Persistent air pollution events in the Sao Paulo metropolitan region

• Grant number: 21/14342-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Meteorology
• Principal Investigator: Luciana Varanda Rizzo
• Grantee: Andre Gomes Bessa Miranda
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas (ICAQF). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Diadema. Diadema , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems in large urban areas, with negative impacts on human health and quality of life. In the metropolitan region of Sao Paulo (MRSP), the concentration of primary air pollutants has shown a consistent decrease since the 1900s, in spite of the exponential growth of the vehicle fleet. Even though, the exceedance of air quality standards is still frequented at MRSP, modulated by meteorological conditions. This undergraduate research project aims to characterize persistent exceedance events at MRSP between 2005 and 2021. Persistent exceedance events differ from isolated events since they persist for many days and occur simultaneously in many neighborhoods, with potential impacts on many inhabitants of the metropolis. The research will be based on public databases on air pollutant concentrations and surface meteorological variables. Frequency, duration, and intensity of the events will be characterized, as well as the daily growth rate in air pollutant concentration. Also, we propose the development of a data-based model to predict the occurrence of persistent exceedance events at MRSP. The results of this undergraduate research project can support future public policies to mitigate the impacts of air pollution during periods of unfavorable conditions for atmospheric dispersion.(AU)