On some cases of extreme sulfur pollution in Bulgaria or Northern Greece

• Published in: Bulgarian Geophysical Journal Vol. 28; no. 1-4; pp. 15 - 22
• Main Authors: Ganev, K, Syrakov, D, Zerefos, Ch, Prodanova, M, Dimitrova, R, Vasaras, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2002
• Subjects: Greece; Bulgaria
• ISSN: 1311-753X

Extensive air pollution simulations were carried out in the framework of a joint research project (Grant ENVIR.LG 973343) and a long-term evaluation of the SO sub(2) exchange between Bulgaria and Northern Greece was performed. From both scientific and practical points of view, however, not only large-term pollution characteristics and country to country pollution exchange characteristics are of interest. The study of episodes with especially large air pollution in a selected region and their analysis with respect to the meteorological conditions and the pollution sources configuration is also important. That is why the present work aims at a more detailed study of the SO sub(2) origin for some days of 1995 with particularly large mean concentrations over Bulgaria or Northern Greece. The method of functions of influence was applied in the study. The general conclusion from the simulations is that in most of the cases more than 50% of the extreme surface SO sub(2) pollution in Northern Greece (up to 82% in some cases) originates from Bulgarian sources, with a particularly large contribution of the "Maritza" power plants (in one of the episodes nearly 80%). There are cases, however, when the SO sub(2) pollution in Northern Greece is formed mostly (more than 60%) from Greek sources. In all the cases studied, more than 70% of the extreme SO sub(2) pollution in Bulgaria is caused by Bulgarian sources. The present results are in good agreement with some previous studies, where the numerical evaluations were convincingly confirmed by the experimental data.