To the harbour area of Genoa the European supremacy of the percentage of emitted polluting particulate matter from the ships is up



The harbour area of Genoa would turn out to be that in Europe in which the emissions of the ships they produce the greater percentage of found particulate matter on that total one in the area. It supports a study that analyzes the impact of the marine transport on the lead atmospheric pollution from the Instituto de Diagnöstico Ambiental y Estudios of Agua (IDAEA) of state agency Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), that it is the main national institution of scientific research. The study, published on the magazine "Atmospheric Environment", it is the result of a demand by the European Agency for Atmosphere (AEA) and puts to I mainly confront the polluting emissions of the ships in the European coastal zones on data found between 2008 and 2012 from national agencies of search. In particular, for Genoa the data are deduced by a publication of 2008 of investigators (Mazzei and others) of the Physical Department of Genoa, of Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nuclear and the General Physical Institute Applicata.

"The marine traffic - it has observed Sea Viana, first researcher and member of the Departamento de Geología Inorgánica of the IDAEA-CSIC - is a pollution source of which considering from the moment that in some cases the impact on the quality of the air is remarkable. Moreover - it has explained - we have considered necessary to implement a methodology which unified in all Europe to the aim of to have given comparable". To such purpose Sea Viana it has evidenced the differences found between the Europe North, where the pollution from particulate matter produced from the marine transport represents 1% of the total, and the cities of southern Europe, where the elevated percentages more have turned out those of 20% to Genoa and 14% to Melilla: according to the researcher, "such diversities could be explained from differences of volume of the marine traffic, from the use of cleaned fuel more to the North and from the climate, since the rain, more frequent to the North, drags particles and cleans the air. But they could also be explained from the difference between the techniques of measurement and the methodology of job".

The Spanish institute has specified, moreover, than these data they come from the little studies that are lead until now in matter and by which are not still possible to deduce a medium data on the contribution of the ships to the atmospheric pollution, in order to formulate which is necessary ulterior searches. "Moreover - it has emphasized Sea Viana - the case of Genoa is anomalous for its elevated percentage, than it is not representative anyway of the Mediterranean as it is concluded in the job". "It goes evidenced - it has added - that these percentages refer to the atmospheric pollution from particulate matter and not to the pollution in general terms, that it includes particulate matter and gaseous pollutant".

The IDAEA has specified moreover that the analyzed data include the containing amount of atmospheric particulate matter vanadium and nickel, metals - it has explained the Spanish institute - that they constitute a specific marker of the emissions of the ships and that they are generated in the combustion of the fuel. The study shows the percentage of polluting particulate matter (of aerodynamic diameter of 1, 2,5 and 10 micrometers) in the air of the cities. The ships - it has specified Sea Viana - emit thin powders, for which the values more elevated they are indicated, respective, in the particle cases of 1 and 2,5 micrometers (PM1 and PM2,5).

If of Genoa, where figure the elevated percentage more, the ships brings a percentage pairs to 20% of the total of particulate matter PM2,5 of inferior or equal diameter to 2,5 micrometers. To Barcelona, the ships emit 8% of particles PM1, 6% of the PM2, 5 and 5% of the PM10. To Venice the emissions of the ships constitute between 1% and 8% of the total of particles PM2,5 and the 1-8% of the PM10. To Algeciras 10% of the PM2,5 are produced by the ships so as the 3-7% of the PM10. To Melilla 14% of the PM2,5 are attributable to the ships regarding solo the 2-4% of the PM10. For Italy the study anticipates surveys also for the marine area of Lampedusa, where percentages turn out high: the ships contribute to 11% of the PM1, 8% of the PM2,5 and 4% of the PM10.

According to the study, such percentages in Europe North are remarkablly inferior and in the region the pollution produced from the ships is reduced to 1% of the PM2,5 in Norway and Sweden, to 4% in the United Kingdom, to 5% in the Netherlands or 3% in Denmark. Inferior percentages turn out also in France (2% of the PM2,5), Germany (2% of the PM2,5) and Switzerland (1% of the PM2,5).

The study emphasizes as, ciononostante, the pollution produced from the ships is inferior to that of other sources as the road traffic (the half of all the total pollution - it is specified - has had to the cars), even if - says the investigators - the marine traffic constitutes a source that would not have to be neglected and that it must be controlled above all if its previewed increase is considered in the next few years.