Title: Annual simulation of secondary pollution over northern Italy

Authors: A. Balanzino, E. Ferrero, G. Pirovano, C. Pertot, M. Causa, S. Alessandrini, M.P. Costa

Addresses: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Avanzate (DISTA), Universita del Piemonte Orientale ''A. Avogadro'', Viale Teresa Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy. ' Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Avanzate (DISTA), Universita del Piemonte Orientale ''A. Avogadro'', Viale Teresa Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy. ' ERSE S.p.A. (ENEA – Ricerca sul Sistema Elettrico) (Formerly CESI RICERCA), Via Rubattino 54, 20134 Milano, Italy. ' CESI SpA – Centro Elettrotecnico Sperimentale Italiano ISMES Divisione Ambiente e Territorio, Via Rubattino 54, 20134 Milano, Italy. ' Dipartimento di Chimica, Universita di Napoli ''Federico II'', Via Cintia, 80126 Napoli, Italy. ' ERSE S.p.A. (ENEA – Ricerca sul Sistema Elettrico) (Formerly CESI RICERCA), Via Rubattino 54, 20134 Milano, Italy. ' Arianet srl, via Gilino 9, 20128 Milano, Italy

Abstract: A secondary pollution modelling system for simulating airborne dispersion and chemical reactions is applied over a regional scale domain located in the North-West of Italy, where urban and industrial areas are present. It was found an overestimation of NO2 in the urban areas, probably due to an underestimation of the vertical diffusivity; the analysis of OX confirms that the discrepancies in O3 and NO2 are mainly due to local scale effects; the model shows a general underestimation of the observed PM10 concentrations due to the uncertainties in the emission inventories, spatial resolution, and the adopted aerosol modelling approach.

Keywords: air pollution; air quality modelling; photochemistry; secondary pollution; Italy; pollution modelling; airborne dispersion; chemical reactions; emission inventories; spatial resolution; aerosol modelling; environmental pollution.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2011.040280

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2011 Vol.45 No.4, pp.353 - 384

Accepted: 19 May 2010
Published online: 29 Apr 2015 *

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