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Babaan J, Wong PY, Chen PC, Chen HL, Lung SCC, Chen YC, Wu CD. Geospatial artificial intelligence for estimating daytime and nighttime nitrogen dioxide concentration variations in Taiwan: A spatial prediction model. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 360:121198. [PMID: 38772239 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a major air pollutant primarily emitted from traffic and industrial activities, posing health risks. However, current air pollution models often underestimate exposure risks by neglecting the bimodal pattern of NO2 levels throughout the day. This study aimed to address this gap by developing ensemble mixed spatial models (EMSM) using geo-artificial intelligence (Geo-AI) to examine the spatial and temporal variations of NO2 concentrations at a high resolution of 50m. These EMSMs integrated spatial modelling methods, including kriging, land use regression, machine learning, and ensemble learning. The models utilized 26 years of observed NO2 measurements, meteorological parameters, geospatial layers, and social and season-dependent variables as representative of emission sources. Separate models were developed for daytime and nighttime periods, which achieved high reliability with adjusted R2 values of 0.92 and 0.93, respectively. The study revealed that mean NO2 concentrations were significantly higher at nighttime (9.60 ppb) compared to daytime (5.61 ppb). Additionally, winter exhibited the highest NO2 levels regardless of time period. The developed EMSMs were utilized to generate maps illustrating NO2 levels pre and during COVID restrictions in Taiwan. These findings could aid epidemiological research on exposure risks and support policy-making and environmental planning initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennieveive Babaan
- Department of Geodetic Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Pei-Yi Wong
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan
| | - Pau-Chung Chen
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taiwan; Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Hsiu-Ling Chen
- Department of Food Safety/Hygiene and Risk Management, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Chun Candice Lung
- Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Cheng Chen
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Da Wu
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taiwan; Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan; Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan; Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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Asri AK, Newman GD, Tao Z, Zhu R, Chen HL, Lung SCC, Wu CD. What is the spatiotemporal pattern of benzene concentration spread over susceptible area surrounding the Hartman Park community, Houston, Texas? JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 474:134666. [PMID: 38815389 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The Hartman Park community in Houston, Texas-USA, is in a highly polluted area which poses significant risks to its predominantly Hispanic and lower-income residents. Surrounded by dense clustering of industrial facilities compounds health and safety hazards, exacerbating environmental and social inequalities. Such conditions emphasize the urgent need for environmental measures that focus on investigating ambient air quality. This study estimated benzene, one of the most reported pollutants in Hartman Park, using machine learning-based approaches. Benzene data was collected in residential areas in the neighborhood and analyzed using a combination of five machine-learning algorithms (i.e., XGBR, GBR, LGBMR, CBR, RFR) through a newly developed ensemble learning model. Evaluations on model robustness, overfitting tests, 10-fold cross-validation, internal and stratified validation were performed. We found that the ensemble model depicted about 98.7% spatial variability of benzene (Adj. R2 =0.987). Through rigorous validations, stability of model performance was confirmed. Several predictors that contribute to benzene were identified, including temperature, developed intensity areas, leaking petroleum storage tank, and traffic-related factors. Analyzing spatial patterns, we found high benzene spread over areas near industrial zones as well as in residential areas. Overall, our study area was exposed to high benzene levels and requires extra attention from relevant authorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aji Kusumaning Asri
- Department of Geomatics, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Galen D Newman
- Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture Texas A&M University, 3137 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Zhihan Tao
- Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture Texas A&M University, 3137 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Rui Zhu
- Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture Texas A&M University, 3137 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Hsiu-Ling Chen
- Department of Food Safety Hygiene and Risk Management, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Shih-Chun Candice Lung
- Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Institute of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chih-Da Wu
- Department of Geomatics, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan, ROC; Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City 402, Taiwan, ROC; Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC.
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Asri AK, Lee HY, Chen YL, Wong PY, Hsu CY, Chen PC, Lung SCC, Chen YC, Wu CD. A machine learning-based ensemble model for estimating diurnal variations of nitrogen oxide concentrations in Taiwan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:170209. [PMID: 38278267 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Air pollution is inextricable from human activity patterns. This is especially true for nitrogen oxide (NOx), a pollutant that exists naturally and also as a result of anthropogenic factors. Assessing exposure by considering diurnal variation is a challenge that has not been widely studied. Incorporating 27 years of data, we attempted to estimate diurnal variations in NOx across Taiwan. We developed a machine learning-based ensemble model that integrated hybrid kriging-LUR, machine-learning, and an ensemble learning approach. Hybrid kriging-LUR was performed to select the most influential predictors, and machine-learning algorithms were applied to improve model performance. The three best machine-learning algorithms were suited and reassessed to develop ensemble learning that was designed to improve model performance. Our ensemble model resulted in estimates of daytime, nighttime, and daily NOx with high explanatory powers (Adj-R2) of 0.93, 0.98, and 0.94, respectively. These explanatory powers increased from the initial model that used only hybrid kriging-LUR. Additionally, the results depicted the temporal variation of NOx, with concentrations higher during the daytime than the nighttime. Regarding spatial variation, the highest NOx concentrations were identified in northern and western Taiwan. Model evaluations confirmed the reliability of the models. This study could serve as a reference for regional planning supporting emission control for environmental and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aji Kusumaning Asri
- Department of Geomatics, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
| | - Hsiao-Yun Lee
- Department of Leisure Industry and Health Promotion, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Yu-Ling Chen
- Department of Geomatics, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
| | - Pei-Yi Wong
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
| | - Chin-Yu Hsu
- Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taiwan; Center for Environmental Sustainability and Human Health, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taiwan.
| | - Pau-Chung Chen
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Shih-Chun Candice Lung
- Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Yu-Cheng Chen
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Department of Occupational Safety and Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
| | - Chih-Da Wu
- Department of Geomatics, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City 402, Taiwan.
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Chen HW, Chen CY, Lin GY. Impact assessment of spatial-temporal distribution of riverine dust on air quality using remote sensing data and numerical modeling. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:16048-16065. [PMID: 38308783 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32226-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Soil erosion is a severe problem in Taiwan due to the steep terrain, fragile geology, and extreme climatic events resulting from global warming. Due to the rapidly changing hydrological conditions affecting the locations and the amount of transported sand and fine particles, timely impact evaluation and riverine dust control are difficult, particularly when resources are limited. To comprehend the impact of desertification in estuarine areas on the variation of air pollutant concentrations, this study utilized remote sensing technology coupled with an air pollutant dispersion model to determine the unit contribution of potential pollution sources and quantify the effect of riverine dust on air quality. The images of the downstream area of the Beinan River basin captured by Formosat-2 in May 2006 were used to analyze land use and land cover (LULC) composition. Subsequently, the diffusion model ISCST-3 based on Gaussian distribution was utilized to simulate the transport of PM across the study area. Finally, a mixed-integer programming model was developed to optimize resource allocation for dust control. Results reveal that sand deposition in specific river sections significantly influences regional air quality, owing to the unique local topography and wind field conditions. The present optimal plan model for regional air quality control further showed that after implementing engineering measures including water cover, revegetation, armouring cover, and revegetation, total PM concentrations would be reduced by 51%. The contribution equivalent calculation, using the air pollution diffusion model, was effectively integrated into the optimization model to formulate a plan for reducing riverine dust with limited resources based on air quality requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho-Wen Chen
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tung-Hai University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Yuan Chen
- Department of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Guan-Yu Lin
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tung-Hai University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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