Case Studies

In our cities, small airborne soot particles form a serious health risk, generating an estimated 492,000 premature deaths per year from respiratory and cardiovascular problems in Europe. The EU’s Air Quality Directive requires Member States to limit exposure to these particles, many of which are produced by vehicle engines. Cit...

Intensive farming practices, relating to livestock, such as slurry spreading or maintaining herds indoors, are major contributors to ammonia emissions. When released, ammonia can deposit on and damage ecosystems and it can also react with atmospheric gas to produce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that is hazardous to our health...

Accidental releases of natural gas from leaky plant equipment wastes resources and contributes to global warming, as its main constituent, methane is a greenhouse gas. Although less persistent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, methane has much greater heat-trapping effects. The oil and gas sector is a significant source o...

Monitoring the long-term strength of large structures used in the nuclear power industry is essential to safeguard the environment from radioactive contamination. Dykes formed of natural materials such as gravel, clay, or sandy soil provide the constraining banks of major rivers supplying water cooling to nuclear power plant. T...

The stability of snow cover in mountain regions is highly dependent on the weather – local conditions, for example, will influence the occurrence of avalanches, or river flooding due to an increase in meltwater production. To estimate the risk, networks of weather stations are used to gather the data needed to help forecast the...

The EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive now requires industrial polluters to monitor emissions from the entire industrial site, including leaks from tanks and pipes in addition to those from stacks to ensure these meet revised lower limits. This Directive sets the framework for operators to demonstrate compliance with mandatory...