Spatial and temporal characteristics of size-distribution of traffic-related nanoparticles in urban street canyons

It has been reported that airborne nanoparticles have effects on human health. In an urban area, major source of the particles is road traffic and high level of concentration occurs inside street canyons. Moreover, traffic-related aerosol may contribute to formation of secondary organic aerosol (as part of PM2.5) in the urban atmosphere. The importance of preprocessing of vehicle exhaust aerosol in street canyons is a knowledge gap that this project attempts to fill.

This 3-year project aims to numerically model the impact of turbulent mixing inside a street canyon on the evolution and spatial variability of nanoparticles emitted by vehicles. The model will be built by coupling two existing in-house numerical codes. The model will use a unique dataset derived from an EU-funded project called FASTER, which represents a world-leading research activity; this dataset covers chemical composition and physical properties (size distribution) of the vehicle emitted nanoparticles. Successful completion of the project will highlight the hot spots of polluted air and shed light on the pre-processing of traffic-related aerosol within urban canopy so as to assist an investigation of its contribution to formation of PM2.5 in the urban atmosphere.
Applicants are expected to have a very good bachelor’s or master’s degree in the subjects of atmospheric science, meteorology, engineering, or applied mathematics. Background in numerical/computational modelling or fluid dynamics is preferred. The PhD student will join a vibrant research group, Environmental Health Sciences, comprised of leading scientists in the areas of transport, chemical and physical transformations of atmospheric constituents, and the effects of air pollution upon the environment, and particularly upon human health.
Keywords: vehicle-emitted nanoparticles; urban street canyon; large-eddy simulation; modelling; aerosol dynamics; urban air pollution