The main causes and trends of air pollution in the Czech Republic

The main causes and trends of air pollution in the Czech Republic

Radim Seibert¹, Vladimíra Volná¹, Daniel Hladký¹

¹Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Air Quality Department, K Myslivně 3/2182, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic

 

Air pollution in the Czech Republic shows significant regional differences resulting from the specific historical, natural, and socioeconomic conditions of individual areas. The main causes include historical industrial development, mining and related energy production, individual household heating, and major transport hubs, whose impact is amplified by the Czech Republic's central location within Europe. The spatial distribution of pollution is further influenced by varying orographic and meteorological conditions, which determine the degree of dispersion or accumulation of pollutants.

Detailed knowledge of the main causes of pollution is essential for the effective proposal and targeting of measures to improve air quality, both at regional and national level. Since 2018, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has been addressing this issue systematically, through projects and in cooperation with other specialised institutions (Seibert et al., 2025; Seibert et al., 2024; Volná et al., 2024).

Source apportionment carried out between 2018 and 2024 using receptor models as part of several research projects has highlighted a significant spatial gradient of pollution from individual domestic heating with solid fuels. While the overall share of domestic heating in the Czech Republic in PM concentrations decreases from north to south, the share of emissions from biomass heating in this direction is increasing. This is probably a consequence of the higher share of coal in the fuel mix in the vicinity of historic coal regions.

In terms of the temporal development of air pollution, the concentrations and mutual ratios of organic markers reveal a declining share of PM originating from biomass combustion in individual domestic heating, accompanied by an improvement in the quality of combustion processes. Although overall PM concentrations showed a decreasing trend, there was a notable increase in certain elements associated with coal combustion between 2018 and 2024. This could have been caused by the dramatic increase in energy prices after 2019 and the related transition to more affordable fuels.

 

 

References:

• Seibert, R., Pokorná, P., Vodička, P., Volná, V., Lhotka, R., Zíková, N., Ondráček, J., Windell, L.C., Schwarz, J., Ždímal, V. (2025). Multi-site vs. supersite aerosol source apportionment in a lignite basin area. Environmental Pollution 386, 127226, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127226.
• Seibert, R., Kotlík, B., Kazmarová, H., Dombek, V., Volná, V., Hladký, D., Krejčí, B. (2024). Regional and seasonal drivers of metals and PAHs concentrations in road dust and their health implications in the Czech Republic. Heliyon 10, e40725, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40725.
• Volná, V.; Seibert, R.; Hladký, D.; Krejčí, B.(2024). Identification of Causes of Air Pollution in a  Specific Industrial Part of the Czech City of Ostrava in Central Europe. Atmosphere 2024, 15, 177. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15020177.