1. Tracking Airborne Pollution with Environmental Magnetism in A Medium-Sized African City
- Author
-
Dawaï, Daouda, Macouin, Mélina, Rousse, Sonia, Léon, Jean-François, Gountié Dedzo, Merlin, Drigo, Loïc, Dedzo, Merlin, Laboratoire d'aérologie (LAERO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and ANR-19-CE04-0008,BREATHE,La bio-surveillance magnétique des émissions de particules fines: Un partenariat sciences et citoyens sur la qualité de l'air.(2019)
- Subjects
Pollution ,Atmospheric Science ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Environmental magnetism ,media_common.quotation_subject ,neem trees ,Air pollution ,010501 environmental sciences ,Environmental Science (miscellaneous) ,medicine.disease_cause ,01 natural sciences ,biomagnetism ,Meteorology. Climatology ,Bark (sound) ,11. Sustainability ,medicine ,Environmental impact assessment ,Air quality index ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,media_common ,Central Africa ,Environmental engineering ,Particulates ,air quality ,Spatialization ,deposited atmospheric dust ,13. Climate action ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,Environmental science ,QC851-999 ,urban pollution ,magnetic susceptibility - Abstract
As in other parts of the world, air pollution over West and Central Africa has major health and meteorological impacts. Air quality assessment and its possible sanitary impact have become essential even in medium-sized towns, therefore amplifying the need for easy-to-implement monitoring methods with low environmental impact. We present here the potential of magnetic methods to monitor air quality at street level in the medium-sized city of Maroua (northern Cameroon) affected by dust-laden desert winds. More than five hundred (544) samples of bark and leaves taken from Neem trees in Maroua were analyzed. Magnetic susceptibility, saturation remanence, and S-ratio were found to determine the concentration and nature of magnetic particles. They are dominated by magnetite-like particle signals as a part of particulate emissions due to urban activities, including both traffic, composed of a substantial proportion of motorcycles, and wood burning for food preparation. We show that both bark and leaves from Neem trees are adequate passive bio-recorders. The use of both enables different times and heights to be sampled, allowing for the high-resolution monitoring, in terms of spatialization, of various urban environments. Particle emissions require assessment and screening that could be carried out rapidly and efficiently by magnetic methods on bio-recorders, even in cities impacted by dust-laden wind.
- Published
- 2021