Dispersion modeling of gaseous and particulate matter emissions from aircraft activity at Chania Airport, Greece

Summarization: Aircraft emissions from Landing and Take-Off (LTO) cycles at Chania airport (Crete), Greece were estimated for the year 2016 adopting the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) methodology and using daily data from air traffic. The AERMOD Gaussian dispersion model was elaborated to determine the ground-level concentrations of air pollutants emitted from the aircraft engines. Emissions of CO, NOx as NO2, SO2, CO2, PM2.5 mass, and particle number from aircraft engines were evaluated and ground-level concentrations of these pollutants were determined. The aircraft emissions were mainly derived from the ground-level parts of the LTO cycle. The AERMOD model referring to the 1-h average concentrations has revealed that there were 20 exceedances of NO2 concentrations above the value of 200 μg/m3; two more than the regulated threshold described in the European Union Directive 2008/50/EC. The exceedances were calculated mostly during the summer period which coincides with the touristic period. High number concentrations of particles were also simulated close to the airport with yearly average values close to 10,000 particles per cm3 at the airport area. Contrary, the contribution from aircraft LTO cycles to the ground-level concentration of CO, SO2, and PM2.5 mass was below the air quality threshold values. ; Παρουσιάστηκε στο: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health