Local traffic contribution to black carbon horizontal and vertical profiles in compact urban areas

Abstract

Urban air pollution is characterized by strong spatial gradients produced by the presence of heavily trafficked streets. Given the negative health effects of air pollution, decision makers are implementing policies to reduce air pollution by modifying traffic flows near activity patterns of vulnerable populations. However, to our knowledge, there is quite a lack of appropriate decision tools to support such modifications at neighborhood to street levels. Measured horizontal and vertical distributions of traffic air pollutants can help understanding the variation of concentrations at increasing distances from emitting roads. Yet, models are still necessary to estimate the contribution of local traffic to measured concentrations. The main objective of this work is to investigate the contribution of local traffic to black carbon horizontal and vertical profiles based on measurements and model simulations. We will discuss the degree of influence of the different streets on black carbon measured profiles in Barcelona.