Ambient Air Quality in the Czech Republic

Ambient air quality in the present-day Czech Republic (CR), one of the two succession

countries of Czechoslovakia post-1993, was perceived as a major problem with severe

human health and environmental consequences, particularly between the 1970s and

1990s. Since that time, the ambient air quality in the CR has improved substantially, due

to newly introduced stringent legislation and technical countermeasures. Nevertheless,

there are still activities which represent significant emission sources, such as local

heating and increased vehicle travel through communities. A����er a substantial decrease

in emissions in both the CR and its neighbouring countries, the levels of some ambient

air pollutants from the 2000s are still not satisfactory. In this respect, aerosol, groundlevel

ozone, and benzo a]pyrene remain major problems, as they do elsewhere in

Europe. The book provides a valuable update both on time trends and spatial changes in

ambient air quality, and highlights the recent activities in both monitoring and modelling

of principle ambient air pollutants in the CR.