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.