Scientists at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi have found that urban development can be beneficial for air quality, writes an article in The National newspaper. In a new study, the scientists measured data over 14 years from 2006, and found that the aerosol optical depth – a measure of the overall quantity of particles in the air – has fallen in the UAE.
Although development can generate pollution in the short term, in the long term it contributes to a reduction – especially when you take into account the green spaces being developed within the projects, according to Dr Diana Francis, one of the study’s authors, who heads Khalifa University’s Environmental and Geophysical Sciences Lab. She explained: “All of this reduces the exposed surface to strong winds and reduces the emissions.”
The reduction that was identified could also be because rainfall gradually increased during the study period, while “changes in land use” have also taken place, say the scientists.
The study’s aerosol optical depth data, which includes human-generated pollution, was recorded at two locations in Abu Dhabi – one coastal and the other inland. Mineral dust was the most common type of particle. The data also revealed that aerosol optical depth levels were higher in the spring and summer, partly because south-westerly winds pick up dust during those seasons. Although aerosol levels tended to be lower in winter, those generated by pollution were more common in the colder season.
