| Summary: | Non-exhaust particulate matter (PM) emissions from vehicular traffic in Reykjavík is a significant detriment to the air quality of Iceland’s Capital Region and an ongoing hazard to public health for over 230,000 people. This study explores the impacts of non-exhaust vehicular emissions on air quality in Iceland’s Capital Region, investigates the interactions of traffic, road-management, and meteorological processes that contribute to PM generation and suspension in a subpolar, oceanic climate, and recommends the best available mitigation strategies. This project utilizes the Non-Exhaust Road Traffic Induced Particle (NORTRIP) emissions model, a process-based emissions model designed to simulate sources of non-exhaust vehicular emissions, their accumulation on the road surface, and their eventual removal from the road surface through suspension to the atmosphere, as well as by other means such as drainage and spray. The application of NORTRIP to Iceland’s Capital Region demonstrates that non-exhaust emissions are the most significant contributing factor to airborne dust in Reykjavík and the surrounding areas. These emissions are most heavily dependent on the widespread usage of studded tires, and to a lesser extent, asphalt type, traffic volume, speed, and road-management practices such as salting and wetting. Additionally, surface moisture is one of the most significant factors in the generation and suspension of PM, and its dependency on precipitation and relative humidity suggest forecasting meteorological conditions may be useful in predicting episodes of high particulate matter emissions in some subpolar, oceanic climates. Both short and long-term, multi-faceted approaches to dust mitigation are recommended; these include combining temporary reductions in traffic volume and speed with road wetting during dry conditions as short-term dust abatement measures, and aggressive, permanent reductions in studded tire usage coupled with reductions in traffic volume and speed as long-term dust abatement measures. ...
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