EMEP/TFMM meeting (April 2014, Bologna, Italy)

Evaluation of country pollution with fine spatial resolution: the Netherlands

EMEP/TFMM meeting (May 2013, Zagreb, Croatia)

EMEP case studies on HMs: State of the art

EMEP/TFMM meeting (April 2012, Gozo, Malta)

Country-specific case studies: results and recommendations for future research

EMEP/TFMM meeting (May 2011, Zurich, Switzerland)

CROATIA - Modeling of heavy metlas:study of impacts due to climate change

CZECH REPUBLIC - EMEP case study on heavy metal pollution assessment

ITALY - EMEP case study on heavy metal pollution assessment

MSC-East - Country-specific assessment of HM pollution levels: progress and directions of further research

PORTUGAL - Work on modelling of gaseous mercury emissions from natural sources in Portugal

EMEP Steering Body (September 2011, Geneva, Switzerland)

Multi-scale assessment of heavy metal pollution

EMEP/TFMM meeting (May 2010, Larnaka, Cyprus)

CROATIA - Heavy metal emissions, measurements and needs for modelling in Croatia

CZECH REPUBLIC - EMEP case study on heavy metal pollution assessment

ITALY - State-of-the-art synthesis of available information and modelling efforts on heavy metals in Italy

MSC-East - EMEP case study on heavy metal pollution assessment: Current progress and further activities

the NETHERLANDS - The Heavy Metal Case study for the Netherlands

SLOVAKIA - Lead and Cadmium in ambient air and participation over the territory of Slovakia

SPAIN - Preliminary Results for the simulation of some non- reactive heavy metals in Spain

MSC-E continues co-operation with the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF HTAP) on assessment of Hg and POP pollution. In particular, the Centre took part in the TF HTAP virtual meetings focused on global emissions and modelling of Hg (May 18, 2022, http://htap.org/event/global-emissions-and-modeling-of-mercury/) and POPs/CEC (May 25, 2022, http://htap.org/event/global-emissions-and-modeling-of-pops-cec/). The meetings were aimed at discussion of practical programs for fulfilment of the near-term plans of Hg and POP activities formulated at the TF HTAP Workshops (April 2021).

The meeting on Hg, which was attended by over 50 experts, reviewed the current state of knowledge and on-going activities within various national and international research groups focused on Hg pollution assessment. In particular, available global Hg emissions inventories and future projections were presented and discussed. New developments in Hg multi-media modelling, model applications for near-term and longer-term decision-making and model assessment of Hg pollution in particular regions (the Arctic) were also overviewed. It was agreed that near-term TF HTAP activities on Hg would benefit if formulated in line with the on-going effectiveness evaluation procedure performed under the Minamata Convention on Mercury (MCM). To facilitate further development of the activities program it was decided to form an ad hoc group of scientific experts and hold a number of planning meetings.

During the meeting on POPs, the outcome of recent assessments prepared under AMAP and Stockholm Convention in a field of monitoring and assessment of pollution levels in the Arctic and on the global scale was presented. In addition, development and application of global inventories for unintentionally emitted legacy POPs was overviewed. A number of experts presented results of monitoring studies and progress in the development of advanced modelling techniques to study pollution levels, transport and fate of the CECs and microplastics. Plans of near-term TF HTAP activities in line with on-going and future work of experts in POPs/CECs were discussed. It was agreed to consider opportunities of multi-pollutant studies of combustion-related POPs (e.g. PAHs, PCDD/Fs) and particulate matter, and to continue reviewing the progress in the studies of CECs and microplastics on global and regional scales.

Two scientific workshops on Hg and POPs were jointly organized by Meteorological Synthesizing Center-East (MSC-E) and the Task Force on Hemispheric transport of Air Pollution (TF HTAP) in April 2021. Within the next 2-5 years, the LRTAP Convention is likely to conduct a review of the effectiveness and sufficiency of the Protocols on Heavy Metals and POPs as revised in 2012 and 2009, respectively. The purpose of these workshops was to begin to design cooperative research activities that will enable TF HTAP to better contribute to such a future review. Specifically, to help TF HTAP better assess the regional and extra-regional contribution to long term trends in Hg and POPs and identify additional issues or measures that might be addressed by the LRTAP Convention to protect the environment and human health. Recognizing that Hg, POPs and Chemicals of Emerging Concern are addressed in the Minamata and Stockholm Conventions as well as other regional bodies, including but not limited to the Arctic Council and the European Union, the future work of TF HTAP should be designed to both build upon the findings of recent efforts in other forums and provide useful information back to these other forums to the extent possible.

The workshops were particularly focused on:

• Anticipating assessment needs of the LRTAP, Minamata, and Stockholm Conventions
• Reviewing progress made in other forums, including recent AMAP assessments.
• Identifying cooperative activities that can be undertaken in the short term (2 years) and longer term (4-5 years) to improve our understanding and ability to estimate Hg and POPs pollution levels, trends and source attribution.

Major aims and problems of Hg and POP pollution assessment were discussed by the scientific community including emission estimates, monitoring and modelling. Follow up meetings will be scheduled to further organize cooperative activities identified in the workshops.

Documents:

Agenda of the TF HTAP Workshops on Hg
Agenda of the TF HTAP Workshops on POPs
Policy-relevant scientific questions (to be further discussed)

MSC-E presentations

Analysis and source attribution of long-term Hg pollution trends: proposal for multi-model assessment

Analysis and attribution of long-term POP pollution trends: proposals for integrated approach activities

TFMM provides a forum to the EMEP Centres, national experts, international organizations for scientific consideration and evaluation of activities regarding pollution assessment. MSC-E takes part in the work of the Task Force annually presenting the outcome of its studies on HMs and POPs and discussing a number of topics, particularly, fine spatial resolution modeling and country specific case studies on the assessment of HM pollution levels on national scale, development of global scale multi-pollutant modeling system (GLEMOS).

The EMEP Task Force on Measurements and Modelling (TFMM) held its 23rd meeting online in May 2022. During the meeting MSC-E provided participants with the information on research activities of the Centre in co-operation with national experts in the field of assessment of HM and POP pollution.

Mercury-related research activities were focused on the Arctic region. MSC-E participated in co-operative studies, which followed up the recent AMAP Hg Assessment 2021. Data products obtained in this work as a country-specific case study were used in the national Norwegian Mercury Assessment 2022. The results of the study, including analysis of spatial distribution of Hg pollution levels in Norway, long-term trends of Hg air concentration and deposition to the country and trends in biota, were presented at the TFMM meeting. It was shown that spatial distribution of Hg deposition fluxes over Norway generally corresponded to that of Hg concentrations in mosses. Besides, it was demonstrated that spatial distribution of Hg deposition to waters of North Atlantic and the Arctic well correlated with concentrations of Hg in fish. Finally, it was indicated that the reduction of Hg concentrations in fish during the recent decade is stronger than the decline of atmospheric deposition.
Evaluation of the effect of wildfires on heavy metal and POPs pollution levels was another research activity presented at the meeting. Four available wildfire databases were examined. Emissions of Pb and B(a)P from the wildfires in the EMEP region were estimated. Contributions of wildfire emissions to concentrations of Pb and B(a)P were simulated using the GLEMOS model. The modelled effect of wildfires on the pollution levels was validated via comparison with concentrations of wildfire tracers such as CO and PM2.5. It was shown that wildfires can significantly contribute to air concentrations of toxic pollutants in particular countries in certain months. Further steps in model assessment of the effects of wildfires on heavy metal and POP pollution levels were suggested.

Main focus in the research activities on POPs was directed to the PAHs. The activities included participation in the Eurodelta-Carb multi-model assessment of B(a)P and a case study of PAH pollution in Poland. Preliminary results on B(a)P of several modelling groups (EMEP/MSC-E, CEIMAT, INERIS, ENEA, FMI) and their evaluation against measurements were presented. Similarities and differences between the annual mean concentrations and intra-annual variations obtained by participated models and observed levels were examined.

Results of the second phase of the country-scale study of PAH levels in Poland were demonstrated. It was shown that updated national inventory of PAH emissions (reported to EMEP) allowed to improve model assessment of pollution for B(b)F and B(k)F. At the same time, for I(cd)P no improvement was obtained comparing to the previously used national emission inventory.

Special attention was also paid to the contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Current status of their monitoring, development of emission inventories and modelling approaches was presented. In particular, pilot model simulations of PBDE pollution, based on the expert estimates of emissions, reasonably well reproduced the observed levels and their long-term trends in the EMEP region. Further research and cooperation activities related to HM and POP pollution assessment were proposed.

Detailed assessment of heavy metal and POP pollution in the EMEP countries: Poland  Part II

Joint MSC-E/IEP-NRI/ IDAEA-CSIC /CHMI report


I. Ilyin (METEOROLOGICAL SYNTHESIZING CENTRE – EAST)
A. Degorska (INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION – NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE)
M. Pandolfi (ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND WATER RESEARCH - SPANISH RESEARCH COUNCIL)
M. Vana (CZECH HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL INSTITUTE)

Full text (pdf  14.5 Mb) 

Executive Summary

Introduction

Chapter 1. INPUT DATA

Chapter 2. ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING CADMIUM LEVELS IN POLAND

Chapter 3. NATIONAL-SCALE ASSESSMENT OF CADMIUM POLLUTION LEVELS

Chapter 4. EVALUATION OF CADMIUM POLLUTION IN POLISH CITIES

Conclusions

References

Annexes

Annex A. DEVELOPMENT OF EMISSION SCENARIO
Annex B. SOURCE-RECEPTOR MATRICES OF CADMIUM DEPOSITION TO POLISH VOIVODSHIPS IN 2014
Annex C. CADMIUM POLLUTION LEVELS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Annex D. MONTHLY-MEAN MODELLED AND OBSERVED CONCENTRATIONS OF CADMIUM AT BACKGROUND URBAN STATIONS IN THE SELECTED CITIES