The soot of megacity traffic contributes to global warming

The soot of megacity traffic contributes to global warming https://noticiasdelaciencia.com/upload/images/12_2018/2832_6897_web.jpg?18

The soot of megacity traffic contributes to global warming





In emerging countries, soot, the product of vehicular traffic, can reach great heights, from where it can be transported long distances and, therefore, contribute to global warming. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by an international team of researchers in the Bolivian cities of La Paz (the seat of government), El Alto and the neighboring observatory of climate monitoring in the Chacaltaya mountain. For this reason, the reduction of pollutants from road traffic, such as soot particles from diesel cars, should have a high priority to protect the health of the population in the growing urban conglomerates of emerging countries and at the same time reduce the global warming. The results have been published in the journal Atmospheric Environment.

 

From 3 to 14 December, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 24) was held in Katowice, Poland, where member states discussed climate protection measures and will negotiate the implementation of the Paris Convention on Climate Change. IASS Potsdam, FZ Jülich and TROPOS discuss in a forum in the EU Pavilion how the reduction of atmospheric pollution can contribute to health and climate protection.

 



 

(Photo: Ever Veimar Huanca Lucero)

 

The soot particles produced in combustion processes contribute significantly to air pollution because they contain heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are toxic. Therefore, a reduction of soot particles through circulation restrictions for old diesel vehicles can significantly reduce the impact on health, as shown by the LfULG and TROPOS studies based on the low emission area in Leipzig 2017. However, soot not only has a negative effect on human health, it also contributes to global warming by absorbing solar radiation.

 

According to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there are still significant uncertainties regarding the amounts and distribution of soot in the atmosphere. Although altitude observatories in the Himalayas or the Alps provide information on these processes, the picture is still very incomplete, especially for the southern hemisphere. It is likely that in the tropics large amounts of soot will enter the atmosphere through forest fires as well as vehicular traffic in the growing conurbations of emerging countries. Therefore, scientists hope to obtain important information from the Chacaltaya mountain observatory in Bolivia, which began operating in 2012. At 5240 meters, this observatory is currently the highest measuring station in the world. It is operated by an international consortium led by the Mayor University of San Andrés (UMSA-LFA) in Bolivia and by institutes of France (University of Grenoble / IGE, Laboratory of Climate Sciences and Environment / LSCE and Laboratoire de Météorologie Physique / LaMP ), Germany (Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research / TROPOS) and Sweden (Stockholm University / SU). Chacaltaya is a unique observatory in the southern hemisphere and of great importance for atmospheric research. With Bogotá (approximately 7 million inhabitants in 2640m), Quito (approximately 2 million inhabitants in 2850m) and La Paz / El Alto (approximately 2 million inhabitants between 3400 and 4100 m), many of the fastest growing cities in The region in South America is located at high altitude. Therefore, air pollution in this region has a particularly strong impact on the atmosphere and global climate.

 

In relation to the recently published study, the team composed of researchers from Bolivia, Germany, France, United States, Sweden and Italy could benefit from unique conditions: with three stations at different altitudes (La Paz center at 3590 m, El Alto airport at 4040 m and the Chacaltaya observatory at 5240 m), it was possible to explain the vertical transport of soot. "The measurements clearly show how the soot of the valley of the city emerges with the hot air up to the El Alto plateau and then partly to the peaks of the Andes," explains Professor Alfred Wiedensohler of TROPOS. From the point of view of the scientists, there is no doubt that the soot in La Paz comes mainly from vehicular traffic. During the population census of November 21, 2012, all traffic in Bolivia was completely prohibited for 24 hours so that the population could register in their place of residence. Only ambulances could drive for emergency operations. "The result was impressive: the load of soot on the road was reduced from around 20 to less than one microgram per cubic meter, which corresponds approximately to the reduction of 100 to five percent." There is no clearer way to demonstrate the contribution of soot to air pollution from wheeled traffic ", reports Alfred Wiedensohler. This finding, adds Dr. Marcos Andrade of the LFA-UMSA and co-author of the study, is important because several cities in the region could face the same problem. For example, Cochabamba, the third largest metropolitan area in Bolivia, has serious air quality problems according to the World Health Organization. Therefore, this study can contribute to strengthen the regulations to improve air quality in different cities of the country. For the scientists involved in the study, it is obvious that the growing traffic of diesel vehicles without particle filters is a growing risk to the health of millions of people in the megacities of emerging countries. Soot is also slowing down efforts to limit climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (Source: Tilo Arnhold / TROPOS)
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