Future urban stressors - mapping heat and ozone in the city of Cologne
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Löhnert, Prof. Dr. Anke Nölscher
Meteorology
Motivation
When co-occuring in the summer in the city, heat and ozone (O3) are stressors that pose an increasing burden on people’s health and thus life quality. O3 is a secondary air pollutant. Its formation is driven by volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are typical components in urban air, as they are emitted from traffic, households and vegetation. VOC emissions are driven by temperature and radiation triggers the chemical reactions forming O3. Thus, summertime cities not only suffer from the urban heat island effect, but also from air pollution.
Local heterogeneity in sources, infrastructure, and atmospheric mixing and transport processes challenge the prediction of heat and O3. Managing urban climate and air quality is complicated by the fact that O3 as well as the key factors leading to its production and dispersion are only sparsely monitored. This lack of comprehensive data makes it difficult to accurately predict atmospheric O3 levels, especially the amplitude of extreme events which often co-occur with heat waves.
Plan
Here we plan to develop a smart data collection and analysis strategy that integrates over spatial and temporal heterogeneity in a city and delivers insight about O3, its precursors, NOx and VOC, and the low-level dynamic, turbulent and thermodynamic atmospheric situation. The results of this study can be directly compared to regional urban climate and air quality forecasts. We seek to intensify the collaboration with the city of Cologne concerning climate and air-quality monitoring. The ultimate goal is to create experimental and statistical methods for students and citizen involvement. With the perspective of an increasing dataset over time (preferably through practical/research modules of Master students, co-supervised theses work and a follow-up PhD project), we aim to firstly increase understanding for improving air quality forecasts and secondly create awareness for the combined burden of O3 and heat in summertime cities.