Simulation of Urban-Scale Air Pollution Patterns in Luxembourg: Contributing Sources and Emission Scenarios

The aim of this study is to investigate the air pollution situation in an urban area in southwestern Luxembourg and to simulate annual NO2 and PM10 concentrations in response to changes in meteorological conditions and emissions using a Gaussian dispersion model. Simulations are carried out for the years 1998-2006. Emission scenarios related to road transport and nonindustrial combustion are performed in order to predict changes of air pollution levels. Road transport is by far the most important local emission source in the study area. Scenarios with more stringent emission standards for vehicles, less traffic, and fewer heavy-duty vehicles lead to reductions of NOx and primary PM10 emissions. As a result, the annual NO2 concentrations are decreasing in most parts of the study area and are below the European annual limit value of 40 mu g m(-3). In contrast, a scenario with increased use of wood pellets for domestic heating shows an increase in urban PM10 concentration. The year-to-year variability of meteorological conditions accounts for the same magnitude of absolute NO2 and PM10 concentration changes as the emission scenarios. The comparison with measurements located in the study area shows that the model is able to predict urban-scale annual average air pollution. The proposed application results show that the model can be appropriate for policy-driven air quality management and planning queries.