Heavy Metal Transboundary Air Pollution in Europe: Monitoring and Modelling Results for 1997 and 1998

EMEP Status report 3/2000

I.Ilyin, A.Ryaboshapko, O.Travnikov, T.Berg, A.-G.Hjellbrekke, R.Larsen

ABSTRACT

This report presents the results of the work in the field of monitoring and mathematical modelling of lead, cadmium and mercury transport achieved by the two EMEP Centres in 1997 and 1998.

Chapter 1 summarises information on lead, cadmium and mercury emissions to the atmosphere from different natural and anthropogenic sources.

Chapter 2 is dedicated to summarisation of data on heavy metal monitoring in air and precipitation. Heavy metals were not a part of EMEP's monitoring program before 1999. By now Chemical Co-ordinating Centre (CCC) has compiled the database of heavy metal measurements collected within both EMEP and other international organisations (OSPAR, HELCOM, AMAP) for the period of the 80s and 90s.

A general structure of the model for heavy metal long-range transboundary transport and deposition (MSCE-HM) is described in Chapter 3.

Chapter 4 describes the input geographical information: meteorological data for 1997 and 1998 as well as data on characteristics of the underlying surface. In calculations for 1997 and 1998 meteorological data prepared by Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia were used.

The comparison of calculation results with monitoring data on the basis of statistical processing is described in Chapter 5. For the purpose of comparison the most reliable monitoring data were selected from the EMEP database.

On the basis of the used emission scenario in Chapter 6 estimations of the atmospheric budget components of lead, cadmium and mercury are made for the whole EMEP region.

The importance of the consideration of heavy metal particle-carrier distribution with sizes is discussed in Chapter 7.

Chapter 8 is devoted to the assessment of uncertainties of modelling results and to identification of the most important reasons for the inconsistency of measured and calculated values. First of all for this purpose the sensitivity of the model (being more precise calculated values) to variations of these or those parameters and input data has been analysed. It is demonstrated that the model is the most sensitive to emission values and to a less extent - to such parameters as wind speed, precipitation intensity, mixing layer height and dry deposition velocity.

In finalising sections of the report priority directions of further investigations are outlined and conclusions in regard of the work performed are drawn.