Observing Middle Eastern oil and gas emissions from eastern Cyprus

Cavo Greco campaign was a 3-month campaign taking place between December 2021 and February 2022. The measurement site, located at 34°57’41”N and 34°04’57”E at the extreme South-East of Cyprus, approximately at 20 meters above sea level, was on the previous radio relay site. We were measuring greenhouse gases every 3 to 4 seconds and some Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Our measurements were targeted to identify light alkanes but more generally non-methane hydrocarbons between C2 and C12 compounds every 30 minutes. Three instruments, a Picarro (CO2, CO, CH4, H2O) and two GC-FID (NMHC), were operational in a van between December 3rd and February 24th. A geolocalised meteorological station was also operational at a few meters from the van measuring temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and wind direction each second. The objective of this campaign was to catch Middle Eastern air mass events by freeing ourselves as much as possible from Cyprus’s local sources. The particular aim was to compare methane and NMHC...
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Emissions from road traffic and domestic heating behind breaches of EU air quality standards across Europe

Source: https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/emissions-from-road-traffic-and Breaches of EU air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide across Europe were predominantly due to road traffic, while domestic heating lay behind the majority of exceedances for particulate matter, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment on air quality plans published today. Over the period 2014 to 2020, 944 air quality plans were reported to the EEA, according to the briefing ‘Managing air quality in Europe’ Briefing Managing air quality in Europe . Authorities in Member States are required to set up air quality plans to reduce air pollution in areas where EU air quality standards are exceeded and protect public health and ecosystems. The majority of the air quality plans focus on reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter with a diameter of 10 µm or less (PM10). From 2014 to 2020, just under two thirds of all reported exceedances of air quality standards were linked to dense traffic in urban centers and proximity to major roads,...
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Managing air quality in Europe

Source: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/managing-air-quality-in-europe Air quality remains a persistent problem in Europe, harming health and ecosystems. This briefing reviews the status of countries’ air quality plans, put in place for situations where air pollution limits are exceeded. It also identifies the sources behind such exceedances. The assessment covers 21 EU Member States, as well as Norway and the United Kingdom. The European-level assessment is complemented by case studies providing examples of measures that have led to improvements in air quality in seven European cities or regions. Key messages Over the period 2014-2020, 944 air quality plans were reported to the EEA. These plans were developed in response to EU air quality standards being exceeded, mainly in urban and suburban areas.Most air quality plans explicitly aim to protect health, with the majority focusing on reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and coarse particulate matter (PM10).Sixty-four per cent of all exceedances reported were linked to emissions from road traffic, which was the main cause of NO2 exceedances.Domestic...
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Massive methane emissions by oil and gas industry detected from space

For the first time ever on a global scale, using satellite imagery, scientists have quantified volumes of massive methane emissions due to fossil-fuel extraction activities and their impact on the climate.Their findings partly explain why official inventories generally underestimate the volume of these emissions.Stopping these releases, be they accidental or deliberate, would save those countries responsible billions of dollars. An international study involving CNRS and CEA researchers and the company Kayrros has uncovered hundreds of major methane releases linked to global oil and gas extraction activities. The team of scientists has shown that limiting volumes released would mitigate climate effects and save money—billions of dollars for the main fossil-fuel-producing countries. Their study is published in Science (4 February 2022). A major contributor to climate change, methane (CH4) has a global warming potential approximately 30 times higher than that of CO2, over a 100-year period. One quarter of anthropogenic emissions of this greenhouse gas originate in worldwide extraction of coal, oil, and natural...
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EMME-CARE Annual Partner Meeting successfully completed

Over two days on the 17th and 18th of February 2022, EMME-CARE Partners from the Cyprus Institute, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and the University of Helsinki came together to catch up on the progress of the project and plan next steps for the year ahead.The meeting also included presentations and the participation of the responsible Project Officers from the Research Executive Agency (European Commission) and the Deputy Ministry of Research & Innovation (Cyprus).Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the meeting took place virtually, including presentations from EMME-CARE Work Package leaders on the milestones, deliverables and relevant activities of the EMME-CARE project, and aligned on next steps to continue the project’s development.We very much look forward to continuing our excellent collaboration as part of the EMME-CARE Consortium and the great activities planned for the year ahead!...
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Improving air quality can decrease the health costs of epidemics, say researchers

by European Public Health Alliance Air pollution remains the biggest environmental health risk in Europe and continues to be a major cause of premature death and disease. Yet, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a temporary increase in air quality as a result of lockdowns enforced to contain the spread of virus. Scientists have delved into the topic with current studies showing that improving air quality can decrease the health costs of epidemics, and health costs in general. In a recent event organised by EPHA: Air Pollution and Health: Improving Air Quality and Tackling Epidemics, researchers from Helmholtz Munich and CE Delft presented their findings, followed by a debate on measures to limit air pollution. According to Prof. Dr. Annette Peters (Helmholtz Munich), there is emerging evidence that air pollution is linked to infectious diseases. She stated that the pandemic situation is complex and studies have yet to understand the extent of its impact, however, action to reduce air...
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PRECEPT Project presented at the 1st EMME-focused R&I Workshop

On 11 & 12 October, 2021 EMME-CARE hosted the 1st “Climate and Atmosphere Research & Innovation in the Eastern Mediterranean & Middle East (EMME)” Online Workshop https://emme-care.cyi.ac.cy/news/ . Through two full days of sessions, talks, and activities the workshop brought together EMME regional and international scientific communities to discuss the latest concerning the science of climate change and air pollution, as well as related challenges, impacts and potential solutions for the EMME region. The Workshop’s welcoming address was given by Prof Jean Sciare, Director of CARE-C and Coordinator of EMME-CARE. The event included an exciting program, reporting the latest concerning the science of climate change and air pollution in the form of 7 invited talks and a selection of 38 oral and 21 virtual PICO presentations on recent relevant advances in the field. Presenters came from universities, research institutions and private companies from across the EMME and beyond.  Details of the programme are accessible here. The Workshop brought together over 250 participants from 36 countries,...
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2nd Climate Change in the Eastern Mediterranean & Middle East Conference

PRECEPT (https://preceptproject.info) will participate to the  2nd Climate Change in the Eastern Mediterranean & Middle East Conference and to the pre-conference workshops, which will be organized by the Cyprus Institute under the framework of the EMME-CARE project, from 11 to 14 of October 2021. The conference will attract leading policy makers, scientists, prominent business people, key civil society stakeholders, and opinion-leaders from around the world. The findings of the Regional Scientific Task Forces appointed in the framework of the Cyprus Government Initiative, will be presented and debated to form the basis of an EMME Regional Climate Action Plan. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the proposed measures and solutions and gain an in-depth understanding of the benefits from their implementation in the EMME region. The Conference will be preceded by two days of scientific workshops, focused on aspects of climate change and air pollution in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region. Through two full days of sessions,...
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The PRECEPT Particulate Matter Monitor: A short video tour

The PRECEPT PM monitor, developed by Additess LTD and the Cyprus Institute (CyI)  under the framework of the PRECEPT project (https://preceptproject.info)   is an autonomous instrument that can measure the size and number of all airborne particulate matter (PM) having size from 0.3 to more than 10 μm, with an accuracy that is comparable with other laboratory grade instruments at a fraction of their cost. The PRECEPT PM monitor comes equipped with a touch screen, a micro-computer and its own user friendly software, allowing for in-situ operation and real-time visualization of the measurements, while due to its networking capabilities it can be operated remotely, be part of an air quality network, or even incorporated together with other sensors in "smart and green" technological networks.  The PRECEPT PM monitor is compact and equipped with a battery, thus it can be employed as a portable personal monitor and be utilized for conducting air quality surveys for the recognition of pollution hot-spots. This video...
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Coming Conferences!

PRECEPT (https://preceptproject.info) will participate to the European Aerosol Conference (EAC) from 30 Aug. to 03 Sep. 2021 and to the International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology (CEST), from 01 to 04 Sep. 2021, by two presentations regarding the latest developments on low-cost particulate matter sensors  and their applicability in the next generation of cost-effective aerosol instruments. ...
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