Survey of the Station Networks

SURVEY OF THE STATION NETWORKS   TABULAR PART OF THE AMBIENT AIR QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS   PRINCIPLES OF DATA PRESENTATION AND VALUABILITY OF AMBIENT AIR CHARACTERISTICS   PRECIPITATION QUALITY AND WET DEPOSITION MONITORING   SUPPLEMENTARY METEOROLOGICAL DATA  

Survey of the Station Networks

As mentioned in the Preface, the yearbook gives a very extensive survey of the ambient air quality for the Czech Republic. It includes the measuring results collected by several organizations. The Table Air pollution monitoring sites based on the owner and location in the administrative region of the Czech Republic - 1997 gives the numbers of stations from which data were actually received, based on the individual areas (former regions) and on the co-operating organizations. The next table is entitled Station data utilizability based on the owner and type of measurement in the Czech Republic - 1997, followed by the table Station data utilizability based on the regional offices networks of AIM CHMI in the Czech Republic - 1997. Next table Air pollution monitoring sites based on the owner, kind of species measured, measuring interval and type of measurement in the Czech Republic - 1997, giving the numbers of active stations based on the type of pollutant and classified on the basis of measurement type.

The stations were classified into type categories according to the method of data measurement, collection, treatment and transfer. Stationary stations were classified using the following table.

Type of station Type of measurementInterval of sample collectionAnalog values collection and treatement Data transferPurpose of the station
manualmanual>3 hoursall manual, processing in laboratory forms, diskettesregime, special-purpose
semiautomaticcontinuous<3 hoursprocesseing out of measuring place forms, diskettesregime, special-purpose
AMScontinuous30 minutes
3 hours		automatic collection and processing in measuring place data line or diskettesregime state network
AMS-SRScontinuous30 minutesautomatic collection and processing in measuring place data lineoperative for SRS
Heavy metals in SPMmanual<24 hoursall manual, treated in laboratory diskettesspecial-purpose

The data set named SURVEY OF STATIONS AND METHODS OF MEASURING AIR QUALITY RECORDED IN IIS-ISKO - 1997 is a detailed list of stations for which at least one kind of measurement was registered in 1997. The survey of stations is classified according to District (which are ordered according to the former regions) and organizations. Since 1994, measuring stations are designated by a nine-place code, formed as follows:

MEASURING STATIONS ARE DESIGNATED BY A NINE-PLACE CODE
Position Legends
1 - 2abbreviation for country (CZ for the Czech Republic)
3 - 4abbreviation for District
5 - 6abbreviation for organization carrying out the measurement
7 - 9abbreviation for the name of the station, consisting of the first three letters of the name of the measuring station or by a combination of the first letters of a measuring station name with more than one word

The survey of the stations is completed by maps of boundaries of the Districts in the individual areas showing the locations of the stations and their numbers in the IIS - ISKO system.

Tabular Part of the Ambient Air Quality Characteristics

The Summary Annual Tabular Survey is the separate numerical yearbook which presents ambient air quality characteristics.

The monthly and annual air quality characteristics are calculated from the daily information.

For individual pollutants, the stations are presented according to the former Regions, Districts and further according to the organization in the order: CHMI, Public Health Service, ORGREZ, VÚLHM, VÚRV, Ekotoxa, VÚLHM - Opočno, Municipal Authorities, Kolowrat Forests, Třinec Municipal Authority, Chvaletice Thermal Power Plant - ČEZ utility, Infrastructure Management of the town Plzeň (SIMP), Mělník Power Plant, Spolana Neratovice. Stations in the same organization are ordered alphabetically.

In 1997, the automatic station network of Saxony Region in Germany is included again. The automatic station network of south-west border region of Poland is included for the first time. These stations are presented always in the end of individual tabular sets.

These tabular systems contain the ambient air quality characteristics for the following pollutants: sulfur dioxide, suspended particulate matter (SPM), PM10 particulate fraction ( respirable fraction of suspended particulate matter with aerodynamic average of 50% of the particles less than 10 μm), nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide, nitrous oxide, tropospheric ozone, carbon monoxide, heavy metals in SPM, particulate nitrates, particulate sulfates, nitric acid, ammonium ions - particulates, ammonia, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). There are air quality standards for selected pollutants (bold - existing, italics - proposed) mentioned at the head of majority of the tables.

In the chapter Summary survey of exceedence of air quality standards and highest values at the stations of CR in 1997 the tables for individual air quality characteristics are given: stations with highest annual arithmetic means, stations with highest values of 95th percentiles and highest daily concentrations at air quality monitoring stations for selected pollutants. In the end two tables specific for ozone are presented - maximum measured 8-hour concentrations beginning at 9:00 UTC and exceedence of the 8-hour air pollution limit beginning at 9:00 UTC.

The basic part of the summary tabular survey consists of Monthly, Annual Average Concentrations and Supplementary Air Quality Characteristics for the above mentioned pollutants. For each station the monthly arithmetic average and the monthly frequency (Xm, mc) are given in two subsequent lines. Further, the daily maximum for the year and the date of occurrence (MAX. DAT), 95th percentile (95% kv), 50th percentile (50% kv), and 98th percentile ( 98% kv) are given; where determined, the following are also given: the daily air quality standard IHd, the relative frequency of exceedence of these standards (č.p.%), annual arithmetic average and standard deviation (X, S), annual geometric average and standard geometric deviation (XG, SG), number of measurements in the year and the length of the longest continuous shut-down (N, dv.).

The sets of tables are completed by the maps depicting the variation of the basic air quality characteristics for the pollutants SO2, NOx and SPM - annual arithmetic averages and 95th percentiles of the daily average concentrations of the given pollutants for the Districts for the period 1991 - 1997. The calculated averages for the Districts are based on the methodology from 1996. The given air quality characteristics represent the assessments of the mean values for the given Districts.

The standard tables in the part for ozone are adjusted relative to the 8-hour limit IH8h = 160 μg.m-3. Tab. Sh-O3 contains the maximum 8-hour average value in the MAX. DAT column, beginning at 9:00 UTC, with the date measured. The č.p.% column gives the relative frequency of exceeding IH8h in the year 1997.

The table Average monthly concentrations of heavy metals in suspended particulate matter gives the monthly and annual arithmetic average values for SPM and selected elements in SPM, for specialized station network of CHMI and ORGREZ.

Since 1994 the table presenting measured concentrations of VOCs is included. The samples are collected manually into canisters.

Continual measurement of aromatic hydrocarbons (BTX analyser) is included for the first time.

The measurement of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is presented in two tabular sets for the first time as well. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are included in the first set and polychlorinated bifenyls (PCBs) in the second set.

Principles of data presentation and valuability of ambient air characteristics

Stations are given in this summary tabular survey when the number of daily average values ( measured values or calculated characteristics) is greater than 60 in the evaluated year.

In order to include the ambient air characteristics, the conditions given in the following table must be fulfilled:

Source dataGoal datamax dv *min N **
30 minutes24 hours8 half hours24 half hours
60 minutes24 hours4 hours12 hours
24 hours1 month5 days16 days
24 hours1 year40 days180 days

Legends
*
length of the longest continuous shut-down
**
 minimum number of data items


In order to consider the annual ambient air characteristics valid, the minimum number of daily data items per year must be greater than 240 and the longest continuous shut-down less than 20 days.

Percentiles and relative frequency of IHr exceedence are presented together with daily highest values in 1997 in basic tables even if they dont fulfil the mentioned conditions.

Differentiation of types of letters
bold
exceeding of the ambient air limit, assuming that the data fulfil the requirements for valuability of data for calculation of the annual characteristics for comparison with the limit (existing and proposed)
italics
data do not fulfil the requirements for valuability of data for calculation of the annual characteristics

Precipitation Quality and Wet Deposition Monitoring

The summary annual tabular survey also gives the chemical composition of precipitation and atmospheric deposition. Routine measurement of this information was begun in former Czechoslovakia at the end of the nineteen seventies and since then the network of stations has undergone a certain development - a number of new stations was established and some of them have been shut down or moved. The stations for which data are given for 1997 are depicted on the map; the following table gives more detailed information on stations (altitude, sampling methods).

Data on chemical composition of atmospheric precipitation are given in the tables as separate monthly analyses. As concerned the stations with one week sampling interval, average weighted concentrations from individual weeks (No. of weeks are given) which fit months best are presented (No. of months are given in parentheses). Rain amounts represent sampling weeks as well. One week interval has been introduced on majority of the CHMI stations during 1996 in co-ordination with international EMEPs methodology (Tuesday - Tuesday sampling).

Since 1995, data of the Geological Surveys network concerning atmospheric deposition have been included. The monitoring of atmospheric deposition is in progress there since 1986 within the framework of small watersheds research. The results from the network of VÚV T.G.M. and from near boundary areas of Poland and Germany (Black Triangle) are included for the first time.

The tabular survey of precipitation quality and wet deposition monitoring is completed by tables presenting the annual average concentrations weighted by rain amounts and the annual wet depositions given for individual stations and measured parameters.

The measured quantities are designated in the tables by the common chemical nomenclature symbols, cond is the measured sample conductivity and rain denotes the total precipitation measured by the standard method directly at the sampling site or at a station that can be meteorologically considered to be representative for the given site.

Supplementary Meteorological Data

The summary annual tabular survey is completed by two tables containing meteorological data measured on ambient air quality stations. These data are used to determine conditions of transportation, dispersion and chemical transformations of pollutants in the air and they facilitate to relate the interpretation of air pollution measurement to meteorological conditions. These meteorological data do not substitute data from specialized meteorological and climatological CHMI's networks and in comparison with them they can be considered only as supplementary data. The table Total Wind Rose presents measurements of wind directions and velocities measured at 10 m height above terrain. Wind roses are given in % for eight main wind directions, calm and five classes of wind velocity. The intervals applied for wind velocity reflect the classification used in methodology of air pollution modelling.

The second supplementary table presents the global radiation energy in W.m-2. There are monthly and annual average values and additional characteristics.

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