Articles | Volume 17, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7977-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7977-2017
Research article
 | 
30 Jun 2017
Research article |  | 30 Jun 2017

Contributions of mobile, stationary and biogenic sources to air pollution in the Amazon rainforest: a numerical study with the WRF-Chem model

Sameh A. Abou Rafee, Leila D. Martins, Ana B. Kawashima, Daniela S. Almeida, Marcos V. B. Morais, Rita V. A. Souza, Maria B. L. Oliveira, Rodrigo A. F. Souza, Adan S. S. Medeiros, Viviana Urbina, Edmilson D. Freitas, Scot T. Martin, and Jorge A. Martins

Abstract. This paper evaluates the contributions of the emissions from mobile, stationary and biogenic sources on air pollution in the Amazon rainforest by using the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model. The analyzed air pollutants were CO, NOx, SO2, O3, PM2. 5, PM10 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Five scenarios were defined in order to evaluate the emissions by biogenic, mobile and stationary sources, as well as a future scenario to assess the potential air quality impact of doubled anthropogenic emissions. The stationary sources explain the highest concentrations for all air pollutants evaluated, except for CO, for which the mobile sources are predominant. The anthropogenic sources considered resulted an increasing in the spatial peak-temporal average concentrations of pollutants in 3 to 2780 times in relation to those with only biogenic sources. The future scenario showed an increase in the range of 3 to 62 % in average concentrations and 45 to 109 % in peak concentrations depending on the pollutant. In addition, the spatial distributions of the scenarios has shown that the air pollution plume from the city of Manaus is predominantly transported west and southwest, and it can reach hundreds of kilometers in length.

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Short summary
This paper evaluates the impact of the emissions from mobile and stationary sources in the Amazon rainforest by using the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model. Results show that stationary sources have an important role in the contribution of human activity in Manaus; a future scenario of the expansion in the urban area demonstrates that it could increase air pollution; and the pollutant urban plume of Manaus has an impact over hundreds of kilometers in length.
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