Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Long-Range Transport of Air Pollutants

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Atmospheric Physics

Part of the book series: Research Topics in Aerospace ((RTA))

Abstract

Air pollutants may be transported over several 1 000 km ranges, across continents, oceans (intercontinental), hemispheres, or even globally, depending on lifetime and other properties. Transported emissions include primary pollutants emitted from industry and vehicles (e.g., nitric oxide) and natural pollutants released by forest fires (e.g., soot). Also secondary pollutants (e.g., ozone) that are formed near the source region undergo transport. Recent advances in understanding atmospheric transport pathways, source-receptor relationships, and transformation of pollutants during transport are described.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arnold, F., Schneider, J., Gollinger, K., Schlager, H., Schulte, P., Hagen, D.E., Whitefield, P.D., van Velthofen, P.: Observation of upper tropospheric sulfur dioxide- and acetone-pollution: potential implications for hydroxy radical and aerosol formation. Geophys. Res. Lett. 24, 1 (1997). doi:10.1029/96GL03693

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brock, C.A., Hudson, P.K., Lovejoy, E.R., Sullivan, A., Nowak, J.B., Huey, L.G., Cooper, O.R., Cziczo, D.J., de Gouw, J., Fehsenfeld, F.C., et al.: Particle characteristics following cloud-modified transport from Asia to North America. J. Geophys. Res. 109, D23S26 (2004). doi: 10.1029/2003jd004198

  • Eckhardt, S., Stohl, A., Wernli, H., James, P., Forster, C., Spichtinger, N.: A 15-year climatology of warm conveyor belts. J. Clim. 17,   (2004). doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2004)017

  • Engvall, A.-C., Ström, J., Tunved, P., Krejci, R., Schlager, H., Minikin, A.: The radiative effect of an aged, internally mixed Arctic aerosol originating from lower-latitude biomass burning. Tellus B 61(4), 677–684 (2009). doi:10.1111/j.1600-0889.2009.00432.x

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fiedler, V., Arnold, F., Schlager, H., Dörnbrack, A., Pirjola, L., Stohl, A.: East Asian SO2 pollution plume over Europe—Part 2: Evolution and potential impact. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 9, 4729–4745 (2009a). doi:10.5194/acp-9-4717-2009

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fiedler, V., Nau, R., Ludmann, S., Arnold, F., Schlager, H., Stohl, A.: East Asian SO2 pollution plume over Europe—Part 1: Airborne trace gas measurements and source identification by particle dispersion model simulations. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 9, 4717–4728 (2009b). doi:10.5194/acp-9-4717-2009

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fiedler, V., Arnold, F., Ludmann, S., Minikin, A., Hamburger, T., Pirjola, L., Dörnbrack, A., Schlager, H.: African biomass burning plumes over the Atlantic: aircraft based measurements and implications for H2SO4 and HNO3 mediated smoke particle activation. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 11, 3211–3225 (2011). doi:10.5194/acp-11-3211-2011

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, H., de Reus, M., Traub, M., Williams, J., Lelieveld, J., de Gouw, J., Warneke, C., Schlager, H., Minikin, A., Scheele, R., Siegmund, P.: Deep convective injection of boundary layer air into the lowermost stratosphere at midlatitudes. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 3, 739–745 (2003). doi:10.5194/acp-3-739-2003

    Google Scholar 

  • Hudman, R.C., Jacob, D.J., Cooper, O.R., Evans, M.J., Heald, C.L., Park, R.J., Fehsenfeld, F. Flocke, Holloway, J., Huebler, G. et al.: Ozone production in transpacific Asian pollution plumes and implications for ozone air quality in California. J. Geophys. Res., 108, D23S210 (2004). doi: 10.1029/2004JD004974

  • Huntrieser, H., Heland, J., Schlager, H., Forster, C., Stohl, A., Aufmhoff, H., Arnold, F., Scheel, H.E., Campana, M., Gilge, S., et al.: Intercontinental air pollution transport from North America to Europe: experimental evidence from airborne measurements and surface observations. J. Geophys. Res. 110, D01305 (2005). doi:10.1029/2004JD005045

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Huntrieser, H., Schlager, H., Lichtenstern, M., Stock, P., Hamburger, T., Höller, H., Schmidt, K., Betz, H.-D., Ulanovsky, A., Ravegnani, F.: Mesoscale convective systems observed during AMMA and their impact on the NOx and O3 budget over West Africa. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 11, 2503–2536 (2011). doi:10.5194/acp-11-2503-2011

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Klemm, O., Wehrhan, J., Schaller, E., Schlager, H., Krautstrunk, M.: Characterization of ozone plumes in eastern Germany. Geophys. Res. Lett. 22(15), 2021–2024 (1995). doi:10.1029/95GL01322

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Krautstrunk, M., Neumann-Hauf, G., Schlager, H., Klemm, O., Schaller, E.: Aircraft-based measurements of the three-dimensional distribution of gaseous pollutants over the highly industrialised area of Lausitz in eastern Germany. Air Pollution III. In: Observation and Simulation of Air Pollution—Results from SANA and EUMAC, Computational Mechanics vol. 4, pp. 69–77 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  • Krautstrunk, M., Neumann-Hauf, G., Schlager, H., Klemm, O., Beyrich, F., Corsmeier, U., Kalthoff, N., Kotzian, M.: An experimental study on the planetary boundary layer transport of air pollutants over East Germany. Atmos. Environ. 34, 1247–1266 (2000). doi: 10.1016/s1352-2310(99)00124-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Law, K.S., Stohl, A.: Arctic air pollution: origins and impacts. Science. 315, 1537–1540 (2007). doi: 10.1126/science.1137695

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, M.G., Rasch, P.J., von Kuhlmann, R., Williams, J., Fischer, H., de Reus, M., Lelieveld, J., Crutzen, P.J., Schultz, M., Stier, P., et al.: Global chemical weather forecasts for field campaign planning: predictions and observations of large-scale features during MINOS, CONTRACE, and INDOEX. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 3, 267–289 (2003). doi:10.5194/acp-3-267-2003

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Lelieveld, J., Berresheim, H., Borrmann, S., Crutzen, P.J., Dentener, F.J., Fischer, H., Feichter, J., Flatau, P.J., Heland, J., Holzinger, R., et al.: Global air pollution crossroads over the Mediterranean. Science 298, 25 (2002). doi:10.1126/science.1075457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Methven, J., et al.: Establishing Lagrangian connections between observations within air masses crossing the Atlantic during the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation experiment. J. Geophys. Res. 111, D23S62 (2006). doi: 10.1029/2006JD007540

  • Monks, P., Granier, C., Fuzzi, S., Stohl, A., Williams, M.L., Akimoto, H., Amann, M., Baklanov, A., Baltensperger, U., Bey, I.N., et al.: Atmospheric composition change—global and regional air quality. Atmos. Environ. 43, 33 (2009). doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.08.021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petzold, A., Weinzierl, B., Huntrieser, H., Stohl, A., Real, E., Cozic, J., Fiebig, M., Hendricks, J., Lauer, A., Law, K., et al.: Perturbation of the European free troposphere aerosol by North American forest fire plumes during the ICARTT-ITOP experiment in Summer 2004. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 7, 5105–5127 (2007). doi:10.5194/acp-7-5105-2007

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Pisso, I., Real, E., Law, K.S., Legras, B., Bousserez, N., Attié, J.L., Schlager, H.: Estimation of mixing in the troposphere from Lagrangian trace gas reconstructions during long-range pollution plume transport. J. Geophys. Res. 114, D19301 (2009). doi:10.1029/2008JD011289

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Real, E., Law, K., Weinzierl, B., Fiebig, M., Petzold, A., Wild, O., Methven, J., Arnold, S., Stohl, A., Huntrieser, H. et al.: Processes influencing ozone levels in Alaskan forest fire plumes during long-range transport over the North Atlantic. J. Geophys. Res. 112, D10S41 (2007) doi: 10.1029/2006JD007576

  • Real, E., Law, K.S., Schlager, H., Roiger, A., Huntrieser, H., Methven, J., Cain, M., Holloway, J., Neuman, J.A., Ryerson, T., et al.: Lagrangian analysis of low level anthropogenic plume processing across the North Atlantic. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 8, 7737–7754 (2008). doi:10.5194/acp-8-7737-2008

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Roiger, A.: Biomass burning pollution in the summer time Arctic atmosphere: development and deployment of a novel CI-ITMS instrument for PAN detection. Dissertation, Universität Heidelberg (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  • Roiger, A., Schlager, H., Schaefler, A., Huntrieser, H., Scheibe, M., Aufmhoff, H., Cooper, O.R., Sodemann, H., Stohl, A., Burkhart, J.: In situ observation of Asian pollution transported into the Arctic lowermost stratosphere. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 11, 10975–10994 (2011). doi:10.5194/acp-11-10975-2011

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Schlager, H., Huntrieser, H., Heland, J., Ziereis, H.: Analysis of convective and long-range transport of reactive nitrogen species over Europe using aircraft observations. EXPORT-E2 Final Report, EUROTRAC-2 ISS. In: Penkett, S., Law, K. S., Platt, U., Volz-Thomas, A. (eds.) GSF—National Research Center for Environment and Health, Munich, Germany, pp. 151–155 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumann, U., Konopka, P., Baumann, R., Busen, R., Gerz, T., Schlager, H., Schulte, P., Volkert, H.: Estimate of diffusion parameters of aircraft exhaust plumes near the tropopause from nitric oxide and turbulence measurements. J. Geophys. Res. 100:(D7), 14, 147–114, 162 (1995) doi:10.1029/95JD01277

  • Schumann, U., Weinzierl, B., Reitebuch, O., Schlager, H., Minikin, A., Forster, C., Baumann, R., Sailer, T., Graf, K., Mannstein, H., et al.: Airborne observations of the Eyjafjalla volcano ash cloud over Europe during air space closure in April and May 2010. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 11, 2245–2279 (2011). doi:10.5194/acp-11-2245-2011

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Sodemann, H., Pommier, M., Arnold, S.R., Monks, S.A., Stebel, K., Burkhart, J.F., Hair, J.W., Diskin, G.S., Clerbaux, C., Coheur, P.-F., et al.: Episodes of cross-polar transport in the Arctic troposphere during July 2008 as seen from models, satellite, and aircraft observations. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 11, 3631–3651 (2011). doi:10.5194/acp-11-3631-2011

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Stohl, A., Haimberger, L., Scheele, M.P., Wernli, H.: An intercomparison of results from three trajectory models. Meteorol. Appl. 8, 127–135 (2001). doi:10.1017/S1350482701002018

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Stohl, A., Forster, C., Eckhardt, S., Spichtinger, N., Huntrieser, H., Heland, J., Schlager, H., Wilhelm, S., Arnold, F., Cooper, O.: A backward modeling study of intercontinental pollution transport using aircraft measurements. J. Geophys. Res., 108 (D12):4370 (2003a) doi: 10.1029/2002JD002862

  • Stohl, A., Huntrieser, H., Richter, A., Beirle, S., Cooper, O.R., Eckhardt, S., Forster, C., James, P., Spichtinger, N., Wenig, M., et al.: Rapid intercontinental air pollution transport associated with a meteorological bomb. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 3, 969–985 (2003b). doi:10.5194/acp-3-969-2003

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Stohl, A., Forster, C., Huntrieser, H., Mannstein, H., McMillan, W.W., Petzold, A., Schlager, H., Weinzierl, B.: Aircraft measurements over Europe of an air pollution plume from Southeast Asia—aerosol and chemical characterization. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 7, 913–937 (2007). doi:10.5194/acp-7-913-2007

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Wernli, H., Bourqui, M.: A Lagrangian “1-year climatology’’ of (deep) cross-tropopause exchange in the extratropical Northern Hemisphere. J. Geophys. Res. 107,   (2002). doi:10.1029/2001jd000812

  • Wild, O., Law, K.S., McKenna, D.S., Bandy, B.J., Penkett, S.A., Pyle, J.A.: Photochemical trajectory modeling studies of the North Atlantic region during August 1993. J. Geophys. Res. 101: 29 269–229 288 (1996) doi: 10.1029/96JD00837

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. DLR, Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IPA), Münchner Straße 20, 82234, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

    Anke Roiger, Heidi Huntrieser & Hans Schlager

Authors
  1. Anke Roiger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Heidi Huntrieser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hans Schlager
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anke Roiger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. und Raumfahrt, DLR-Institut fuer Physik der Atmosphaere, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft-, Oberpfaffenhofen, 82230, Germany

    Ulrich Schumann

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Roiger, A., Huntrieser, H., Schlager, H. (2012). Long-Range Transport of Air Pollutants. In: Schumann, U. (eds) Atmospheric Physics. Research Topics in Aerospace. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30183-4_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30183-4_12

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-30182-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-30183-4

  • eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation