From Aerosol Optical Depth to Risk Assessment: A Novel Framework for Environmental Impact Statistics of Air Quality Using AERONET

The implementation of European Union policies contributed to substantial air pollution reductions in recent years, but atmospheric aerosols remain a key pollutant class with environmental and public health risks. This study develops a novel method for assessing environmental impact and the risk associated with urban atmospheric aerosols. The integrated approach for air quality evaluation and prediction of the effects and risk of certain pollutants is based on Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) analysis, considering the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) database. To validate the method, it was applied using monitored air quality data for two cities in Romania, with 13 years (from 2011 to 2023) in one case and 12 years (from 2012 to 2023) in the other. The results demonstrated that an AOD risk index can be developed and utilized for air quality evaluation and prediction, enabling estimation of impacts and risks. In this case, aerosols measured by AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) over Cluj-Napoca (2011–2023) were dominated (46%) by a mixture of elemental (EC) and organic carbon (OC), while measurements over Iasi (2012–2023) showed 55% of the EC/OC mixture. The impacts and risks, as calculated by the AOD index for EC, show few significant ones, with an AOD range of 0.88 to 1.05 for Iasi and 0.73 to 0.88 for Cluj-Napoca.