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Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2023, using validated data
This report presents summarised information on the status of air quality in Europe in 2023, based on validated air quality monitoring data officially reported by the member and cooperating countries of the EEA. It aims at informing on the status of ambient air quality in Europe in 2023 and on the progress towards meeting the European air quality standards for the protection of health, as well as the WHO air quality guidelines. The report also compares the air quality status in 2023 with the previous years. The pollutants covered in this report are particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), tropospheric ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), benzene (C6H6) and toxic metals (As, Cd, Ni, Pb). Measured concentrations above the European air quality standards for PM10, PM2.5, O3, and NO2 were reported by 18, 6, 20, and 9 reporting countries for 2022, respectively. Exceedances of the air quality standards for BaP, SO2, CO, and benzene were measured in, respectively, 9, 2, 2, and 0 reporting countries in 2023. Exceedances of European standards for toxic metals were reported by 5 stations for As, none for Cd, 1 for Pb and 2 for Ni.
European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment (ETC HE)
2025
2025
The influence of aerosols on the Arctic system remains associated with significant uncertainties, particularly concerning black carbon (BC). The polar aerosol station “Island Bely” (IBS), located in the Western Siberian Arctic, was established to enhance aerosol monitoring. Continuous measurements from 2019 to 2022 revealed the long-term effects of light-absorbing carbon. During the cold period, the annual average light-absorption coefficient was 0.7 ± 0.7 Mm−1, decreasing by 2–3 times during the warm period. The interannual mean showed a peak in February (0.9 ± 0.8 Mm−1) then 10 times the lower minimum in June and exhibited high variability in August (0.7 ± 2.2 Mm−1). An increase of up to 1.5 at shorter wavelengths from April to September suggests contribution from brown carbon (BrC). The annual mean equivalent black carbon (eBC) demonstrated considerable interannual variability, with the lowest in 2020 (24 ± 29 ng m−3). Significant difference was observed between Arctic haze and Siberian wildfire periods, with record-high pollution levels in February 2022 (110 ± 70 ng m−3) and August 2021 (83 ± 249 ng m−3). Anthropogenic BC contributed 83 % to the total for the entire study period, and gas flaring, domestic combustion, transportation, and industrial emissions dominated. During the cold season, > 90 % of surface BC was attributed to anthropogenic sources, mainly gas flaring. In contrast, during the warm period, Siberian wildfires contributed to BC concentrations by 48 %. In August 2021, intense smoke from Yakutian wildfires was transported at high altitudes during the region's worst fire season in 40 years.
2025
Reliable quantification of polychlorinated alkanes (PCAs) remains a major challenge, hindering environmental research across diverse matrices. Each sample can contain over 500 homologue groups, collectively producing >1000 m/z ratios that require interference checks. High-resolution mass spectrometry methods vary in ionization signals and data formats and require specialized algorithms for quantification. CPxplorer streamlines data processing through the integration of three modules: (1) CPions generates target ion sets and isotopic thresholds for compound identification into the next module; (2) Skyline performs instrument-independent data integration, interference evaluation, and homologue profiling; and (3) CPquant deconvolves homologues and reports concentrations using reference standards and homologue profiles from Skyline. Evaluation of the workflow with NIST-SRM-2585 dust and ERM-CE100 fish tissue material yielded comparable results across raw data formats from different instruments. Further applications of CPxplorer across diverse matrices, including indoor dust, organic films, silicone wrist bands, and food samples, demonstrated the usefulness in biological and environmental monitoring. Compared to existing tools limited to qualitative detection, CPxplorer enables quantitative outputs, reduces processing time, and expands functionality to PCA-like substances (e.g., BCAs) and PCA degradation products (e.g., OH-PCAs). CPxplorer reduces learning barriers, empowers users to quantify PCAs across various analytical instruments, and contributes to generating comparable results in the field.
2025
Airborne microplastics on the move: Urban Europe as a source to remote regions
This study presents a comprehensive assessment of unique parallel measurements of surface airborne and deposited microplastics (AMPs) across urban and remote sites in Norway, employing pyrolysis-GC/MS for polymer-specific analysis. MPs were detected in nearly all samples, with significantly higher concentrations and fluxes observed in urban areas like Oslo, where tire wear particles (TWP) dominated (>90 % of AMP mass). Seasonal peaks in TWP coincided with the transition to winter tires, while remote sites showed consistent but lower AMP levels, indicating long-range transport (LRT) from European source regions. Parallel measurements of suspended and deposited AMPs revealed consistent polymer signatures, highlighting common sources and transport pathways. Although urban TWP contributions to PM2.5 were generally low, episodic events reached up to 30 %, raising concerns about human exposure. The dual dataset enabled a robust cross-validation of atmospheric loading estimates and facilitated integration into advanced transport models for remote sites. Our findings confirm AMPs as significant components of urban air pollution and subsequent carriers of chemical and biological contaminants to remote regions, emphasizing the need for targeted monitoring and mitigation strategies.
2025
Temporal changes in per and polyfluoroalkyl substances and their associations with type 2 diabetes
We assessed temporal changes of PFAS and associations with T2DM over a period of 30 years in a nested case–control study with repeated measurements. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between 11 PFAS and T2DM at five time-points in 116 cases and 139 controls (3 pre- and 2 post-diagnostic time-points in cases). Mixed linear models were applied to assess if changes in PFAS were related to T2DM status. In the pre-diagnostic time-point T3 (2001), future cases had higher concentrations of PFHpA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFHpS compared to controls. In the post-diagnostic time point T5 (2015/16), PFNA and PFOS were higher in prevalent cases. PFHxS and PFHpS were positively associated with future T2DM at the pre-diagnostic time-point T3, whereas PFTrDA were inversely associated with future T2DM at T1 (1986/87) and prevalent T2DM at T4 (2007/8). Temporal changes in PFAS across the study period showed that cases experienced a greater increase in pre-diagnostic concentrations of PFHpA, PFTrDA, PFHxS and PFOSA, as well as a larger post-diagnostic decrease in PFOSA, compared to controls. This study is the first to show that temporal changes in PFAS are associated with T2DM status for certain PFAS, and associations between PFAS and T2DM vary according to sample year.
2025
Ocean carbon capture isn’t ready to clean up our mess, report finds
Scientists say ocean carbon capture isn’t ready for prime time and warn deep emissions cuts still have to come first
2025
Circulating MicroRNAs in Cord Blood to Predict Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis
Background
There are large knowledge gaps in the etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and although it is a prevalent and highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder, diagnosis can be challenging. We aimed to assess the association of circulating blood plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) at birth with ADHD for use as biomarker candidates and build an miRNA-based prediction model.
Methods
Our study population consisted of 206 children with ADHD (33.0% female), 207 control children (33.8% female), and their parents from the MoBa (Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study). Expression levels of 51 selected miRNAs in plasma from children’s cord blood at birth and from both parents during early pregnancy were quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and tested for association with children’s ADHD diagnosis and ADHD symptom scores based on ratings by parents.
Results
Seven miRNAs were differentially expressed at birth in children with ADHD and control children (false discovery rate < .05), and 31 had a statistically significant linear relationship with parent-rated ADHD symptom score at 8 years. A 19-miRNA ADHD prediction model achieved good discrimination in the test population (area under the receiver operating curve = 0.959, accuracy = 0.893). Functional analysis for the 19-miRNA prediction set revealed involvement in several highly relevant pathways, e.g., dopaminergic synapse, circadian rhythm, and axon guidance. We also found that parental miRNA expression levels significantly associated with children’s ADHD diagnoses and/or ADHD symptoms scores.
Conclusions
We showed that expression levels of circulating miRNAs at birth may be used to predict increased risk of ADHD diagnosis, and our 19-miRNA set should be included in future efforts to develop a biomarker panel.
2025
2026
2026
Climate change is expected to intensify the frequency and severity of droughts across Europe,
posing significant risks to agricultural production and the food systems that depend on it. As drought
severity can range widely within one country, estimates of supply chains with higher spatial
resolution are needed to characterize drought risk exposure. This study develops an inter-regional
(NUTS-2) version of the Food and Agriculture Biomass Input Output (FABIO)[1] model to quantify
the exposure of European food trade to drought risk under current and future climate conditions.
Drought exposure is quantified by linking regional agricultural trade flows to Copernicus
satellite-based soil moisture anomaly data.
Input output (IO) analysis has been widely used to study supply-chain dependencies, resource
use, and environmental pressures embedded in production and trade. The development of
multi-regional input output (MRIO) databases, which combine national IO tables into a single
balanced global framework, has enabled such analyses at the global scale. Prominent examples
include EXIOBASE[2], Eora[3], and FIGARO[4], which have been applied to assess environmental
impacts embodied in trade. However, while these databases provide global coverage, their
national-level resolution limits their ability to capture spatially heterogeneous climate risks such as
droughts, which often vary substantially within countries. Subnational or interregional IO tables are
rarely published due to data and resource constraints, creating a critical gap for climate risk
assessments that require finer spatial detail.
This study extends FABIO[1], an established physical MRIO framework for food, feed, and biomass
flows, into an interregional European model. The interregional FABIO disaggregates national food
trade into NUTS2-level trade using regional crop and livestock production, regional demand, and
reported trade flows. The FABIO database is regionalized following two main steps, similarly to
Ouyang et al[5]. First, international trade is estimated using reported subnational trade data where
available, subject to the constraints that regional exports and imports do not exceed supply and
demand, and that national totals remain consistent with the original FABIO data. Second, domestic
interregional flows are estimated using the CHARM approach in combination with a gravity model[6].
The model distinguishes 67 sectors and 332 NUTS 2 regions.
Using this framework, drought exposure is assessed by linking regional agricultural trade with
satellite-based drought intensity metrics, considering both historical events and projected future
conditions. The results show that accounting for trade significantly increases estimated drought
exposure of food consumption in Northern Europe compared with production-based assessments.
Exposure varies strongly across food categories; non-essential commodities are generally more
exposed than staple foods. Trade can both amplify and buffer drought impacts, depending on the
geographic extent of the drought and the availability of alternative sourcing regions.
Overall, this study demonstrates the value of combining interregional input output modeling with
satellite-based climate indicators to assess the vulnerability of European food trade to droughts. The
results reveal the exposure to drought risk in regions and support the design of diversification and
resilience strategies in agricultural supply chains. The annual resolution of the model, consistent
with input output tables and available trade data, cannot capture dynamics such as monthly stock
variations that can be critical for drought impacts, and merits further research. Beyond drought risk
assessment, the interregional FABIO framework can be applied to other spatially explicit
environmental questions, including consumption-based analyses of nitrogen emissions, land use,
and other local pressures.
2026
2026
A Global Compendium of Nature-based Solutions in Small-Medium Islands
Small and medium-sized islands (SMI) combine high ecological value with limited resources and vulnerability to climatic and environmental risks. Nature-based solutions (NbS) can contribute to addressing some of these challenges, but studies on the uptake and effectiveness of NbS in SMI remain scattered, with few systematic syntheses. Here, we introduce the SMI-NbS compendium, a comprehensive and open-access dataset compiling 280 NbS case studies implemented across SMI worldwide, developed through a systematic review of published and grey literature. Each SMI-NbS case study includes information on the location, NbS category, ecosystem types, societal challenges addressed, associated co-benefits, and links to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SMI-NbS compendium provides practical information on NbS implementation and identifies current research trends and gaps, such as the dominance of ecological and climate-focused NbS, with limited integration of other socio-economic challenges, thereby supporting further research and enabling knowledge exchange across the science-policy-practice interface to inform sustainable development pathways in SMI.
2026
Scaling number concentration measurements from bioaerosol monitors using Hirst-type samplers
The instruments used for routine pollen monitoring are gradually changing from traditional impactors with manual data processing to automated pollen monitors using deterministic and/or machine-learning algorithms for data analysis. This manuscript compares pollen number concentration of Alnus sp., Betula sp., Corylus sp., and Poaceae measured by Hirst-type bioaerosol samplers and the SwisensPoleno automated bioaerosol monitor in Switzerland and Norway. Due to physical particle losses and the classification rate of the algorithms being well below unity, scaling factors had to be applied to the measurements of the SwisensPoleno to match those of the Hirst impactor. These scaling factors depended on the geographic location, i.e. differed significantly between Switzerland and Norway. The importance of adjusting the scaling factors according to the location of the monitoring network and the need for reporting the numerical values of these scaling factors in future scientific publications is emphasized.
2026
Inverse modelling is employed to reconcile greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories, based on bottom-up methods, with the observed atmospheric GHG concentrations. The Community Inversion Framework (CIF) was created to unify inverse-model developments and simplify the generation of inversions. It makes atmospheric transport models and inversion algorithms easily interchangeable and facilitates the comparison of inversion results obtained using such diverse components.After several years of development and the coupling of CIF with a wide range of transport models used by the inversion community, we present the first intercomparison study conducted with CIF. This exercise focuses on Europe and aims to refine CO₂ natural emissions for the year 2019, following a strict protocol. It involves five transport models (CHIMERE, ICON-ART, LMDz, STILT, and WRF-CHEM) and two inversion algorithms (variational and ensemble-based). Two additional transport models, TM5 and FLEXPART, will be incorporated in the near future.The results show a good agreement, both across transport models, and inversion algorithms. It paves the way towards using CIF as an operational tool for intercomparison studies. It also highlights its strong potential to support the systematic derivation of GHG budgets with multiple transport models, enable a proper and easy quantification of the modelling uncertainty, and improve the robustness of emission estimates, for any relevant atmospheric species, at any scale.
2026
2026