The very concept of sustainable development calls for a holistic understanding of socio-economic and natural systems in order to help achieve greater sustainability. The complexity characterizing such systems, however, makes it likely impossible for quantified approaches of even isolated problems to account for all relevant factors in a single, robust and deterministic representation of reality – an inherent feature which largely motivates the use of statistical models applied to empirical data. On three independent examples with significant socio-economic and environmental importance, the present dissertation illustrates how econometrical models applied to real-life environmental data can be fruitfully deployed to facilitate the identification and motivation of innovative policies to achieve greater sustainability. Specifically, the first chapter explores the extent to which large-scale irrigation affects local climate by inducing cooler temperatures in areas located downwind from irrigated land, an externality with positive economic consequences quantified in terms of improved crop yields and reduced human mortality. The second chapter illustrates the benefits offered by a family of new differencing estimators (as theoretically derived from a generalization of existing techniques found in the literature) on the example of the nonparametric estimation of error variance in streamflow measurements - a step that is critical for the accurate prediction by hydrological models of extreme flood events. The third chapter investigates the joint effect of traffic speed and acceleration on urban air quality in order to help anticipate the consequences of innovative traffic regulation on the concentration of key air pollutants with detrimental consequences on human health and the economy.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has a direct impact on our health, as more than half the air we inhale throughout our lifetimes is indoor air. With an increasing trend in dampness in modern buildings due to urban expansion into wetland environments and increased use of gypsum board in construction, hydrolysis in indoor surface films has been suggested to be an important chemical process in the indoor environment. Several synthetic esters (SEs) found in building materials, electronics, and consumer products may undergo hydrolysis to produce harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to which building occupants may be exposed. In this dissertation, the impact of hydrolysis on indoor air quality is explored by experiments on alkaline hydrolysis kinetics and ventilation, followed by simulations of VOC production from hydrolysis. Alkaline hydrolysis kinetics of four SEs, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol monoisobutyrate (TMPD-MIB), butylparaben (BP), bis (2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), in bulk solutions are investigated in chapter 2. With concentration decay profiles following pseudo first-order kinetics, the second order-rate constants were determined from measured pH values. The determined rate constants of the aforementioned SEs are compared with those of respective ester categories (e.g., parabens, phthalates), and the steric/polar effects of the ester substituents are discussed in detail. The results of this study contributed to the completion of the indoor chemistry box model GAMMA-CIE which was used for simulation studies in chapter 4. Room-level ventilation measurements in educational spaces across different US regions (e.g., Northeastern, Southeastern, Western) are presented in chapter 3. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, ventilation data on a room-by-room basis were critical in planning a safe reopening in schools and universities. Three major approaches to ventilation measurements are outlined in this chapter: direct flow measurement, controlled release, and passive/in-situ monitoring. The application of these approaches is presented in case studies across various educational institutions, showcasing their advantages and disadvantages. The frequently observed range of 0.5-5.5 ACH in this study is taken into account in simulation conditions in chapter 4. The predicted indoor generation of VOCs from alkaline hydrolysis of SEs occurring in surface aqueous films is discussed in chapter 4. Simulations were performed using GAMMA-CIE, which considers aqueous hydrolysis kinetics, interphase mass transport, and loss by ventilation. Three different scenarios were studied: (1) installation of PVC flooring on concrete; (2) coating of latex paint on concrete; and (3) uptake of airborne SEs by surface aqueous films. The simulation results suggested that: (1) the rate of hydrolysis of DEHA and DEHP from PVC flooring is not fast enough to generate high concentrations of 2-ethylhexanol observed during episodes of sick building syndrome (SBS); (2) fresh application of latex paint may cause acute exposure to 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD); and (3) hydrolysis of SEs diffused from indoor air is unlikely to produce significant amounts of alcohols associated with SBS.

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No description available.

Percent within limits (PWL) is a commonly used quality control/quality assurance measure of highway pavement materials and construction, and it is a popular index for adjusting pay factors. However, PWL is based on the assumption of normal distribution of quality characteristics (e.g., concrete compressive strength and asphalt air voids). Skewness and kurtosis, which are common forms of statistical nonnormal distributions, can potentially bias the acceptance pay factor calculations. To examine this potential pay bias, simulations were performed to investigate the magnitude and the direction (overestimation or underestimation) of pay factor calculations. The study revealed that for both one-sided and two-sided specification limits, bias in pay factors not only did vary in magnitude but also reversed in direction over various ranges of PWL. These analyses showed that for a one-sided upper specification limit, on average, a positive skewness and kurtosis can underestimate the pay factor of an acceptable quality level population by 0.90%, and overestimates a rejectable quality level population by 3.8%. This leads to falsely penalizing acceptable products and rewarding bad products. The same was true for two-sided limits, which again varied based upon the percent of defective materials at the tails of the distribution. This is a very important issue because these biases in pay factors can easily upset the relative profit margins of the contractor. Furthermore, this may not be easily detectable without a detailed and sophisticated analysis as outlined in this paper. For multiple quality characteristics based pay factors, analyses showed that the combined magnitude of these biases was not linearly cumulative. Findings of the study indicate that bias in pay was higher for lots with fewer sublots and higher skewness and kurtosis.

Climate change effects are getting more evident year by year. Athens is specially affected by climate change related shocks, especially by poor air quality, flooding and heat waves. Every year climate shocks threatens and worsens the situation in the city. The municipality of Athens, together with the European Investment Bank and EQO-NIXUS (consulting company) have undertaken a project in order to increase the resilience and the mitigation and adaptation measures of the city, taking as case study 5 public buildings located in different areas of the centre of the city. This project is in line with the Athens Resilience Strategy drawn by the Municipality of Athens in order to integrate new ways to prepare and protect the city from future shocks and stresses. This study aims to investigate and propose mitigation and adaptation measures that could be potentially applied into the 5 selected public buildings in order to improve the energy efficiency and the resilience towards heat waves, flooding and pollution of the air. A literature review study has been performed in order to look for good practices worldwide in terms of energy efficiency and climate mitigation and adaptation in order to find the best measures that could be applied in the 5 selected buildings. Finally, a multi-criteria decision analysis has been executed to prioritise which measures result to be more relevant for each specific building. The study shows that, in overall, energy efficiency and raise of public awareness are the most relevant measures that can be potentially applied in the buildings in order to tackle the climate shocks that threatens Athens. Finally, if the measures are applied into the buildings and the resilience and energy efficiency measures are improved, this study could be replicated to other buildings of Athens in order to achieve the 2030 strategy plan set by the municipality of Athens. / Effekterna av klimatförändringen blir alltmer tydliga. Greklands huvudstad Aten påverkas exempelvis av försämrad luftkvalitet, översvämningar och värmeböljor och extrema klimatrelaterade händelser förvärrar situationen i staden. Atens kommun har tillsammans med Europeiska investeringsbanken och EQO-NIXUS (ett privat konsultföretag) genomfört ett projekt för att öka motståndskraften mot klimatförändringens effekter, genom anpassningsåtgärder, där fem offentliga byggnader i olika delar av Atens centrum studeras. Projektet är relaterat till Atens resiliensstrategi som handlar om hur staden ska integrera nya sätt förbereda och skydda staden och dess invånare från framtida extrema händelser och påfrestningar. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka och föreslå anpassningsåtgärder som potentiellt kan tillämpas i de fem olika offentliga byggnaderna för att förbättra energieffektiviteten och resiliensen mot värmeböljor, översvämningar och luftföroreningar. En litteraturstudie har genomförts för att identifiera globala, goda exempel när det gäller energieffektivitet och anpassning till ett förändrat klimat som potentiellt kan tillämpas i de fem byggnaderna. Slutligen har en multikriterieanalys med flera kriterier genomförts för att prioritera vilka åtgärder som är mest relevanta för varje specifik byggnad. Studien visar att energieffektivitet och ökning av allmänhetens medvetenhet totalt sett är de mest relevanta åtgärderna som potentiellt kan tillämpas i byggnaderna för att hantera klimatförändringar. Slutligen, om dessa åtgärder tillämpas och resiliensen och energieffektivitetsåtgärderna förbättras, skulle denna studie kunna vara relevant även för andra byggnader i Aten och därmed bidra till uppfyllelsen av stadens 2030-strategi.

[pt] O estudo avaliou a melhoria na qualidade do ar com a substituição do fogão a lenha tradicional por um modelo ecoeficiente. O monitoramento foi realizado em duas fases: em julho de 2022, durante o uso do fogão tradicional, e em julho de 2023, com o fogão ecoeficiente, ambos na comunidade quilombola do Calolé, Cachoeira, BA. Como comparação, residências com fogões a GLP em São Gonçalo também foram analisadas. Sensores em tempo real mediram poluentes como Material Particulado (MP(2.5) e MP(10)), Dióxido de Carbono (CO2) e Formaldeído (HCHO), além de temperatura e umidade, com coleta adicional de MP(2.5) usando bomba de exposição. O material particulado apresentou maior variação entre os combustíveis. A troca para o fogão ecoeficiente reduziu significativamente a carga de poluentes nas cozinhas: MP(2.5) caiu de 138 mais ou menos 216 microg m(-3) para 45 mais ou menos 154 microg m(-3) e MP(10) de 202 mais ou menos 287 microg m(-3) para 59 mais ou menos 191 microg m(-3). Também foram observadas reduções de CO2 (477 mais ou menos 62 ppm para 443 mais ou menos 34 ppm) e HCHO (0,004 mais ou menos 0,004 mg m(-3) para 0,006 mais ou menos 0,002 mg m (-3)). A análise química do material particulado indicou a presença de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPA). O consumo de lenha reduziu em até 52 por cento após a troca do fogão. As concentrações médias observadas para fogões a GLP foram ainda menores: 12 mais ou menos 29 microg m(-3) para MP(2.5), 18 mais ou menos 41 microg m(-3) para MP(10), 506 mais ou menos 125 ppm para CO₂ e 0,013 mais ou menos 0,010 mg m(-3) para HCHO. / [en] The study evaluated the improvement in air quality following the replacement of traditional firewood stoves with an eco-efficient model. Monitoring was conducted in two phases: in July 2022, during the use of traditional stoves, and in July 2023, with eco-efficient stoves, both in the Calolé quilombola community, Cachoeira, BA. As a comparison, households using LPG stoves in São Gonçalo were also analyzed. Real-time sensors measured pollutants such as Particulate matter (PM(2.5) and PM(10),), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and Formaldehyde (HCHO), along with temperature and humidity, with additional PM(2.5) samples collected using an exposure pump. Particulate matter showed the greatest variation among the fuels. The shift to eco-efficient stoves significantly reduced pollutant loads in the monitored kitchens: PM(2.5) decreased from 138 more or less 216 microg m(-3) to 45 more or less 154 microg m(-3), and PM(10) from 202 more or less 287 microg m(-3) to 59 more or less 191 microg m(-3). Reductions in CO2 (from 477 more or less 62 ppm to 443 more or less 34 ppm) and HCHO (from 0.004 more or less 0.004 mg m(-3) to 0.006 more or less 0.002 mg m(-3)) were also observed. Chemical analysis of the collected particulate matter indicated the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Firewood consumption decreased by 52 percent following the stove replacement. The average concentrations for LPG stoves were even lower: 11.6 more or less 29 microg m(-3) for PM(2.5), 18 more or less 41 microg m(-3) for PM(10), 506 more or less 125 ppm for CO₂, and 0.013 more or less 0.01 mg m(-3) for HCHO.

This thesis explores the use of spatiotemporal data mining in the air quality domain to understand causes of PM2.5 air pollution. PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter and is a major threat to human and environmental health. A review of air quality modeling methods is provided, emphasizing data-driven modeling techniques. While data mining methods have been applied to air quality data, including temporal sequence mining algorithms, spatiotemporal sequence mining methods have not been broadly applied to study air pollution. However, air pollution is highly spatial in nature, so such methods can offer new insights into air quality. This thesis applies one such method, the Spatiotemporal Sequence Miner (STS Miner) algorithm, to air quality data from a low-cost sensor network to explore causes and trends related to PM2.5. To facilitate the use of this method, an open-source library called OpenSTSMiner is developed to implement this algorithm. Various domain results are found; for instance, low temperature and low relative humidity are strongly associated with worsening levels of air quality. Lastly, to highlight the utility of the STS Miner algorithm, a comparison is presented between STS Miner and spatial Markov chains, another spatiotemporal modeling method used in the air quality domain.

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Air quality significantly impacts health and overall quality of life, making its measurement essential. However, most affordable air quality devices are designed only for use within WiFi range and cannot handle extreme temperatures, limiting their usefulness for people in remote or extreme environments, such as regions with harsh winter climates. This limitation is concerning, as winter often brings worse air quality due to temperature inversions that trap pollutants and increase fuel burning for heating. Inversion is a problem as close to home as Utah Valley, and as far away as Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Most low-cost air quality sensors are not built for rural, remote, or mobile locations, leaving these areas underserved by current technology. To address this gap, we developed a durable air quality sensor designed for long-term use in harsh, frontier environments. Our sensor performs reliably in extreme climates, withstanding temperatures as low as -40°C, and ensures dependable data collection and remote storage. Equipped with robust wireless networking, it uses cellular technology for real-time data transmission and features a secondary Long Range (LoRa) radio, enabling coverage in areas without cellular service.