[ad_1]
“Despite the fact that most of the days of last November the city of Patras was in lockdown mode, the pollution of the particulate matter increased and the air quality, during several hours of the day, was moderate or bad. The specific data are not usual for this season, that is to say, before winter arrives ”.
Speaking to the Athenian-Macedonian news agency, Andreas Kazantzidis, professor of applied physics at the University of Patras and director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric Physics, emphasizes this about gas pollution in Patras.
The above data emerged from data analysis of the “Ether” network. It is a monitoring and recording system for suspended particles, in the context of the research activities of the Atmospheric Physics Laboratory of the University of Patras.
This network consists of sensors to measure suspended particles, panoramic cameras and an online platform that records air quality in Patras, in real time.
As Andreas Kazantzidis explains in ΑΠΕ – ΜΠΕ, “in relation to November 2019, we observed in the center, but also on the south side of the city of Patras, similar prices during the morning and noon hours”.
“But”, he adds, “in the afternoon and at night, there is a significant increase of 50%.”
The reasons for the appearance of these prices, according to the professor, “may be the residents’ stay at home, with the consequent need for heating, but also the weather conditions that prevailed in Patras last November.”
In particular, as Andreas Kazantzidis tells APE-MPE, “while November 2020 did not show significant changes in temperature compared to November 2019, there were minimal rains and strong winds from east to northeast.”
“Less rain”, explains the professor, “is a negative factor for pollution, because the suspended particles are not thrown away, since after a good rain, the environment is cleaner and visibility is much better”.
Regarding the winds, he points out that “the winds from the east-northeast have a positive and even significant impact on the northern areas of the city, such as Rio and Castellokampos, so that pollution does not seem to increase in these areas.”
However, as the professor at APE – MPE points out, “we observed an increase in air pollution in the morning on the south side of the city, as in the Demenika area.”
The increase in this gaseous pollution, according to Andreas Kazantzidis, “is probably due to the increase in agricultural activities, since the good weather conditions that prevailed last November favored activities such as the collection of olives and the incineration of waste.”
Regarding the aforementioned activity, the professor explains to APE – BPE that “during the specific period of time, where the fruit of the olive is harvested, you can see tobacco plants that appear in the city every morning, where disorganized remains are burned of wood and leaves ”.
“This phenomenon”, continues the professor, “is registered more intensely in the southern part of Patras, where olive cultivation is much more, while the weather conditions do not favor the elimination of pollutants”.
Regarding the sources of heat that are considered responsible for the increase in the prices of particulate matter, Andreas Kazantzidis tells APE – BPE that “the main source is the burning of wood in a fireplace”, adding that “any other fuel contributes little to suspended particles, except perhaps pellets, where again emissions are much lower and their use is very limited ”.
In fact, as he explains, “it is characteristic that before we started using firewood to warm ourselves, there were no intense episodes of smog in the afternoon and at night, like the ones we have today.”
[ad_2]
