The Cyprus Institute

About: The Cyprus Institute is a other organization based out in Nicosia, Cyprus. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Aerosol & Environmental science. The organization has 418 authors who have published 1252 publications receiving 32586 citations.

Global and regional trends in aerosol optical depth based on remote sensing products and pollutant emission estimates between 2000 and 2009

Abstract: . This study evaluates global and regional aerosol optical depth (AOD) trends in view of aerosol (precursor) emission changes between 2000 and 2009. We use AOD products from MODIS, MISR and AERONET, and emission estimates from the EMEP, REAS and IPCC inventories. First we compare trends in global Level 3 AOD products of MODIS, MISR and AERONET (Level 2). We find generally negative trends over Europe and North America, whereas over South and East Asia they are mostly positive. The negative trends over parts of Europe and North-East America appear to be significant. Second, we analyze MODIS Level 2 AODs for three selected regions with good data coverage (Central Mediterranean, North-East America and East Asia) and compare with Level 3 products. This corroborates that the 2000–2009 AOD trend over the Central Mediterranean is negative and corresponds well with the MODIS Level 3 analysis. Also for North-East America the trend is generally negative and in agreement with MODIS Level 3 products. For East Asia the trends derived from Level 2 products are mostly positive and correspond with the MODIS Level 3 results. Over Europe, the trends in aerosol single scattering albedo, as derived from MISR data, appear to be positive (declining solar radiation absorption), whereas this is not the case over the USA, though these data are not yet validated. Third we compare trends in AOD with emission changes of SO2, NOx, NH3 and black carbon. We associate the downward trends in AOD over Europe and North America with decreasing emissions of SO2, NOx, and other criteria pollutants, and consequently declining aerosol concentrations. Over East Asia the MODIS Level 2 trends are generally positive, consistent with increasing pollutant emissions by fossil energy use and growing industrial and urban activities. It appears that SO2 emission changes dominate the AOD trends, although especially in Asia NOx emissions may become increasingly important. Our results suggest that solar brightening due to decreasing SO2 emissions and resulting downward AOD trends over Europe may have weakened in the 2000s compared to the 1990s.

Occurrence of DBPs in Drinking Water of European Regions for Epidemiology Studies

Abstract: A three-year study was conducted on the occurrence of disinfection by-products (DBPs) - trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), and haloacetonitriles - in drinking water of regions of Europe where epidemiology studies were being carried out. Thirteen systems in six countries (i.e., Italy, France, Greece, Lithuania, Spain, United Kingdom) were sampled. Typically chlorinated DBPs dominated. However, in most of Catalonia (Spain) and in Heraklion (Greece), brominated DBPs dominated. The degree of bromine incorporation into the DBP classes was in general similar among them. This is important, as brominated DBPs are a greater health concern. In parts of Catalonia, the reported levels of tribromoacetic acid were higher than in other parts of the world. In some regions, the levels of HAAs tended to be peaked in concentration in a different time period than when the levels of THMs peaked. In most epidemiology studies, THMs are used as a surrogate for other halogenated DBPs. This study provides exposure assessment information for epidemiology studies. © 2016 American Water Works Association.

Global and national assessment of the incidence of asthma in children and adolescents from major sources of ambient NO2

Abstract: Pediatric asthma incidence has been associated with exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in ambient air. NO2 is predominantly emitted through fossil fuel use in land transportation, power generation and the burning of solid biofuels in households. We simulated NO2 with a global atmospheric chemistry model, combined with a land use regression model, to estimate NO2 exposure in all countries worldwide. The global asthma incidence among children and adolescents attributable to NO2 was estimated by deriving an exposure-response function from a meta-analysis which included epidemiological studies from multiple countries, baseline incidence rates from the Global Burden of Disease and gridded population data. The sectoral contribution to pediatric asthma from NO2 exposure (NO2-related asthma incidence: NINC) was estimated for different source categories to provide guidance to mitigation policies. We estimate 3.52 (2.1–6.0) million NINC per year globally, being about 14% of the total asthma incidence cases among children and adolescents. We find that emissions from land transportation are the leading contributor to NINC globally (∼44%), followed by the domestic burning of solid fuels (∼10.3%) and power generation from fossil fuels (∼8.7%). Biogenic emissions which are not anthropogenically induced may contribute ∼14% to the total NINC. Our results show large regional differences in source contributions, as the domestic burning of solid fuels is a main contributor to NINC in India and Nepal (∼25%), while emissions from shipping are the leading source in Scandinavian countries (∼40%), for example. While only 5% of all children and adolescents live in areas where NO2 exceeds the WHO annual guideline of 21.25 ppb (40 μg m−3) for NO2, about 90% of the NINC is found in regions that meet the WHO guideline, related to the uneven distribution of children and adolescents in the population. This suggests the need for stricter policies to reduce NO2 exposure, and revisiting the current WHO guideline to reduce the health risks of children and adolescents.

Evaluation of a spatial rainfall generator for generating high resolution precipitation projections over orographically complex terrain

Abstract: Space–time variability of precipitation plays a key role as driver of many environmental processes. The objective of this study is to evaluate a spatiotemporal (STG) Neyman–Scott Rectangular Pulses (NSRP) generator over orographically complex terrain for statistical downscaling of climate models. Data from 145 rain gauges over a 5760-km2 area of Cyprus for 1980–2010 were used for this study. The STG was evaluated for its capacity to reproduce basic rainfall statistical properties, spatial intermittency, and extremes. The results were compared with a multi-single site NRSP generator (MSG). The STG performed well in terms of average annual rainfall (+1.5 % in comparison with the 1980–2010 observations), but does not capture spatial intermittency over the study area and extremes well. Daily events above 50 mm were underestimated by 61 %. The MSG produced a similar error (+1.1 %) in terms of average annual rainfall, while the daily extremes (>50-mm) were underestimated by 11 %. A gridding scheme based on scaling coefficients was used to interpolate the MSG data. Projections of three Regional Climate Models, downscaled by MSG, indicate a 1.5–12 % decrease in the mean annual rainfall over Cyprus for 2020–2050. Furthermore, the number of extremes (>50-mm) for the 145 stations is projected to change between −24 and +2 % for the three models. The MSG modelling approach maintained the daily rainfall statistics at all grid cells, but cannot create spatially consistent daily precipitation maps, limiting its application to spatially disconnected applications. Further research is needed for the development of spatial non-stationary NRSP models.

The Etesians: from observations to reanalysis

Abstract: The Etesians are among the most persistent regional scale wind systems in the lower troposphere that blow over the Aegean Sea during the extended summer season. In this study we evaluate the performance of three different reanalysis products (the twentieth century reanalysis, 20CR; the 40-year European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, ECMWF, Re-Analysis, ERA40; and the recently released ECMWF reanalysis ERA-20C) in capturing the Etesian wind system. Three-hourly data from 24 stations over Greece are used and compared with reanalysis outputs for the extended summer season (May–September) from 1971 to 2000. An objective classification of Etesians based on the pressure difference over the Aegean is provided. Classified Etesian days are then investigated as well as the associated large scale atmospheric circulation. Results highlight the ability of the investigated reanalyses to adequately describe the Etesian meteorological regimes. Intense Etesians are associated with stronger geopotential height anomalies over western-central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean and with pronounced changes in the mean position of the jet streams. Finally, station time series provide evidence for less frequent intense Etesian days at the end of the extended summer season.