Europe's pollution hotspots shown

by RogueTrooper Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 09:51:39 AM EST

from the diaries. Text bumped below the fold. See also the map of light pollution below --Jérôme.

Fromt the BBC

Dutch scientists are putting together remarkable maps showing pollution over Europe and other regions of the globe.
Using the US space agency's Aura satellite, the team can look right down to the troposphere, the lowest part of the atmosphere where we all live.
The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (Omi) and other key equipment on Aura can build a daily picture of air quality.
The pollution maps, which can see detail at the city scale, will be used to identify problem hotspots.

Europe's pollution hotspots shown | 35 comments (35 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

How does this image correlate with light pollution? (Can you find a similar satellite image of the continent at night?)

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 08:26:38 AM EST

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

I thought you left academia: how come you're handing out homework?

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 08:57:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

Old habits never die... But I though RT would have the relevand picture more handy. It wasn't homework.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 09:34:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (4.00 / 4)

Well, clearly you can take the eurotribber out of academia but you can't take the academic out of the eurotribber.

Just doin' what the teacher told me.

Money is a sign of Poverty - Culture Saying

by RogueTrooper on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 09:56:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (4.00 / 3)

Here is a picture of Europe's light polution.

There does seem to be some correlation between light & air pollution.

Money is a sign of Poverty - Culture Saying

by RogueTrooper on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 09:19:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (4.00 / 3)

Here is a list of the largest urban areas of the EU. Top 10:

Paris

London

Ruhrgebiet

Madrid

Barcelona

Milan

Berlin

Rotterdam/The Hague

Athens

Naples

Rome

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 09:38:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

The Ruhrgebiet is just third??? I knew of de-industrialisation, but for some reason I thought that NRW still being the biggest German province by population means the area is top...

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:36:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

Koeln and Duesseldorf (South Ruhr) are #13 and #14 on the list with 2.5M and 2.4M. If you lumped them together with Dortmund (5.2M) you'd get 10.1M

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:40:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

10.1M ties Paris.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:40:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

I wouldn't lump Köln/Cologne with the Ruhr area, but the other indeed I would - thanks for pointing out the overlooked separation!

Still, that leaves the Ruhr area third, and me wondering that the area has not a bigger share of the 18 million NRW inhabitants.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:50:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

And that is just where I live.

"Schiller sprach zu Goethe, Steck in dem Arsch die Flöte! Goethe sagte zu Schiller, Mein Arsch ist kein Triller!"

by Jeffersonian Democrat (rzg6f@virginia.edu) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 12:01:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Ruhrgebiet (4.00 / 2)

The answer: metropolitan areas. (Urban areas are contiguous built areas). Top 10 in Europe:

Moscow

London

Rhine-Ruhr

Paris

Istanbul

Milano

Randstand

Madrid

St. Petersburg

Vlaamse Ruit

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 01:38:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Geopolitical implications... (none / 0)

Madrid and Barcelona are neck-and-neck at 4M. Italy has three large metropolitan areas in the list of top 10 in the EU (Milan, Rome, Naples). Separatism anyone?

Germany (with Ruhrgebiet and Berlin) is the only other bicephalous country, quite understandably since it was recently unified.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 12:09:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Geopolitical implications... (none / 0)

Germany is more like the seven-headed dragon...

Poland and the Netherlands is also bicephalous.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 12:42:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Geopolitical implications... (none / 0)

True, but Germany is a Federal state, and Poland's heads are too small to make a difference.

I guess my point is in Spain we should stop mucking around and admit that tanto monta, monta tanto, Madrid como Barcelona.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 12:47:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Geopolitical implications... (none / 0)

OK, then there is Lithuania: Vilnius has 540,000, Kaunas 365,000 inhabitants, while the country is just 3.4 million total.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 01:00:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Geopolitical implications... (none / 0)

Any internal tensions I should be aware off between the two?

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 01:01:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Geopolitical implications... (none / 0)

Yes, but it is more like St. Petersburg vs. Moscow.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 01:10:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Geopolitical implications... (none / 0)

More, less spectacularly bicephalous countries:

Belgium: total population 10.5 million, 2 million of this in Brussels, 1 million in Antwerp.
Slovenia: total population 2.0 million, Ljubjana 265,000, Maribor 110,000 (the ratio is high, but they do form two very distinct poles)
Slovakia: total population 5.4 million, Bratislava 450,000, Košice 240,000 (again a higher ratio, and not too big relative to the entire country, but they are at the opposed ends of the country, with rivalry).

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 01:29:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Thanks, (none / 1)

I absolutely love those bits of information

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 02:43:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Thanks, (none / 1)

That is my reaction to the cornucopia of economics charts you have up your sleeve.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 03:44:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Geopolitical implications... (none / 0)

Of the Baltic cities, Riga is the largest at .9M

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 01:17:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (4.00 / 3)

Nobody did notice that the oil plateforms of North Sea (off Stavanger and Aberdeen) are brighter than some town from France ? OK, in 20 years that will be history.

by Hansvon on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 05:25:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

Well spotted: I did not notice.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 05:27:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

Damn! And I'm living in the most polluted spot in Germany!

"Schiller sprach zu Goethe, Steck in dem Arsch die Flöte! Goethe sagte zu Schiller, Mein Arsch ist kein Triller!"

by Jeffersonian Democrat (rzg6f@virginia.edu) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:20:39 AM EST

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

It's actually pretty hard to avoid... The top 10 largest metropolitan areas in Europe (listed above) add up to 50 million people, about 1/9 of the EU's population.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:25:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

You're living on its edge.

There is an easy test to the level of light pollution: can you see the Milky Way on a clear night?

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:38:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

I can only see it when I go up into the mountains of Sauerland. Since I enjoy x-country skiing, everyone tells me that I have to get out into the country since the pollution prevents snow from accumilating around here.

"Schiller sprach zu Goethe, Steck in dem Arsch die Flöte! Goethe sagte zu Schiller, Mein Arsch ist kein Triller!"

by Jeffersonian Democrat (rzg6f@virginia.edu) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:58:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

Oh, then Menden is still in the aura (or is big enough and light-polluting-enough to have one itself).

On the former, I must say: in Hungary, from the only place worthy of any classic professional optical astronomy, an observatory in the North-Eastern mountains some 100 km from the capital, you can still see the aura of Budapest high up into the sky...

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 12:05:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 1)

Light pollution - a constant theme for astronomers, professionals and amateurs alike. You can't imagine how much we hate disco flashlights, for example...

...but, we have some good arguments for policymakers. In fact most light pollution is wasted light: not light reflected from streets and house walls, but light directly going up into the air from streetlights. I guess for that main reason, even in cash-strapped Central-Eastern Europe, many local authorities and even national governments (IIRC Czech Republic) can be convinced to make it policy to install non-directly-polluting streetlights whenever there is an upgrade or new construction.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:42:10 AM EST

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

I once saw a lecture by David Malin and he taunted his European audience with the outstanding clarity of the Southern skies.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 11:53:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

Oh, don't tell me! So does any visiting astronomer who emails collagues at home.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 12:06:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

BTW, strangely enough, one of the clearest skies I have ever seen I saw from a camping place some 50 km from Athens. (It may have had to do with favorable winds on the preceding day.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 12:08:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

Astronomers are great outdoor buffs.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 03:10:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe's pollution hotspots shown (none / 0)

However I managed to put this reply at root level...

Anyway. For the overall pollution map, I find it surprising that the post-industrial Ruhr area (where even remaining power plants got smoke filters) is still so strongly polluted; and also that my hometown Budapest barely rises from its surroundings.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Dec 9th, 2005 at 12:00:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Europe's pollution hotspots shown | 35 comments (35 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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Europe's pollution hotspots shown

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