A source apportionment and air quality planning methodology for NO2 pollution from traffic and other sources.

In view of upcoming more stringent air quality limits and the ambition to align with the WHO guidelines, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) pollution from traffic and other sources will remain a problem in the EU. To assess the impact of traffic measures and emission reductions in other sectors on NO 2 -concentrations, an EU-wide high-resolution NO 2 source apportionment web-application was developed. The application allows users to define scenarios in a user-friendly way and quickly visualize the NO 2 -concentrations at measurement stations and in cities. The user can configure a new Euro 7/VII emission standard and additionally define urban access regulations scenarios in cities. To capture the spatial scales of NO 2 pollution, the SHERPA source-receptor model was used in combination with the QUARK kernel dispersion model. The first model considers long-distance impacts, the latter considers the strong concentration gradients close to roads. This paper focuses on the methodology, a follow-up paper describes the web-application. • We present a method for fast sectoral and spatial NO 2 source apportionment. • The road transport sector is considered in high detail and at 100-m resolution. • The impact of a new vehicle emission standard for NO x can be simulated. • The effect of urban access regulations can be simulated in 948 European cities. • NO 2 concentration effects are visualized at measurement stations and over cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]