A coupled macroscopic traffic and pollutant emission modelling system for Barcelona

We present a coupled macroscopic traffic and emission modelling system tailored to the Barcelona metropolitan area that allows estimating hourly road transport emissions at road link level. We use the developed system to perform an emission sensitivity analysis of typically high uncertainty emission features and assess their impact. We also explore the uncertainties of our system compared to a microscopic approach in a representative area of Barcelona. The developed macroscopic system shows a high sensitivity to spatially-resolved vehicle fleet composition inputs, meteorological effects on diesel engines (+19% in NOx) and non-exhaust sources (80% of total PM emissions). The comparison with the microscopic system shows that discrepancies grow as a function of the congestion level, up to +65% in NOx. The resulting coupled system will be used in further steps of the research to evaluate the impact of traffic management strategies upon urban emissions and air quality levels in Barcelona.

Automated summary

The study presents a macroscopic traffic and emission modelling system tailored to the Barcelona metropolitan area, with a focus on estimating road transport emissions and conducting sensitivity analysis. The system exhibits high sensitivity to spatially-resolved vehicle fleet composition inputs, meteorological effects on diesel engines, and non-exhaust sources, indicating the impact of these factors on emissions levels. The comparison with a microscopic approach shows increasing discrepancies in emissions levels with congestion levels, highlighting the importance of considering these factors in evaluating urban emissions and air quality.