XI. AIR QUALITY EVALUATION

XI.1 BASIC SOURCES FOR AMBIENT AIR QUALITY EVALUATION

The evaluation of ambient air quality published in this yearbook covers the whole territory of the Czech Republic. It is necessary to document the compliance with the legislative requirements also in areas where no limit values are exceeded, in accordance with one of the fundamental principles of Directive 2008/50/EC. Where the objectives for ambient air quality laid down in this Directive are not met, member states are obliged take action in order to comply with the limit values and long-term objectives.

In this yearbook, the level of air pollution is documented mainly by maps of spatial distribution of air pollution characteristics. Measuring stations are marked in the maps by symbols of different shape according to the type of locality, and concentration levels are indicated the the colour of these symbols. Exceedances of limit values are indicated in red. The other basic thresholds between categories are the lower assessment threshold and the upper assessment threshold.

The diagram maps clearly depict the development of air pollution characteristics in the period 2004–2014, the names of stations where the limit value was exceeded being highlighted in red. The courses of concentrations of individual pollutants at selected stations during the year 2014 are documented by the graphs.

The graphs of trends of air pollution characteristics of selected pollutants in agglomerations and in the whole territory of the Czech Republic starting from the year 2000 show the long-term development of the level of ambient air pollution. The values depicted in the graphs are calculated as averages from average concentrations measured only at those monitoring stations in the given territory which measured the monitored pollutant for the whole evaluated period.

The tables in the annex present individual pollutants at localities with the highest values of air pollution characteristics in 2014 in decreasing order. The grey colour of the background highlights exceedances of limit values.

The ambient air quality evaluation is founded on concentrations measured at monitoring stations. The measuring network is densest in areas with the highest levels of pollutant concentrations. It nevertheless covers the whole territory of the Czech Republic. The backbone network of monitoring stations is the National Air Quality Monitoring Network (NAQMN) operated by the CHMI. It includes both automated monitoring stations (AIM) and manual stations (MIM), samples from which are analysed in CHMI laboratories. At many localities, parallel ambient air pollution monitoring is carried out using both automated and manual methods. The National Air Quality Monitoring Network is supplemented with monitoring stations of other organizations, and their measurement results are also used for the ambient air quality evaluation.

Calculation criteria pursuant to Annex I to Directive 2008/50/EC and Annex IV to Directive 2004/107/EC were employed during the preparation of the air quality evaluation presented in this yearbook. These annexes have set the data quality objectives for ambient air quality assessment. Pursuant to Annex I to Directive 2008/50/EC and Annex IV to Directive 2004/107/EC, ambient air quality evaluations can only use data from measuring stations that meet the requirement for minimum data capture of 90 %. The requirements for the calculation do not include losses of data due to the regular calibration or normal maintenance of the instrumentation. Without prejudice to Annex I to Directive 2008/50/EC, the criteria set in Annex XI of the same directive shall be used when aggregating data and calculating statistical parameters. Due to these changes, some of the data presented in previous yearbooks may slightly differ from the data presented in this yearbook.

XI.2 CLASSIFICATION OF STATIONS

The production of maps of air pollution characteristics and ambient air quality evaluation is based on the EoI classification of measuring stations (Table XI.2). This official European classification has been implemented at all localities in the Czech Republic registered in the Air Quality Information System (AQIS) database. The complete EoI classification of localities consists of three fundamental letters divided by strokes showing the type of locality, the type of area and a characterization of the area. The third column only shows examples of combinations of area characteristics. In fact, any logical combination is possible, but the first letter has the highest priority. Further information on station classification including the legislation is presented in the 2014 Summary Tabular Survey (CHMI 2014b).

The number of monitoring stations of basic pollutants operated by selected organizations, from which the data are stored in the AQIS database, has been continuously changing since 1969. The greatest number of stations in the Czech Republic was operated in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century. At present, most stations are operated by the CHMI within the the National Air Quality Monitoring Network (NAQMN; Fig. XI.2).

The NAQMN also includes four ‘hot spot’ stations; this term is usually used for localities with high levels of air pollution. The yearbook uses this term for stations focused exclusively on monitoring the effects of traffic on ambient air quality. Monitoring stations with ‘hot spot’ classification are operated by the CHMI at localities with heavy traffic loads in Prague, Brno, Ostrava and Ústí nad Labem.

XI.3 AIR QUALITY INFORMATION SYSTEM – AIR POLLUTION DATABASE AND DATABASE OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF PRECIPITATION

The concentrations measured by the air quality monitoring networks are stored in the AQIS air pollution database. The data has been stored in the AQIS since the beginning of measurements. Concentrations of sulphur dioxide and suspended particles obtained from CHMI station networks in northern Bohemia, in Prague and in the agglomeration of O/K/F-M have been stored since 1971.

The AQIS has been continuously developed and operated using state-of-the-art information technologies as an integrated system for nation-wide comprehensive evaluation of the state and development of air pollution. The system takes care of collecting, storing and processing data from automated and manually-operated air pollution measuring networks in the Czech Republic (air pollution database and database of the chemical composition of precipitation). It also stores and processes data on emissions and air pollution sources (emission database). Together with air pollution data, also supplementary meteorological data measured at the large number of CHMI automated stations are stored in the air pollution database. These data are used for the evaluation of relationships between air pollution meteorological phenomena.

In addition to results from CHMI measurements carried out by the staff of air pollution monitoring departments at the headquarters and in regional branches, the AQIS air pollution database and database of the chemical composition of precipitation also include data provided by cooperating institutions. These mainly comprise health institutes, the Czech Energetic Works, a.s. (CEZ), Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, p.r.i., Czech Geological Survey, Water Management Research Institute TGM, p.r.i., Hydro-biological Institute, municipal authorities and other contributors (Table XI.1). The AQIS database also deals with information from border areas of Germany and Poland, which is obtained through international reciprocal data exchange.

XI.4 AIR QUALITY INFORMATION SYSTEM – EMISSION DATABASE

Methodical progress and annual nation-wide processing and keeping of records of the emission database are ensured by the CHMI. The time series, which started approximately in 1984, holds in the AQIS emission database annual overviews of emission data and supplementary technical data from operators of the most significant group of facilities (formerly extra large and large sources referred to as REZZO 1). Since the 90s of the 20th century, the database also includes data from the sources listed by the previous legislation among so-called medium-sized air pollution sources (formerly REZZO 2 sources). The collection of reported data from stationary sources, specified in Annex No. 2 of the Air Protection Act, is carried out through the Integrated System of the Fulfilment of Notification Obligations (ISPOP) established by Act No. 25/2008 Coll. on the integrated pollution register and the integrated system for the fulfilment of notification obligations in the field of environmental protection, and amendments to several acts.

The classification of facilities into the REZZO 1 and REZZO 2 categories is based on the form of the reported data of summary operational records for the year 2014, where for approximately 42 % of the reported data the so-called simplified form was used (the conditions are set in the introductory text of Annex No. 11 to Decree No. 415/2012 Coll. on permissible level of pollution and its ascertainment and on the implementation of several other provisions of the Air Protection Act describing the list of data of summary operational records).

XI.5 EMISSION BALANCE

Since 1997 emissions from local household heating units are inventoried according to the methodology based on general census data. The general census data are regularly (once a year) updated in co-operation with regional suppliers of fuels and energy. At present the modified method of the year 2006 is used (Machálek, Machart 2007), and data from the 2011 general census are included. The final output of the model are data on emissions of pollutants and the composition of fuel used in household heating units at the level of individual municipalities included in the REZZO 3 database. In addition to data on local household heating, the REZZO 3 database also contains re-calculated data on emissions from other stationary sources not listed in Annex No. 2 of the Air Protection Act, comprising the mass use of solvents, agricultural and building activity.

The inventory of emissions from mobile sources (REZZO 4) covers road, railway, water and air transport processed by the Transport Research Centre, p.r.i. (CDV) in Brno using its own methodology and off-road mobile sources (agriculture, building industry etc.) processed using data on fuel consumptions (CSO) and emission factors following the methodology of the Research Institute of Agricultural Engineering, p.r.i.

XI.6 AQIS TIES TO DATA SOURCES AND THE PRESENTATION OF DATA

AQIS is linked to data sources and cooperating systems, mainly to air quality monitoring networks, sources of reported data and to cross-sectional information systems. The interconnection is realized mainly through the exchange of data by e-mail, on magnetic media, over switched data lines and, in the case of data from automated air pollution monitoring networks, mainly over radio transmission (Fig. XI.1).

The selected information, tables, graphs and maps, both from the Summary Tabular Survey and the graphic yearbook “Air Pollution in the Czech Republic in 2014”, are accessible on the CHMI website (www.chmi.cz), along with other overviews and graphic depictions relevant to ambient air pollution. The ‘Air Quality’ section also presents, with a short delay, the current results of measurements from automated stations operated by the CHMI and other organizations in the form of tables, the so-called air quality index, graphs and estimates of spatial distribution of PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ concentrations.

Tab. XI.1 Air pollution monitoring localities, based on the owner, Czech Republic, 2014

Tab. XI.2 Exchange of Information (EoI) station classification

 

Fig. XI.1 Ties of the AQIS to data sources and co-operating systems, 2014

Fig. XI.2 Monitoring of basic pollutants in selected organisations – development