Demerval Soares Moreira

Tropospheric aerosol observations in São Paulo, Brazil using a compact lidar system

A backscattering light detection and ranging (lidar) system, the first of this kind in the country, has been set up in a suburban area in the city of São Paulo, Brazil (23°33′ S, 46°44′ W) to provide the vertical profile of the aerosol backscatter and extinction coefficients at 532 nm and up to 4–5 km height above sea level (asl). The measurements have been carried out during the second half of the so‐called Brazilian dry season, September and October in the year of 2001. When possible, the lidar measurements were complemented with aerosol optical thickness measurements obtained by a CIMEL Sun‐tracking photometer in the visible spectral region, not only to validate the lidar data, but also to provide an input value of the so‐called extinction‐to‐backscatter ratio (lidar ratio). The lidar data were also used to retrieve the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) height and low troposphere structural features over the city of São Paulo. Three‐dimensional air mass back trajectory analysis was also conducted to determine the source regions of aerosols observed during this study. These first lidar measurements over the city of São Paulo during the second half of the dry season showed a significant variability of the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) in the lower troposphere (0.5–5 km) at 532 nm. It was also found that the aerosol load is maximized in the 1–3 km height region and this load represents about 20–25% of the lower tropospheric aerosol.

Exposure to fine particulate matter and hospital admissions due to pneumonia: Effects on the number of hospital admissions and its costs.

OBJECTIVE Given that respiratory diseases are a major cause of hospitalization in children, the objectives of this study are to estimate the role of exposure to fine particulate matter in hospitalizations due to pneumonia and a possible reduction in the number of these hospitalizations and costs. METHOD An ecological time-series study was developed with data on hospitalization for pneumonia among children under 10 years of age living in São José do Rio Preto, state of São Paulo, using PM2.5 concentrations estimated using a mathematical model. We used Poisson regression with a dependent variable (hospitalization) associated with PM2.5 concentrations and adjusted for effective temperature, seasonality and day of the week, with estimates of reductions in the number of hospitalizations and costs. RESULTS 1,161 children were admitted to hospital between October 1st, 2011, and September 30th, 2013; the average concentration of PM2.5 was 18.7 µg/m3 (≈32 µg/m3 of PM10) and exposure to this pollutant was associated with hospitalization four and five days after exposure. CONCLUSION A 10 µg/m3 decrease in concentration would imply 256 less hospital admissions and savings of approximately R

Air pollution and respiratory diseases: ecological time series

220,000 in a medium-sized city.

Air pollutants and hospital admissions due to cardiovascular diseases in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Exposure to air pollutants is one of the factors responsible for hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases. The objective here was to estimate the effect of exposure to particulate matter (such as PM2.5) on hospitalizations due to certain respiratory diseases among residents in Volta Redonda (RJ). DESIGN AND SETTING Ecological time series study using data from Volta Redonda (RJ). METHODS Data on hospital admissions among residents of Volta Redonda (RJ), between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, due to pneumonia, acute bronchitis, bronchiolitis and asthma, were analyzed. Daily data on PM2.5 concentrations were estimated through the CCATT-BRAMS model. The generalized additive Poisson regression model was used, taking the daily number of hospitalizations to be the dependent variable and the PM2.5 concentration to be the independent variable, with adjustment for temperature, relative humidity, seasonality and day of the week, and using lags of zero to seven days. Excess hospitalization and its cost were calculated in accordance with increases in PM2.5 concentration of 5 µg/m3. RESULTS There were 752 hospitalizations in 2012; the average concentration of PM2.5 was 17.2 µg/m3; the effects of exposure were significant at lag 2 (RR = 1.017), lag 5 (RR = 1.022) and lag 7 (RR = 1,020). A decrease in PM2.5 concentration of 5 µg/m3 could reduce admissions by up to 76 cases, with a decrease in spending of R

Modelo OLAM (ocean-land-atmosphere-model): descrição, aplicações, e perspectivas

84,000 a year. CONCLUSION The findings from this study provide support for implementing public health policies in this municipality, which is an important steelmaking center.CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Exposure to air pollutants is one of the factors responsible for hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases. The objective here was to estimate the effect of exposure to particulate matter (such as PM2.5) on hospitalizations due to certain respiratory diseases among residents in Volta Redonda (RJ). DESIGN AND SETTING Ecological time series study using data from Volta Redonda (RJ). METHODS Data on hospital admissions among residents of Volta Redonda (RJ), between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, due to pneumonia, acute bronchitis, bronchiolitis and asthma, were analyzed. Daily data on PM2.5 concentrations were estimated through the CCATT-BRAMS model. The generalized additive Poisson regression model was used, taking the daily number of hospitalizations to be the dependent variable and the PM2.5 concentration to be the independent variable, with adjustment for temperature, relative humidity, seasonality and day of the week, and using lags of zero to seven days. Excess hospitalization and its cost were calculated in accordance with increases in PM2.5 concentration of 5 µg/m3. RESULTS There were 752 hospitalizations in 2012; the average concentration of PM2.5 was 17.2 µg/m3; the effects of exposure were significant at lag 2 (RR = 1.017), lag 5 (RR = 1.022) and lag 7 (RR = 1,020). A decrease in PM2.5 concentration of 5 µg/m3 could reduce admissions by up to 76 cases, with a decrease in spending of R

Incluindo Funcionalidades no Modelo BRAMS para Simular o Transporte de Cinzas Vulcânicas: Descrição e Análise de Sensibilidade Aplicada ao Evento Eruptivo do Puyehue em 2011

84,000 a year. CONCLUSION The findings from this study provide support for implementing public health policies in this municipality, which is an important steelmaking center.

Meteorological condition and numerical simulation of the atmospheric transport of pollution emitted by vegetation fires

This study aimed to estimate the effects of environmental pollutants on the increase of hospitalizations due to cardiovascular diseases. This was an ecological study conducted in the city of São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, with data from hospital admissions with diagnoses in the categories of I-00 to I-99, from October, 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012. Fineparticulate matter (PM2,5), ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide were the pollutants studied; they were estimated by CATT-BRAMs model. The use of an additive Poisson regression model showed association between exposure to PM2,5 and hospital admission due to cardiovascular diseases. In the fifth day after exposure to this pollutant (lag 5), the relative risk for hospitalization due to cardiovascular diseases increased 15 percent in according to 10 µg/m3 increase on PM2,5 concentrations. There were 650 avoidable hospital admissions and an excess of R

The Chemistry CATT-BRAMS model (CCATT-BRAMS 4.5): a regional atmospheric model system for integrated air quality and weather forecasting and research

1.9 million in hospital expenses. Thus, it was possible to identify the association between exposure to PM2,5 and hospital admission due cardiovascular diseases in medium-sized cities, like São José do Rio Preto.

Coupling between the JULES land-surface scheme and the CCATT-BRAMS atmospheric chemistry model (JULES-CCATT-BRAMS1.0): applications to numerical weather forecasting and the CO 2 budget in South America

O modelo OLAM foi desenvolvido com objetivo de estender a capacidade de representar os fenomenos de escala global e regional simultaneamente. Este modelo apresenta inovacoes quanto aos processos dinâmicos, configuracao de grade, estrutura de memoria e tecnicas de solucao numerica das equacoes prognosticas. As equacoes de Navier-Stokes sao resolvidas atraves da tecnica de volumes finitos que conservam massa, momento e energia. No presente trabalho, apresenta-se uma descricao sucinta do OLAM e alguns resultados de sua aplicacao em simulacoes climaticas da precipitacao mensal para a regiao norte da America do Sul, bem como em rodadas para previsao numerica de tempo regional. Os resultados mostram que o modelo consegue representar bem os aspectos meteorologicos de grande escala. Em geral, seu desempenho melhora quando sao adotadas grades de maior resolucao espacial, nas quais se verificam melhorias significativas tanto na estimativa da precipitacao mensal regional, quanto na previsao numerica de tempo.

Ozone production and transport over the Amazon Basin during the dry-to-wet and wet-to-dry transition seasons

Este trabalho possui dois objetivos principais, o primeiro e apresentar uma descricao de como o modelo atmosferico BRAMS foi estruturado com o intuito de capacita-lo a simular a emissao, dispersao e sedimentacao de cinzas vulcânicas; o segundo e fazer uma analise de sensibilidade com relacao a diversas configuracoes do modelo, com o intuito de obter uma configuracao adequada para prever a concentracao de cinzas vulcânicas apos eventos eruptivos. Avaliando os resultados do modelo com dados observados, principalmente com relacao ao satelite CALIPSO, concluiu-se que o modelo BRAMS foi capaz de simular e prever com relativa precisao a posicao e concentracao das cinzas vulcânicas na atmosfera.