Page 16 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

Breath: the Source of Life
“Air Quality Modelling Applications”

forms the foundation of the clean air legislation of the European Union, has
become the first example of legal regulation in the field of environment on a
regional basis (Rodriguez,2014).
The air, which has no boundaries and is constantly in motion between
mountains, seas, buildings and roads in its dynamic structure, is becoming
one of the difficult environmental issues to manage due to its unique
nature. Intensive use of fossil fuels worldwide in main areas such as industry,
transportation and heating, lack of treatment technologies lead to air pollution
which is carried thousands of kilometers away from its area of origin by the
meteorological factors such as winds. Thus, it gained global importance
and became the first theme to prepare a legislation globally in the field of
environment with the UN’s Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air
Pollution (CLRTAP).
The use of scientific data in air quality management and decision support
tools in policy development in this line has become conventional. (Hordijk et
al., 1991; Gough et al., 1998; Tuinstra et al., 1999; Castells and Ravetz, 2001;
Eckley et al., 2002; Sundqvist et al., 2002; Lidskog and Sundqvist, 2004). Such
scientific studies formed the basis for the pollutant-based reduction protocols
prepared especially on the basis of the CLRTAP convention.
The policy-making process requires an interdisciplinary approach. Scientific
disciplines, especially economics, soil, ecology, meteorology, make an effective
contribution to air quality management. (Farrell et al., 2001) Acidification and
eutrophication, one of the most well-known effects of air pollution, are closely
related to other ecosystems.
Changes in air quality can have an impact in local, regional, national and
global terms. Today, air pollution is highly mentioned on our planet especially
with the pressure of the population growth compared to the previous
periods. The demand for raw materials necessary to provide the food and
vital needs for the population has enhanced the supply chain mobility along
with industrial activities. Thus, it leads a heavy pressure on transport network
and road/maritime/air transportation modes. Moreover, it brings along the
changes in life habits and the increasing migration of population from rural
to urban areas. Density of population in urban areas results in centralized,
instead of scattered, heating activities, depending on the need for housing.
Outdoor air is affected by various factors such as meteorological conditions,
topography, urbanisation profiles, expansion of transportation network, and
distribution of industrial activities.
There was a significant increase in both academic and field studies in Türkiye
and in the world by the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century,
which were focused on factors affecting the outdoor air, results of these effects,
the extent of exposure of the population and the ways to change these results.

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Special Issue / 2024