Traffic and atmospheric pollution: emission and diffusion models for pollutants in the city of Madrid
Authors
MORAGUES A, T ALCAIDE- LOPEZ, and A MONZON, Madrid Polytechnic University, Spain
Description
Road traffic is the cause of the majority of pollutant gas emissions in cities. The degree to which it contributes to total air pollution varies considerably, depending on the type of city and traffic conditions (Table 1).
Paper Abstract
Road traffic is the cause of the majority of pollutant gas emissions in cities. The degree to which it contributes to total air pollution varies considerably, depending on the type of city and traffic conditions (Table 1).
In addition, there has been a very substantial increase in mobility in the Madrid Region over the last decade both in terms of private vehicle and public transport traffic (Figures 1 and 2) with a consequent increase in pollutant emissions. The biggest increases have occurred in surface transport in the suburban areas both on main and secondary roads, particularly in the South and West of the central area (Madrid Regional Authority, 1991). However, measurements carried out by the City Council in the capital city do not show similar proportions of rises in pollution levels (Figure 3), largely owing to the improvement in combustion in vehicle engines and a reduction in emissions from other sources (domestic coal-fired heating boilers, for example).