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One of people's greatest concerns about air quality degradation is its impact on human health. This work is a case study that aims to investigate the air quality and the related impact on people's health in a coastal city over the eastern Mediterranean. The analysis proceeded during a low-tourist density period, covering the days from 17 to 27 November 2022. Hourly PM 2.5 , NO 2 and O 3 concentration records from three, mobile, Air Quality Monitoring Systems (AQMS), established in an urban location, port and central area of Rhodes city, are analyzed. To investigate the impact of pollution levels on human health, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is calculated. The daily and diurnal variation of pollutants' concentration and AQHI among the different areas, as well as the relation among the ambient air pollutants and AQHI, are studied. Additionally, to investigate the impact of wind regime on the variation of pollution and AQHI levels, the hourly zonal and meridional wind-speed components, as well as the temperature at 2 m, the dew point temperature at 2 m, and the height of the boundary layer from ERA5 reanalysis, are retrieved for the region of the southeastern Mediterranean. Results show that the highest pollution level occurs in the city center of Rhodes, compared to the rest of the studied locations. In general, the findings do not show exceedances of the pollutants' concentration according to the European Directive 2008/50/EC. Moreover, findings show that in some cases, the health risk is classified from Low to Moderate in terms of AQHI. The analysis indicates that the climate conditions affect the pollutants' concentration due to dispersion, and likely, the atmospheric transport of pollutants. Finally, this work aims to improve the knowledge regarding the air quality of southeastern Greece, promoting the framework for the green and sustainable development of the South Aegean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In July 2022, strong and high-frequency northern sector winds blew over the Aegean Sea. The low tropospheric circulation in combination with air quality and human comfort is of great importance for the climate and human health. This study investigates the variation in pollutants' concentrations (PM10, NO2, O3 and SO2), meteorological factors (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction) and the discomfort index in the city of Rhodes during July 2022. Additionally, the impact of Etesians on pollution levels is studied. The strength of the Etesian flow is quantified by calculating a statistical index that takes the July pressure gradient (ΔP) over the Aegean Sea into consideration. For the analysis, pollutants' concentration recordings from a mobile air-quality-monitoring system during July 2022 and mean sea level pressure (MSLP) data from ERA5 reanalysis during July for the period from 1980 to 2022 are analyzed. The results indicate that traffic affects the pollution level although the pollution limits, according to the European directive for air quality (2008/50/EC), are not exceeded. The findings also reveal an increase in ΔP, about 1.8 hPa, during 2022 compared to the period from 1980 to 2022 and the dipole of high (over Balkans) and low (over eastern Mediterranean) pressure centers also strengthens, leading to stronger winds over the Aegean Sea. The ΔP is strongly correlated (0.8) to the first principal component of MSLP over the eastern Mediterranean. Finally, this study shows that the Etesian flow tends to reduce the concentration of PM10, NO2 and O3, and improving the air quality in the city of Rhodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]