Anda Ionescu

Dose–response function for the soiling of silica–soda–lime glass due to dry deposition

Several exposure campaigns of silica-soda-lime window glass have been performed in 30 European sites and 1 in Canada in order to understand, quantify and model the phenomenon of soiling. In this purpose samples were exposed sheltered from the rain. Parallel to exposure, several meteorological parameters and pollution concentrations have been monitored. This paper shows first results on the establishment of a dose-response function for glass soiling. Statistical analyses show that PM(10) is not the only parameter, but also SO(2) and NO(2) atmospheric concentrations seem to be responsible for the optical impairment of glass surfaces, expressed as haze.

Analytical determination and classification of pollutant concentration fields using air pollution monitoring network data: Methodology and application in the Paris area, during episodes with peak nitrogen dioxide levels

Abstract During the last years, an important number of episodes with peak nitrogen dioxide levels occurred in the Paris region. Modelling air pollution is necessary to predict future episodes and to take decisions for the protection of populations. Our study proposes a methodology for urban air pollution analysis, as a preliminary stage of its modelling. This paper focuses on two major points: the estimation of pollutant concentration fields using measures from a monitoring network, and the definition of a reduced number of concentration spatial patterns. Interpolation by thin plate splines is proposed and the approximation quality is estimated by leave-one-out cross validation tests. Analysis of large numbers of pollutant fields is difficult: cluster analysis of spatial distributions is proposed. For this study, Wards algorithm is selected and applied to AIRPARIF nitrogen dioxide data during peak episodes from January 1993 to December 1997. Finally, some results and conclusions are presented.

Modelling of the calcareous stone sulphation in polluted atmosphere after exposure in the field

Abstract Parisian Lutetian and Val-de-Loire Turonian Richemont limestone tablets were exposed, sheltered and unsheltered from rain, for up to 3 years in Paris and Tours, respectively. Sulphur concentrations below the stone surfaces were measured from powders obtained by milling the stone in successive steps of 0.1 mm. In tablets exposed to rain, measured sulphur concentration remains equal to the stone background concentration, implying that the sulphur deposited between rain events is leached by the next event. In contrast, in tablets sheltered from rain, the sulphur concentration in the first layer below the stone surface increases non-linearly with time. Sulphation does not, however, penetrate more than 0.2 mm. A sigmoidal Hill curve provides a good fit with changes in measured sulphur concentration over time within the first layer of each sheltered stone. This model reveals a cumulative phenomenon of sulphation, characterized by a saturation level that obstructs deeper penetration of sulphur within the stone. The model shows the same type of time evolution of sulphation for both stones, but with different coefficients; these coefficients are related to the atmospheric environment of exposure and to the different intrinsic properties of each stone.

Long-term damage to glass in Paris in a changing environment.

Glass weathering depends mainly on its chemical composition: Si-Ca-K mediaeval glass is low durable, while Si-Ca-Na Roman as well as modern glass are very durable. Mediaeval glass is subject to the superficial leaching of K and Ca ions leading to the formation of a hydrated silica-gel layer. Both types of glass develop a superficial stratum of deposited atmospheric particles cemented by crystals of gypsum (and syngenite in the case of Si-Ca-K glass), leading to an impairment of the optical properties: decrease of transparency and increase of haze. Dose-response functions established for the two types of glass reveal that haze depends only on pollution parameters (PM, SO(2), NO(2)), while leaching depends both on pollution and climate parameters (RH, T, SO(2), NO(2)). Instrumental records are available for temperature in Paris from 1800. Air pollution in Paris was estimated from statistics of fuel use from 1875 to 1943, measurements that started in the 1950s and projections across the 21st century. The estimated annual rate of haze development indicates a gradual rise from the 16th century. The increasing importance of coal as a fuel through the 19th century and enhanced sulphur dioxide concentration make a rapid increase in haze formation, which reaches a peak about 1950. The likely damage to mediaeval glass follows a rather similar pattern. The period of damage from aggressive pollutants looks later and for a briefer time in Paris than in London.