driver of air pollution, so it is hardly surprising that celebrations affect air quality. The use of fireworks contributes to high particulate concentrations in many parts of the world, with the Chinese Lunar New Year (spring festival) particularly noticeable, as firecrackers are traditionally used to drive off evil spirits. Fireworks lead to short-term peaks in the concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and SO2. Regulatory actions that restrict the use of fireworks have been evident in China since the 1990s. This paper investigates the particulate concentrations in nine Chinese cities (Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Tianjin, Xi’an, Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, along with Hong Kong (a Special Administrative Region) and Taipei and Kaohsiung (Taiwan) with a particular focus on the celebrations of 2015. Extremely high concentrations of particulate matter were observed, with some sites revealing peak PM10 concentrations in excess of 1000 μg m−3 in the early hours of the New Year. In Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing, the activities caused high particulate matter concentrations at most sites throughout the city. These peaks in particulate load in the early hours of Chinese New Year do not appear to be closely related to meteorological parameters. However, in cities where fireworks appear to be better regulated, there are fewer sharp pollution peaks just after midnight, although lowered air quality can still be found in the outer parts of some cities, remote from regulatory pressures. A few cities seem to have been effective at reducing the impact of the celebrations on air quality, with Nanjing a recent example. An increasing focus on light displays and electric lanterns also seems to offer a sense of celebration with much reduced impacts on air quality.

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