3.2 Actual Use of IA Components
This section focuses on the methodologies developed in recent years and implemented in the AQP and RP reported in the APPRAISAL database for each DPSIR
component.
The database collects both AQPs and RPs. The rationale for this is that whilst
AQPs are a consequence of air quality assessment and limit value exceedances
actually detected, RPs might have a broader scope since there are no such formal
constraints that have to be obeyed and so they may go beyond what is current practice.
3.2.1 Drivers and Pressures
The function of the DRIVERS block is to model the development of the driving
activities (i.e. road traffic, off-road traffic and machinery, residential combustion,
centralized energy production/industry, agriculture) over time. It is the direct and
basic input to the PRESSURES block in the form of, e.g., road traffic kilometres
driven, residential heating fuel consumption etc. The PRESSURE block holds the
information on the quantity of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere from all the
different sources. The emission of a pollutant can be measured or estimated. These
are generally calculated as the product of the activity of this emitter and an emission
factor, that is the quantity of pollutant emitted per unit of activity. There are also
pressures affecting air pollution concentrations that are related to changes in urban
structures (new buildings, roads, trees etc.) that can modify the dispersion of the
pollutants.
At the moment, it is very complex to incorporate structural changes in a IAM
scheme; so they have not been included in the current study.
Even though it is well known that emission inventories do not represent the
actual contribution of sources to atmospheric pollution, many local governments
use them directly as source identification tools for the design of abatement
measures.
From the APPRAISAL database, it emerges that, in general, the scale and resolution of the emission inventory is in good agreement with the scale and purpose
of the study (and model). Studies at the national level generally use emissions from
national official inventories while studies that focus on the regional or urban (1–
5 km), to local (up to 1 km) and street level scale use project specific emission data.
In principle, the resolution of the modelling system should be in line with the
resolution of the emission inventory but among the 59 questionnaires, 5 applications seemed to use an emission resolution not adapted to the geographical zone for
which the study was intended.
Emissions are classified according to their sources. In the APPRAISAL questionnaire, the Selected Nomenclature for reporting of Air Pollutants (CORINAIR
SNAP code) is used. This nomenclature was originally developed by the EEA’s
40
C. Belis et al.
This section focuses on the methodologies developed in recent years and implemented in the AQP and RP reported in the APPRAISAL database for each DPSIR
component.
The database collects both AQPs and RPs. The rationale for this is that whilst
AQPs are a consequence of air quality assessment and limit value exceedances
actually detected, RPs might have a broader scope since there are no such formal
constraints that have to be obeyed and so they may go beyond what is current practice.
3.2.1 Drivers and Pressures
The function of the DRIVERS block is to model the development of the driving
activities (i.e. road traffic, off-road traffic and machinery, residential combustion,
centralized energy production/industry, agriculture) over time. It is the direct and
basic input to the PRESSURES block in the form of, e.g., road traffic kilometres
driven, residential heating fuel consumption etc. The PRESSURE block holds the
information on the quantity of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere from all the
different sources. The emission of a pollutant can be measured or estimated. These
are generally calculated as the product of the activity of this emitter and an emission
factor, that is the quantity of pollutant emitted per unit of activity. There are also
pressures affecting air pollution concentrations that are related to changes in urban
structures (new buildings, roads, trees etc.) that can modify the dispersion of the
pollutants.
At the moment, it is very complex to incorporate structural changes in a IAM
scheme; so they have not been included in the current study.
Even though it is well known that emission inventories do not represent the
actual contribution of sources to atmospheric pollution, many local governments
use them directly as source identification tools for the design of abatement
measures.
From the APPRAISAL database, it emerges that, in general, the scale and resolution of the emission inventory is in good agreement with the scale and purpose
of the study (and model). Studies at the national level generally use emissions from
national official inventories while studies that focus on the regional or urban (1–
5 km), to local (up to 1 km) and street level scale use project specific emission data.
In principle, the resolution of the modelling system should be in line with the
resolution of the emission inventory but among the 59 questionnaires, 5 applications seemed to use an emission resolution not adapted to the geographical zone for
which the study was intended.
Emissions are classified according to their sources. In the APPRAISAL questionnaire, the Selected Nomenclature for reporting of Air Pollutants (CORINAIR
SNAP code) is used. This nomenclature was originally developed by the EEA’s
40
C. Belis et al.