IMPACT OF REDUCING THE NUMBER OF SOLID FUEL DEVICES IN KRAKOW IN 2012–2018 ON AIR QUALITY

The study evaluates the impact of reducing emissions from solid-fuel heating devices on PM10concentrations in Kraków, using data from 2012, 2015, and 2018. The AROME/MM5/CALMET/CALPUFF modelling system (Scire et al. 2000a,b) was employed to estimate PM10 concentrationsresulting solely from use of solid-fuel furnaces and boiler houses under two distinct meteorologicalscenarios — one representing a relatively cold year (2012) and another a relatively warm year (2018).The modelling was performed on a high-resolution 100 m grid and generated estimates of daily andannual average PM10 concentrations, as well as maximum daily values. By comparing the results forthe three years, the ecological effect defined as the reduction in annual average PM10 concentrationsover the periods 2012–2015, 2015–2018, and 2012–2018 was quantified. Notably, eliminating solidfuelheating sources between 2015 and 2018 produced a fourfold reduction in area-averaged annualPM10 concentrations from 25.8 μg/m in 2012 to 5.6 μg/m in 2018 in the cold meteorological yearCY (2012) and from 22.8 μg/m in 2012 to 5 μg/m in 2018 year in the warm meteorological year WY(2018). Moreover, all daily averages fell below 27 μg/m, and the maximum daily PM10 concentrationsexceeded on 10% of the city area — which reached 254 μg/m (170 μg/m in a warm year) in 2015— declined to 66 μg/m (44 μg/m in a warm year) by 2018 in a cold meteorological scenario. Theseresults demonstrate that targeted measures to reduce solid-fuel emissions can substantially improveurban air quality.