Do something for our planet, print this page only if needed. Even a small action can make an enormous difference when millions of people do it!
Indicator Assessment
Annual mean NO2 concentrations observed at traffic stations, 2016
Note: The figure shows the annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) observed at traffic stations in 2016.
Annual mean NO2 concentrations observed at background stations, 2016
Note: The figure shows the annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) observed at background stations in 2016.
90.4 percentile of daily mean PM10 concentrations observed at traffic stations, 2016
Note: The map shows the 90.4 percentile of daily mean PM10 concentrations at traffic stations. This represents the 36th highest value in a complete series. It is related to the PM10 daily limit value, which allows 35 exceedances of the 50 µg/m3 threshold over a 1-year period. Dots in the last two colour categories indicate stations with concentrations above this daily limit value. Only stations for which more than 75 % of data are valid have been included in the map.
90.4 percentile of daily mean PM10 concentrations observed at background stations, 2016
Note: The map shows the 90.4 percentile of daily mean PM10 concentrations at background stations. This represents the 36th highest value in a complete series. It is related to the PM10 daily limit value, which allows 35 exceedances of the 50 μg/m3 threshold over a 1-year period. Dots in the last two colour categories indicate stations with exceedances of this daily limit value. Only stations for which more than 75 % of data are valid have been included in the map.
Annual mean PM2.5 concentrations observed at traffic stations, 2016
Note: The figure shows the annual mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) observed at traffic stations in 2016.
Annual mean PM2.5 concentrations observed at background stations, 2016
Note: The figure shows the annual mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) observed at background stations in 2016.
Figures 1 to 6 show the air quality situation in 2016 at monitoring stations across Europe for three main pollutants related to road transport, i.e. NO2, PM10 and PM2.5. For each pollutant, measurements taken at two different types of location are shown. The first map shows traffic air quality monitoring stations, which are located in close proximity to major roads and affected predominantly by traffic sources. The second map shows background stations, which are located away from dominant single sources, so that the pollution levels recorded are representative of the average exposure of the general population.
For NO2, most of the exceedances (88 %) of the 40 µg/m3 annual limit value, were recorded at traffic stations (Figure 1). Of the 936 traffic stations considered, 311 (33 %) reported concentrations above the annual limit value. The situation for background concentrations is quite different (Figure 2): of the 1 765 stations shown, only 39 (2 %) recorded concentrations above the annual limit value. These are mainly located in big cities such as Ankara, Barcelona, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Milan and Rome, and in smaller cities such as Ordu or Varna.
These results are consistent with the observations that road transport is the main emitting source of nitrogen oxides (EEA, 2018a), of which NO2 is a component, and that emission reductions from road transport have been lower than originally anticipated over the last two decades. The latter is because, among other things, growth in diesel vehicles has been higher than expected and 'real-world' emissions of NOx — particularly from diesel passenger cars and vans — generally exceed the permitted European emission (Euro) standards (EEA, 2018b).
For PM10, the situation is different. Around one fifth of all reporting stations show values above the daily limit value of 50 µg/m3. Figure 3 illustrates that, of a total of 734 traffic stations, 121 (16 %) show concentrations above the daily limit value. Figure 4 shows that 381 (21 %) out of a total of 1 797 background stations exceeded the daily limit value. Nevertheless, in certain countries these exceedances are only seen at traffic sites, i.e. Cyprus, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.
As highlighted in EEA (2018a), there are other major sectors responsible for primary PM10 emissions. These include the 'commercial, institutional and households', 'industrial processes and product use' and 'agriculture' sectors, which also influence the exceedances recorded by background stations.
Finally, for PM2.5, exceedances of the annual limit value of 25 µg/m3 seem also to be caused by sources other than traffic. Figure 5 shows that of 322 traffic stations, only 19 (6 %) reported concentrations above the annual limit value. Similarly, figure 6 shows that of 871 background stations, 45 (5 %) reported values above the annual limit value. Again, the 'commercial, institutional and households' sector is the main emitter of primary PM2.5 (EEA, 2018c), followed by 'road transport', whose emissions in 2016 decreased by 3 % compared with 2015 figures (EEA, 2018b), and 'industrial processes and product use'.
This indicator compares concentrations of pollutants at background stations with those at traffic stations. This comparison provides an estimate of the increased levels of air pollution to which the population is exposed in areas with relatively high levels of road traffic. It also provides a measure of the impact of the technical and non-technical measures adopted to reduce the road transport sector's contribution to observed pollutant concentrations.
The indicator makes use of official data submitted to the EEA’s Air Quality e-Reporting database.
This indicator reports pollutant concentrations at traffic and background stations in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3).
This indicator provides information relevant to current European air quality legislation related to the setting of national emissions targets, the reduction of transport-related emissions (discussed in detail in TERM003 (EEA, 2018b)) and the protection of human health from harmful air pollutant levels (EU, 2008). It is related to the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Air Quality Guidelines (WHO, 2000, 2006) for protecting public health.
EU ambient air quality limit values set by Directive 2008/50/EC for the protection of human health
WHO Air Quality Guidelines
Data submitted to the EEA's Air Quality e-Reporting database have been used. The selected stations include station types classified as 'traffic' for the traffic map and 'background' for the background map. Only stations for which at least 75 % of data per calendar year are valid are used. This means that, in the case of daily values, only those stations with more than 274 valid daily values per calendar year (or 275 days in a leap year) are used and, in the case of hourly values, only those stations with more than 6 570 valid hourly values per calendar year (or 6 588 hours in a leap year) are used.
Average yearly data were obtained for PM2.5 and NO2. For PM10, the annual series of daily values is ordered and percentile 90.41 (P90.41) selected. P90.41 represents, in a complete series, the 36th highest value; if it is above 50 µg/m3, it suggests an exceedance of the PM10 daily limit value. Using P90.41 diminishes the effect of the missing values.
No gap filling is applied to the air quality data in the EEA air quality databases.
No methodology references available.
No uncertainty has been specified.
Air quality data are officially submitted by national authorities. It is assumed that data have been validated by the national data suppliers. The number of reported stations varies across countries.
Station characteristics and representativeness are often insufficiently documented. Locally (i.e. at the station level), the indicator is subject to year-on-year variations due to meteorological variability.
No uncertainty has been specified.
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/exceedances-of-air-quality-objectives-7/assessment-1 or scan the QR code.
PDF generated on 19 Apr 2024, 03:22 PM
Engineered by: EEA Web Team
Software updated on 26 September 2023 08:13 from version 23.8.18
Software version: EEA Plone KGS 23.9.14
Document Actions
Share with others