Modelling the dispersion of particle number concentrations in the West Midlands, UK using the ADMS-Urban model

Jian Zhong; Roy M Harrison; William James Bloss; Antoon Visschedijk; Hugo Denier van der Gon

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2023.108273

Modelling the dispersion of particle number concentrations in the West Midlands, UK using the ADMS-Urban model

Environ Int. 2023 Nov:181:108273. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108273. Epub 2023 Oct 18.

Authors

Jian Zhong¹, Roy M Harrison², William James Bloss¹, Antoon Visschedijk³, Hugo Denier van der Gon³

Affiliations

¹ School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
² School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Department of Environment, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: r.m.harrison@bham.ac.uk.
³ Department of Air Quality and Emissions Research, TNO, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

PMID: 37897872
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108273

Abstract

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are respirable particles with a diameter less than 100 nm, which some studies have associated with adverse effects upon health. UFPs are currently not regulated as the health evidence is insufficient and very few observational data are available in most cities. The 2021 WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines highlighted the pressing issue of UFPs and provided a good practice statement for UFPs, which recommends that more measurement and modelling studies are implemented in future. Particle number concentrations (PNC) are the most common metric for UFPs as this fraction normally dominates the total ambient PNC in urban environments. This study simulates the dispersion of particle number concentrations in the West Midlands (a metropolitan area), UK using the local scale ADMS-Urban model, which is an advanced quasi-Gaussian plume dispersion modelling system. ADMS-Urban implements a physics-based approach to represent the characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer and has been widely used in the dispersion modelling of air pollutants. It can represent a variety of source types (such as road and grid emissions) occurring in urban environments and requires a range of input data. Particle number was used as a passive scalar, with no inclusion of aerosol microphysics within the model, as a first implementation in the ADMS-Urban model for the West Midlands, UK. Evaluation was conducted by comparing the modelled (from a receptor run) and measured data at the Birmingham Air Quality Supersite. Overall, the model performed well although there was a slight underestimation for PNC. Based on the modelling output from a contour run, PNC maps at a variety of spatial scales (i.e. street scale, ward level and local authority level) and temporal resolutions (i.e. annual, 24-hour, and 1-hour) were generated. PNC mapping could be linked to local population and health data for potential epidemiological studies.

Keywords: Dispersion modelling; Mapping; Particle number; Ultrafine particles; Urban environments.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
Cities
Environmental Monitoring
Particle Size
Particulate Matter / analysis
United Kingdom
Vehicle Emissions / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Vehicle Emissions