Modelling PM2.5 impact indicators in Europe: Health effects and legal compliance

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has been shown to have significant negative impacts on human health. It is estimated that current levels of air pollution shorten the statistical life expectancy of European citizens by several months. The GAINS integrated assessment model calculates shortening of life expectancy from population exposure to PM_2.5 using epidemiologically-derived health impact functions. In addition, GAINS estimates PM_2.5 concentrations at 1875 air quality monitoring stations located in diverse environments ranging from remote background locations to busy street canyons. In this article, different approaches to dealing with the PM_2.5 pollution problem are compared. We assess for the present and future the attainment of EU and WHO air quality standards for PM_2.5 and estimate the loss of life expectancy under different policy scenarios developed for the ongoing revision of the EU Air Quality Legislation.     

Satellite remote sensing of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air quality over Beijing using MODIS

Fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameters of less than 2.5 µm, PM_2.5) air pollution has become one of the major environmental challenges, causing severe environmental issues in urban visibility, climate, and public health. In this study, ground-level PM_2.5 concentrations, air-quality categories (AQCs), and health risk categories (HRCs) over Beijing, China, have been estimated based on mid-visible column aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements extracted from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data on board both Terra and Aqua satellites. Our results indicate that the MODIS AOD retrievals at 550 nm (AOD₅₅₀) match hourly aerosol robotic network (AERONET) measurements with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.950 for Terra and 0.895 for Aqua. The relationship between ground-level PM_2.5 and MODIS AOD₅₅₀ from March 2012 to February 2013 showed correlation coefficients of 0.69, 0.60, and 0.73 for spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. The atmospheric boundary layer height and relative humidity (RH) adjustments improved the AOD–PM_2.5 relationship in summer months. The estimates of daily average PM_2.5 from satellite measurements were used to predict both AQCs and HRCs, which are well matched with observations. Satellite remote sensing of atmospheric aerosols continues to show great potential for estimating ground-level PM_2.5 concentrations and can be further used to monitor the atmospheric environment in China.     

Remote sensing of ambient particles in Delhi and its environs: estimation and validation

Recent advances in atmospheric remote sensing offer a unique opportunity to compute indirect estimates of air quality, particularly for developing countries that lack adequate spatial–temporal coverage of air pollution monitoring. The present research establishes an empirical relationship between satellite‐based aerosol optical depth (AOD) and ambient particulate matter (PM) in Delhi and its environs. The PM data come from two different sources. Firstly, a field campaign was conducted to monitor airborne particles?2.5 µm and?10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ respectively) at 113 spatially dispersed sites from July to December 2003 using photometric samplers. Secondly, data on eight hourly PM₁₀ and total suspended particulate (TSP) matter, collected using gravimetric samplers, from 2000 to 2005 were acquired from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The aerosol optical depths were estimated from MODIS data, acquired from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Sciences Distributed Active Archive Center from 2000 to 2005. Both the PM and AOD data were collocated by time and space: PM mass±150 min of AOD time, and ±2.5 and 5 km radius (separately) of the centroid of the AOD pixel for the 5 and 10 km AOD, respectively. The analysis here shows that PM correlates positively with the 5 km AOD; a 1% change in the AOD explains 0.52%±0.20% and 0.39%±0.15% changes in PM_2.5 within 45 and 150 min intervals (of AOD data) respectively. At a coarser spatial resolution, however, the relationship between AOD and PM is relatively weak. But, the relationship turns significantly stronger when monthly estimates are analysed over a span of six years (2000 to 2005), especially for the winter months, which have relatively stable meteorological conditions.     

Multi year satellite remote sensing of particulate matter air quality over Sydney,Australia

Particulate matter (PM) air‐quality information is usually derived from ground‐based instruments. These measurements, while valuable, are not well suited to provide air‐quality information over large spatial scales. In this study, using 4 years of satellite aerosol optical thickness (AOT) at 0.55 µm derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites, we present a multi‐year air analysis of PM air quality over Sydney, Australia. We then compare the satellite data with PM_2.5 mass concentration measurements from six ground‐based stations in the area. Our results indicate significant diurnal variations and an overall increase in PM_2.5 during Southern Hemisphere spring and summer seasons due to bush fires. The air quality in Sydney, Australia is good throughout the year except during major bushfires when PM_2.5 mass loading can increase from normal (<20 µg m^?3) to unhealthy conditions (>70 µg m^?3). The satellite data also show corresponding AOT changes from less than 0.1 to greater than 1.0 during bushfire events. We conclude that satellite data are an excellent tool for studying PM air quality over large areas, especially when ground measurements are not available. While this is the first multi‐year combined satellite and ground‐based air quality analysis over Sydney, ancillary information from lidars, sun photometers, and size‐resolved chemistry measurements will further enhance our capability to monitor and forecast air quality in and around Sydney.     

Analysis of air pollution during a severe smog episode of November 2012 and the Diwali Festival over Delhi,India

The hazardous combination of smoke and pollutant gases, smog, is harmful for health. The harmful smog episodes over London, the Meuse Valley, and Donora are some of the well-known pollution episodes formed due to the mixture of smoky fumes and adverse meteorological conditions. A severe smog episode was observed over Delhi, India, during November 2012, resulting in very low visibility and various respiratory problems. Very high values of pollutants (particulate matter, PM₁₀ as high as 989 µg m^?3, PM_2.5 as high as 585 µg m^?3, and nitrogen dioxide as high as 540 µg m^?3) were measured all over Delhi during the smog episode. In the study done, episodes of different nature and intensity are analysed based on remote-sensing data for 3 years (2010–2012): one of regional origin (the Delhi smog episode of 2012) and another of local origin (Diwali). Remote-sensing and in situ data have revealed an insight into the genesis and temporal and spatial variance during these episodes. Extensive use of satellite-derived parameters such as fire maps, the ultra violet aerosol index from the Aura satellite, and aerosol optical depth is made in the present study along with the output trajectories from the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian-Integrated Trajectory model and in situ data. It is observed that during the smog episode all the aerosol optical depth, ultra violet aerosol index, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ values surpassed those of the Diwali period (which in itself is a major dreaded annual air pollution event in the city) by a considerable amount at all stations across Delhi. The parameters used from the remote-sensing data and the ground-based observations at various stations across Delhi are very well in agreement with the intensity of smog episodes. The analysis clearly shows that regional pollution can have a greater contribution towards deteriorating air quality than local pollution under adverse meteorological conditions and is in agreement with other similar studies over Delhi.     

Estimation of particulate matter from satellite- and ground-based observations over Hyderabad,India

Long-term trends in surface-level particulate matter of dynamic diameter ≤2 µm (PM₂) in regard to air quality observations over Greater Hyderabad Region (GHR), India are estimated by the synergy of ground-based measurements and satellite observations during the period 2001–2013 (satellite) and July 2009–Dec 2013 (ground-based). Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived aerosol optical thickness (AOT) (MODIS-AOTs) was validated against that measured from Microtops-II Sunphotometer (MTS) AOTs (MTS-AOTs) and then utilized to estimate surface-level PM₂ concentrations over GHR using regression analysis between MODIS-AOTs, MTS-AOTs, and measured PM₂. In general, the MODIS-estimated PM₂ concentrations fell within the uncertainty of the measurements, thus allowing the estimate of PM₂ from MODIS, although in some cases they differed significantly due to vertical heterogeneity in aerosol distribution and the presence of distinct elevated aerosol layers of different origin and characteristics. Furthermore, significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the AOT and PM₂ estimates is observed in urban environments, especially during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons, which reduces the accuracy of the PM₂ estimates from MODIS. The estimates of PM₂ using MTS or MODIS-AOT exhibit a root mean square deference (RMSD) of about 8–16% against measured PM₂ on a seasonal basis. Furthermore, a tendency of increasing PM₂ concentrations is observed, which however is difficult to quantify for urban areas due to uncertainties in PM₂ estimations and gaps in the data set. Examination of surface and columnar aerosol concentrations, along with meteorological parameters from radiosonde observations on certain days, reveals that changes in local emissions and boundary-layer dynamics, and the presence or arrival of distinct aerosol plumes aloft, are major concerns in the accurate estimation of PM₂ from MODIS, while the large spatial distribution of aerosol and pollutants in the urban environment makes such estimates a considerable challenge.     

Monitoring 2.5 μm particulate matter within urbanized regions using satellite-derived aerosol optical thickness,a study in Hong Kong

This study investigates the relationship between aerosol optical thickness (AOT) derived from MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite and in situ particulate matter (PM_2.5) from Hong Kong air-quality monitoring stations. The relationship was analysed for three different AOT products, namely, MODIS collection 5 AOT data, MODIS collection 5 fine-mode fraction AOT data, both at 10 km resolution, and MODIS AOT data at 500 m resolution. In view of the predicted low accuracies obtainable for MODIS AOT products for the south China region, these AOT products were first validated against AOT measurements from an AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) station near the centre of Hong Kong. Strong relationships of R ²?=?0.78 and R ²?=?0.77 for the 10 km and 500 m AOT data, respectively, were obtained, thus providing a robust AOT image database at both coarse and fine spatial resolution for comparison with PM_2.5 concentrations. When a whole year (2007) of AOT images was compared with PM_2.5 concentrations recorded at five ground stations, correlations of R ²?=?0.31, R ²?=?0.10 and R ²?=?0.67 were obtained for collection 5, fine-mode fraction of collection 5 (both at 10 km resolution) and 500 m AOT, respectively. Strong correlations between MODIS 500 m AOT and PM_2.5 concentration were also observed for individual stations (R ²?=?0.66, 0.74, 0.76, 0.56 and 0.62, for Central, Tung Chung, Tseun Wan, Yuen Long and Tap Mun stations, respectively). The study suggests that fine particle distributions at a high level of detail over whole cities may be obtained from satellite images. Since the model has potential for further refinement, monitoring of detailed PM_2.5 concentrations on a routine basis from satellite images will provide a highly useful tool for urban environmental authorities.     

基于KNN-LSTM的PM2.5浓度预测模型

目前多数PM_2.5浓度预测模型仅利用单个站点的时间序列数据进行浓度预测, 并没有考虑到空气质量监测站之间的区域关联性, 这会导致预测存在一定的片面性. 本文利用KNN算法选择目标站点所在区域中与其相关的空间因素, 并结合LSTM模型, 提出基于时空特征的KNN-LSTM的PM_2.5浓度预测模型. 以哈尔滨市10个空气质量监测站的污染物数据进行仿真实验, 并将KNN-LSTM模型与其他预测模型进行对比, 结果显示: 模型相较于BP神经网络模型平均绝对误差(MAE)、均方根误差(RMSE)分别降低了19.25%、13.23%; 相较于LSTM模型MAE、RMSE分别降低了4.29%、6.99%. 表明本文所提KNN-LSTM模型能有效提高LSTM模型的预测精度.     

Estimating and source analysis of surface PM2.5 concentration in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region based on MODIS data and air trajectories

Particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of <2.5 μm (PM_2.5) has become the primary air pollutant in most major cities in China. Some studies have indicated that there is a positive correlation between the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and surface-level PM_2.5 concentration. In order to estimate PM_2.5 concentration over large areas, a model relating the concentration of PM_2.5 and AOT has been established. The scale height of aerosol and relative humidity as well as the effect of surface temperature and wind velocity were introduced to enhance the model. 2013 full year Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) AOT data and ground measurements of the PM_2.5 concentration in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region were used to fit a seasonal multivariate linear equation relating PM_2.5 concentration and AOT, and the accuracy of the model has been determined. When comparing MODIS-estimated PM_2.5 with the measurements from ground monitoring stations during spring, summer, autumn and winter, we found the R² values were 0.45, 0.45, 0.37, and 0.31, respectively. Based on this model, the spatial distribution of PM_2.5 concentration during four typical haze events sampled by seasons was derived, and displayed with the backward air trajectories calculated using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. We undertook a preliminary analysis about the source of surface-level PMs and the process of its accumulation and dispersion during the haze episodes by analysing the effect of terrain and topography in the specific location of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. The spatial distribution of the PM_2.5 concentration showed that the high value region was generally in the southeast of the study area, which approximately overlapped an area of lower vegetation coverage, and the temporal variation of PM_2.5 concentration indicated that the air pollution was more severe during winter and spring than summer and autumn. The results of the analysis of backward air trajectories suggested that the hazy weather in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region was mainly caused by unfavourable terrain and weather conditions.     

Spatial-temporal association between fine particulate matter and daily mortality

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is a mixture of pollutants that has been linked to serious health problems, including premature mortality. Since the chemical composition of PM_2.5 varies across space and time, the association between PM_2.5 and mortality could also change with space and season. A statistical multi-stage Bayesian framework is developed and implemented, which provides a very broad and flexible approach to studying the spatiotemporal associations between mortality and population exposure to daily PM_2.5 mass, while accounting for different sources of uncertainty. The first stage of the framework maps ambient PM_2.5 air concentrations using all available monitoring data (IMPROVE and FRM) and an air quality model (CMAQ) at different spatial and temporal scales. The second stage of the framework examines the spatial temporal relationships between the health end-points and the exposures to PM_2.5 by introducing a spatial-temporal generalized Poisson regression model. A method to adjust for time-varying confounders such as seasonal trends is proposed. A common seasonal trends model uses a fixed number of basis functions to account for these confounders, but the results can be sensitive to the number of basis functions. Thus, instead the number of the basis functions is treated as an unknown parameter in the Bayesian model, and a space-time stochastic search variable selection approach is used. The framework is illustrated using a data set in North Carolina for the year 2001.     

Unraveling environmental justice in ambient PM2.5 exposure in Beijing: A big data approach

Air pollution imposes significant environmental and health risks worldwide and is expected to deteriorate in the coming decade as cities expand. Measuring population exposure to air pollution is crucial to quantifying risks to public health. In this work, we introduce a big data analytics framework to model residents' stay and commuters' travel exposure to outdoor PM_2.5 and evaluate their environmental justice, with Beijing as an example. Using mobile phone and census data, we first infer travel demand of the population to derive residents' stay activities in each analysis zone, and then focus on commuters and estimate their travel routes with a traffic assignment model. Based on air quality observations from monitoring stations and a spatial interpolation model, we estimate the outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations at a 500-m grid level and map them to road networks. We then estimate the travel exposure for each road segment by multiplying the PM_2.5 concentration and travel time spent on the road. By combining the estimated PM_2.5 exposure and housing price harnessed from online housing transaction platforms, we discover that in the winter, Beijing commuters with low wealth level are exposed to 13% more PM_2.5 per hour than those with high wealth level when staying at home, but exposed to less PM_2.5 by 5% when commuting the same distance (due to lighter traffic congestion in suburban areas). We also find that the residents from the southern suburbs of Beijing have both lower level of wealth and higher stay- and travel- exposure to PM_2.5, especially in the winter. These findings inform more equitable environmental mitigation policies for future sustainable development in Beijing. Finally, or the first time in the literature, we compare the results of exposure estimated from passive data with subjective measures of perceived air quality (PAQ) from a survey. The PAQ data was collected via a mobile-app. The comparison confirms consistencies in results and the advantages of the big data for air pollution exposure assessments.     

Investigating the sensitivity of health benefits to focussed PM2.5 emission abatement strategies

Modelling, pollution monitoring and epidemiological studies all have a role to play in developing effective policies to improve air quality and human health. Epidemiological studies have shown that of particular importance are the effects of fine particulate matter, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 which can penetrate into human lungs. At present it is not clear which components of PM are responsible for health effects although toxicological studies have identified several potential factors. Hence, based on WHO guidance, current legislation has focused on the total mass, with the EC setting limit values on total PM₁₀, followed by target reductions for population exposure to PM_2.5 in urban agglomerations. Trends in measured concentrations at selected urban monitoring stations are required as evidence for achievement of these reductions. This paper addresses these issues at the borough level in London using the integrated assessment model UKIAM, developed originally for application at the national scale, with illustrations comparing abatement of two contrasting sources – domestic combustion and road transport. The former, dominated by natural gas generating NO_X emissions, contributes to longer range secondary PM formation extending beyond the city. The latter is an important source of black carbon as a primary pollutant causing local exposure, as well as NO_X. WHO data is used in relation to impacts of particle concentrations by mass, and response functions for black carbon are taken from the literature. The results show that from a city perspective there are enhanced benefits from reducing the road transport emissions, especially with regard to potential toxicity of black carbon. The scenarios modelled also highlight the spatial variations of benefits across London, and illustrate deviations from trends as represented by limited monitoring data from the different boroughs, together with the influence upon exposure of mobile population within the city.     

基于自适应层级图卷积的多站点空气质量预测模型

时空预测任务在污染治理、交通、能源、气象等领域应用广泛. PM_2.5浓度预测作为典型的时空预测任务, 需要对空气质量数据中的时空依赖关系进行分析和利用. 现有时空图神经网络(ST-GNNs)研究所使用的邻接矩阵使用启发式规则预定义, 无法准确表示站点之间的真实关系. 本文提出了一种自适应分层图卷积神经网络(AHGCNN)用于PM_2.5预测. 首先, 引入了一种分层映射图卷积架构, 在不同层级上使用不同的自学习邻接矩阵, 以有效挖掘不同站点之间独特的时空依赖. 其次, 以基于注意力的聚合机制连接上下层邻接矩阵, 加速收敛过程. 最后, 将隐藏的空间状态与门控循环单元相结合, 形成一个统一的预测架构, 同时捕捉多层次的空间依赖关系和时间依赖关系, 提供最终的预测结果. 实验中, 我们与7种主流预测模型进行对比, 结果表明该模型可以有效获取空气监测站点之间的时空依赖, 提高预测精确度.     

基于注意力机制和高斯概率估计的PM2.5浓度预测

作为衡量空气污染物浓度的重要指标, 对PM_2.5浓度进行监控预测, 能够有效地保护大气环境, 进一步地减少空气污染带来的危害. 随着空气质量自动监测站的大范围建立, 由传统的机器学习搭建的空气质量预测模型已经不能满足当今的需求. 本文提出了一种基于多头注意力机制和高斯概率估计的高斯-注意力预测模型, 并对沈阳市某监测站点的数据进行了训练和测试. 该模型考虑了PM_2.5浓度受到其他空气质量数据的影响, 将空气质量数据的分层时间戳(周、日、小时)的信息对齐作为输入, 使用多头注意力机制对于不同子空间的时间序列关联特征进行提取, 能够获得更加完善有效的特征信息, 再经过高斯似然估计得到预测结果. 通过与多种基准模型进行对比, 相较于性能较优的DeepAR, 高斯-注意力预测模型的MSE、MAE分别下降了21%、15%, 有效地提高了预测准确率, 能够较准确地预测出PM_2.5浓度.     

A correlation analysis of monthly mean CO2 retrieved from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder with surface station measurements

As one of the major greenhouse gases, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations have been monitored by both top-down satellite observations and air sampling systems on surface stations. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on board NASA’s Aqua low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite is a high-resolution infrared sounder that has been in operation for more than 10 years. The World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) archives and provides data on CO₂ and other greenhouse gases measured mainly from surface stations. In this article, we focus on the correlation between the two different sources of CO₂ data and the influencing factors. In general, we find that a linear positive correlation occurs at most stations. However, the variation in the correlation coefficient is large, especially for stations in the Northern Hemisphere. The station’s location, including its latitude, longitude, and altitude, is an important influencing factor because it determines how much its CO₂ measurements are influenced by human activities. We also use root mean square difference (RMSD) and bias as evaluation indicators and find that they have similar trends like correlation coefficients.     

Space–time modelling of air quality for environmental-risk maps: A case study in South Portugal

Since the 1960s, there has been a strong industrial development in the Sines area, on the southern Atlantic coast of Portugal, including the construction of an important industrial harbour and of, mainly, petrochemical and energy-related industries. These industries are, nowadays, responsible for substantial emissions of SO₂, NO_x, particles, VOCs and part of the ozone polluting the atmosphere. The major industries are spatially concentrated in a restricted area, very close to populated areas and natural resources such as those protected by the European Natura 2000 network. Air quality parameters are measured at the emissions’ sources and at a few monitoring stations. Although air quality parameters are measured on an hourly basis, the lack of representativeness in space of these non-homogeneous phenomena makes even their representativeness in time questionable. Hence, in this study, the regional spatial dispersion of contaminants is also evaluated, using diffusive-sampler (Radiello Passive Sampler) campaigns during given periods. Diffusive samplers cover the entire space extensively, but just for a limited period of time.In the first step of this study, a space–time model of pollutants was built, based on a stochastic simulation—direct sequential simulation—with local spatial trend. The spatial dispersion of the contaminants for a given period of time—corresponding to the exposure time of the diffusive samplers—was computed by ordinary kriging. Direct sequential simulation was applied to produce equiprobable spatial maps for each day of that period, using the kriged map as a spatial trend and the daily measurements of pollutants from the monitoring stations as hard data.In the second step, the following environmental risk and costs maps were computed from the set of simulated realizations of pollutants: (i) maps of the contribution of each emission to the pollutant concentration at any spatial location; (ii) costs of badly located monitoring stations.     

PM10 remote sensing from geostationary SEVIRI and polar-orbiting MODIS sensors over the complex terrain of the European Alpine region

The subject of this study is to investigate the capability of spaceborne remote sensing data to predict ground concentrations of PM₁₀ over the European Alpine region using satellite derived Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from the geostationary Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) and the polar-orbiting MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The spatial and temporal resolutions of these aerosol products (10 km and 2 measurements per day for MODIS, ∼ 25 km and observation intervals of 15 min for SEVIRI) permit an evaluation of PM estimation from space at different spatial and temporal scales. Different empirical linear relationships between coincident AOD and PM₁₀ observations are evaluated at 13 ground-based PM measurement sites, with the assumption that aerosols are vertically homogeneously distributed below the planetary Boundary Layer Height (BLH). The BLH and Relative Humidity (RH) variability are assessed, as well as their impact on the parameterization. The BLH has a strong influence on the correlation of daily and hourly time series, whilst RH effects are less clear and smaller in magnitude. Despite its lower spatial resolution and AOD accuracy, SEVIRI shows higher correlations than MODIS (r_SEV∼ 0.7, r_MOD∼ 0.6) with regard to daily averaged PM₁₀. Advantages from MODIS arise only at hourly time scales in mountainous locations but lower correlations were found for both sensors at this time scale (r∼ 0.45). Moreover, the fraction of days in 2008 with at least one satellite observation was 27% for SEVIRI and 17% for MODIS. These results suggest that the frequency of observations plays an important role in PM monitoring, while higher spatial resolution does not generally improve the PM estimation. Ground-based Sun Photometer (SP) measurements are used to validate the satellite-based AOD in the study region and to discuss the impact of aerosols' micro-physical properties in the empirical models. A lower error limit of 30 to 60% in the PM₁₀ assessment from space is estimated in the study area as a result of AOD uncertainties, variability of aerosols properties and the heterogeneity of ground measurement sites. It is concluded that SEVIRI has a similar capacity to map PM as sensors on board polar-orbiting platforms, with the advantage of a higher number of observations. However, the accuracy represents a serious limitation to the applicability of satellites for ground PM mapping, especially in mountainous areas.     

An intelligent HVAC control strategy for supplying comfortable and energy-efficient school environment

In South Korea, school buildings require significant energy inputs for heating and air-conditioning, and the majority of the occupants are adolescent students, whose health and cognitive performance are vulnerable to poor indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal discomfort. Using field measurements, some previous studies have reported that some Korean schools have poor IAQ and thermal conditions. Thus, it is necessary to develop effective heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) control strategies to improve the indoor environment and reduce energy consumption. Therefore, this study proposes an intelligent HVAC integrated control strategy that can improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and reduce energy consumption in school buildings. The proposed strategy utilizes an integrated neural network prediction model for IEQ and a heuristic method that can optimize control objectives (i.e., the predicted mean vote [PMV], carbon dioxide [CO₂], particulate matter with diameters of 10 and 2.5 μm [PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, respectively], and HVAC energy consumption). To evaluate the control performance of the proposed strategy, the present study employs two base algorithms (i.e., a rule-based and a non-adaptive control approach) under non-disturbance and forcing disturbance scenarios. The control failure period for PMV is found to be 1.6420% and 9.4773% of the total occupancy period under the non-disturbance and forcing disturbance scenarios, respectively, while CO₂ control failure does not occur under either scenario. The control failure periods for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were 5.1676%, and 7.1844%, respectively, under forcing disturbance. Under the non-disturbance scenario, the proposed strategy consumed 2,467.07 kWh and 870,26 kWh for heating and cooling, respectively, representing 91.1% and 84.08% of that for the rule-based algorithm. The proposed strategy can thus effectively improve the IEQ of a building and has the potential for use in the development of integrated environmental management solutions for buildings.     

A semi-empirical model for predicting hourly ground-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration in southern Ontario from satellite remote sensing and ground-based meteorological measurements

A semi-empirical model is developed to predict the hourly concentration of ground-level fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) coincident to satellite overpass, at a regional scale. The model corrects the aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) by the assimilated parameters characterizing the boundary layer and further adjusts the corrected value according to meteorological conditions near the ground. The model was built and validated using the data collected for southern Ontario, Canada for 2004. Overall, the model is able to explain 65% of the variability in ground-level PM_2.5 concentration. The model-predicted values of PM_2.5 mass concentration are highly correlated with the actual observations. The root-mean-square error of the model is 6.1 µg/m³. The incorporation of ground-level temperature and relative humidity is found to be significant in improving the model predictability. The coarse resolution of the assimilated meteorological fields limits their value in the AOD correction. Although MODIS AOD data is acquired on a daily basis and the valid data coverage can sometimes be very limited due to unfavourable weather conditions, the model provides a cost-effective approach for obtaining supplemental PM_2.5 concentration information in addition to the ground-based monitoring station measurement.