Monitoring of air and water quality (until 2015)

Statistics Estonia

Economic and Environmental Statistics Department

Evelin Enno

Leading Statistician

51 Tatari Str, 10134 Tallinn, Estonia

evelin.enno [at] stat.ee

+372 625 9308

09/01/2015

09/01/2015

Values measured at the monitoring sites: monthly amount of precipitation (mm), number of rainy days, average monthly temperature, maximum and minimum temperature, number of sunshine hours, relative humidity, average and maximum dose rate (nSv/h); sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and phenols concentration in air; concentration of sulphates, nitrates, chlorides and ammonia in precipitation

Not used.

Country – total

Amount of precipitation – thickness of a water layer (in millimetres) which is composed of rain, freezing rain, drizzle, ice needles, snow, ice pellets sleet and hail or other types of precipitation falling on the earth upon condition that water doesn’t dissipate, doesn’t drip (trickle) into the earth and doesn’t vapour.

Number of rainy days – total number of the days when the sum of diurnal precipitation was equal to or more than 0.1 mm.

Relative humidity – the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapour in the mixture to the saturated vapour pressure of water at a prescribed temperature. Relative humidity is expressed as a percentage.

Dose rate – growth of dose in a time unit, the unit Sv/h (sievert per hour).

Gamma radiation (rays) – radiation produced by higher-energy photons which are separated from the unstable nucleus of an atom. In passing through a material, gamma radiation causes ionization of atoms, especially when interacting with electrons. Gamma rays have good permeation ability and only a very thick layer of high-density material (steel, concrete or lead) can act as a good shielding.

Natural background radiation – cosmic radiation (streams of cosmic radiation sent to the Earth by the Sun and stars); natural terrestrial radiation and radionuclides in food, etc. which constitute a natural environment for humans. In general, the natural background radiation in Estonia is below 300 nSv/h.

Carbon monoxide (CO) – a colourless and odourless gas which is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon compounds (fuels). The biggest sources of CO in urban air are vehicles and household heating.

LV – Limit Value of pollutant (until 2001, PCL or maximum Permissible Concentration Limit of pollutant was used).

LV₁ – one-hour mean limit value of pollution level.

LV₈– eight-hour mean sliding-scale limit value of pollution level.

LV₂₄ – 24-hour mean limit value of pollution level.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) – a toxic gas which is generated for example in the cylinder of an explosion engine and is released into the atmosphere in the composition of exhaust gas discharged from vehicles.

Particulate matter (PM₁₀) – particles which can pass a cut-off of the aerodynamic diameter 10 µm in 50% of cases (fine particles less than 10 µm in diameter). Most kinds of anthropogenic particulate matter are included in this particle size fraction (e.g. fly ash formed as a result of combustion process, carbon black).

Phenol (C₆H₅OH) or carbolic acid – a slightly pink, toxic, crystalline substance which is soluble in water (~8 g / 100 ml). The term ‘phenol’ is used to denote the chemical compounds in which hydroxyl (-OH) is bound with an aromatic ring. Water of thermolysis of Estonian shale includes unique double-atomic phenols, for example methylresorcinols.

Sulphur dioxide (SO₂) – a colourless toxic gas of irritating sulphurous odour and very easily soluble in water. Sulphur dioxide is formed in the combustion of fuels which contain sulphur. In towns and cities, the main sources of SO₂ are boiler houses and vehicles.

Monitoring site

Monitoring sites

FRAME

Not applicable.

Weather data – the Pärnu, Tallinn-Harku, Jõhvi, Narva-Jõesuu, Tartu-Tõravere and Viljandi monitoring sites

Air radiation data – the Kunda, Kärdla, Mustvee, Narva-Jõesuu, Pärnu, Sõrve, Tallinn, Türi, Valga and Võru monitoring sites

Pollutants in air – the Tallinn, Kohtla-Järve and Narva monitoring sites

Pollutants in precipitation – the Tallinn, Tooma, Jõhvi, Tiirikoja, Kunda and Narva-Jõesuu monitoring sites

1992–…

Not applicable.

Precipitation (in month) – mm

Rainy days – number

Average monthly temperature – °C

Sunshine – hours in month

Average monthly relative humidity – %

Average dose rate – nSc/h; maximum dose rate – nSc/h

Pollutants in precipitation – mg/l

Month

DIRECTLY APPLICABLE LEGAL ACT

Not available.

Official Statistics Act

OTHER AGREEMENTS

Not available.

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 34 and § 35 of the Official Statistics Act.

Not applicable.

Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on the website. On 1 October each year, the release times of the Statistical Database, news releases, main indicators by IMF SDDS and publications are announced in the release calendar (in case of publications – the release month).

http://www.stat.ee/release-calendar

All users have been granted an equal access to official statistics: this means that the dissemination dates of official statistics have to be announced in advance and no user category (incl. Eurostat, state authorities and mass media) can have access to the official statistics (results of official statistical surveys) before other users. Statistical information is first published in the Statistical Database. In case a news release is published based on the same data, the information provided in the relevant news release is simultaneously published in the Statistical Database. Official statistics are available on the website at 8.00 a.m. on the date announced in the release calender.

Year

Month

Not published.

„Eesti statistika aastaraamat. Statistical Yearbook of Estonia”

Data are published under the heading „Environment/ State of environment” in the Statistical Database in http://pub.stat.ee.

Not applicable.

Data serve as input for statistical activity 50101 „Estonian regional development”.

Meteorological observations are made and the parameters are calculated according to the methodology approved by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The levels of radioactivity are monitored pursuant to the Commission Recommendation of 23 October 2006 adapting Recommendation 2000/473/Euratom on the application of Article 36 of the Euratom Treaty concerning the monitoring of the levels of radioactivity in the environment for the purpose of assessing the exposure of the population as a whole, by reason of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania (notified under document number C(2006) 4931).

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:293:0017:0019:EN:PDF

Not available.

To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the EFQM Excellence Model, EU Statistics Code of Practice and the ESS Quality Assurance Framework (QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the requirements provided for in § 7. „Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act.

Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process (this information includes, among other things, feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics and suggestions from employees). This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

Ministry of the Interior

Ministry of Social Affairs

City Council of Tartu

City Council of Pärnu

Eesti Pank

Estonian University of Life Sciences

National Institute for Health Development

SEI

Users’ suggestions and information about taking them into account are available on the SE website http://www.stat.ee/tooplaan.

Since 1996 Statistics Estonia conducts reputation surveys and user surveys.

All results are available on the website http://www.stat.ee/user-surveys.

–

The type of survey and the data collection methods ensure sufficient coverage and timeliness.

Not applicable.

Not measured.

The data are released 20 days upon the end of the reference month (T+20) and 300 days upon the end of the reference year (T+300).

(2012) T+18

(2011) T+18

(2010) T+19

(2009) T+20

(2008) T+19

(2007) T+20

The data have been published at the time announced in the release calender.

The data are geographically comparable.

The data are comparable across time.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

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The data revision policy and notification of corrections are described in the dissemination policy of Statistics Estonia http://www.stat.ee/dissemination-policy.

Not applicable.

SURVEY DATA

Not used.

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA

Observation data (from Pärnu, Jõhvi, Tallinn-Harku, Jõhvi, Narva-Jõesuu, Tartu-Tõravere and Viljandi weather stations) are received from the Estonian Environment Agency. Data on radiation (from 10 monitoring stations) are received from the Radiation Safety Department of the Environmental Board. Data on the components of ambient air pollution are received from the Estonian Environmental Research Centre.

DATA FROM OTHER STATISTICAL ACTIVITIES

Not used.

Year

Month

–

The data are compared with the data of previous periods.

The indicators to be published are calculated on the basis of the data collected by the Estonian Environment Agency.

Not applied.

Not available.