This study aims on the analysis of the pollens’ phenological distributions in the greater area of Thessaloniki, over the years 2016-2020. The main pollen season of the most contributable taxa of pollen spectrum is presented and its beginning, end and duration are compared with similar European studies. Regularity tests and probability plots revealed the absence of trend in timeseries....
Mineral dust is the most abundant aerosol, with the largest contribution to global aerosol mass load and significant aerosol optical depth [1]. Dust affects the Earth's radiative balance directly, through interaction with solar and terrestrial radiation, and indirectly, altering the optical properties and lifetime of clouds. There are still uncertainties in model estimates of dust radiative...
Polyaniline powders are prepared using two different reaction routes in order to obtain different morphologies. Using ammonium persulfate (APS) as a dopant and in a solution of ethanol and acetic acid, the polymerisation of aniline gave rise to tubular like nanostructures, thus the sample was named PANI-T. Similarly, PANI-R (polyaniline with a “round” morphology of nanostructures), was...
The aim of the present study is the description of the implementation and operation of an integrated modeling system that focuses on the Urban Heat Island and its impact on human health. The modeling system, used for both short-term prediction and future projection, was developed on two levels:
a. The UHI forecasting system which produces high-resolution (250 m) UHI-related products,...
The present study focuses on the description of a versatile and flexible air quality monitoring and forecasting system. The system provides environmental information and advice to stakeholders and citizens via proper hardware & software infrastructure, scientific expertise and computational excellence. It is a combination of three-dimensional air quality models (WRF/CAMx), innovative models...
Τhere is a strong demand for new energy sources due to the growing population and limited natural resources. Among the different renewable energy resources, thermoelectric material plays a key role. Selenides compounds, such as Ag2Se and Cu2Se, have received a lot of attention because of their interesting properties, low toxicity, and abundance. Particurarlly, Ag, Cu, and Se are less toxic...
Atmospheric aerosols, both natural and anthropogenic, have strong direct or indirect effects on the regional and global climate, air quality and human health. Their impacts depend mainly on the aerosol composition, particle size, and chemical-physical properties. The lidar technique is an effective instrument for near real-time observations of the aerosol mass stratification and optical...
Increased energy consumption worldwide, combined with reduced energy reserves and environmental protection, leads to the necessity of alternative sustainable energy generation methods such as thermoelectric energy conversion. In last few decades, considerable research effort has been concentrated to develop materials which can be used to transform heat into electric power. These materials have...
In the present work, the electronic and optical properties of (B, $TM$) co-doped ($TM$ = Pt, Ta, V) anatase TiO$_2$ were investigated using modified density functional theory (DFT) calculations, in order to provide insight into the synergistic effect of co-doping with various elements on the photoactivity of TiO$_2$. We considered two combinations for each co-doped sample, with $TM$ atom...
The aerosol particles in the atmosphere strongly influence the energy exchange between the Sun and the Earth’s atmosphere and surface. Thus, they could significantly impact multiple atmospheric phenomena, the climate, and the living conditions on the Earth. Also, the fine (submicron) fraction of the aerosol ensembles, the so called fine dust particles (FDP), may be especially harmful to the...
Background: Climate change is intertwined with excessive ambient temperatures. Humans’ adaptation to wide temperature changes varies greatly for unknown reasons. Methods: This study profits from a long-lasting heatwave event of the South-eastern Mediterranean: the july 1987 event. We studied a coastal (Piraeus) and a continental city (Athens). Mortality data were collected from the Piraeus...
Successive energy crises necessitate the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, they can be properly complementary with other sources. We have presented solar and wind energies and their importance in the current status, their future in Albania, from the statistical point of view, including in terms of representative generation parameters.
It will be discussed for the...
Abstract. Power supply issues are more acute in isolated areas. Hybrid systems are becoming one of the most promising ways to meet the energy needs of microgrids. The proposed PV-wind- battery system consists of a PV system, a wind energy converter system and a battery system, which stores surplus energy from the PV and wind power systems, and uses this energy accumulated latter when the PV...
Microplastics (MPs) have globally been detected in aquatic and marine environments, which has raised scientific interests and public health concerns during the past decade. MPs are those polymeric particles with at least one dimension <5 mm [1]. They possess complex physicochemical properties that vary their mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity toward organisms and interactions with their...
Electricity is essential for human life, but growing demands for energy, high cost, limited fossil fuel resources, environmental pollution, and global warming through the greenhouse effect are the reason why renewable energy technologies, over about three recent decades, are seen as cost-effective and environmentally sustainable energy sources. Investments in the development of capacities of...
The nickel-zinc electrochemical system is a promising candidate for alkaline batteries due to its low toxicity, high energy densities and power. Their main disadvantage is the solubility of the zinc electrode and the formation of dendrites during operation. Previous studies having used B(Pb)SCCO ceramic as additive in the Zn electrode mass proved its positive effect on improving the...
This study assesses the specific optimal tilt angle of a plane surface facing south to collect the maximal potential of solar energy. The study focuses on 5 different regions of Albania using several years of hourly solar radiation intensity data. The analysis shows the monthly variation of optimal tilt angle. The optimum tilt angle of the plain surface with horizon gradually increased from...