Characterizing spatial distribution and temporal variation of PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations in an urban area of Southwest China

Abstract To investigate the temporal and spatial behavior of particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5 ), daily data of PM 10 and PM 2.5 mass concentrations were collected from five air–quality monitoring stations in Chengdu from March 2013 to February 2014. In this period, the daily average concentrations of PM 10 and PM 2.5 were 156.6 and 99.5 μg/m 3 , respectively, which exceeded both the Chinese ambient air–quality standards for PM and the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). Higher mass concentrations of both PM 10 and PM 2.5 were observed in winter and spring, indicating that meteorological parameters play an important role. Although PM mass concentrations were evidently lower than reported in previous studies, the average PM 2.5 /PM 10 ratio in this study was higher, indicating that fine particulate (PM 2.5 ) pollution has become more serious. Weekly variations of PM concentrations were analyzed to estimate the impact of traffic restriction policies. The results show that the highest concentrations of particles were observed on Mondays and the lowest on Thursdays. Weekend effects were also obvious, which were mainly attributed to human activities.

[1]  Yuesi Wang,et al.  Seasonal variation and source apportionment of organic and inorganic compounds in PM2.5 and PM10 particulates in Beijing, China. , 2013, Journal of environmental sciences.

[2]  Y. Liu,et al.  Temporal variability of PM10 and PM2.5 inside and outside a residential home during 2014 Chinese Spring Festival in Zhengzhou, China , 2014, Natural Hazards.

[3]  Leiming Zhang,et al.  A review of current knowledge concerning size-dependent aerosol removal , 2006 .

[4]  Randal S. Martin,et al.  Meteorological and environmental aspects of one of the worst national air pollution episodes (January, 2004) in Logan, Cache Valley, Utah, USA , 2006 .

[5]  Robert Gehrig,et al.  Characterising seasonal variations and spatial distribution of ambient PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations based on long-term Swiss monitoring data , 2003 .

[6]  R. Vecchi,et al.  Characterisation of PM10 and PM2.5 particulate matter in the ambient air of Milan (Italy) , 2001 .

[7]  Xavier Querol,et al.  Comparative PM10-PM2.5 source contribution study at rural, urban and industrial sites during PM episodes in Eastern Spain. , 2004, The Science of the total environment.

[8]  Hong Wang,et al.  Characteristics of visibility and particulate matter (PM) in an urban area of Northeast China , 2013 .

[9]  Yinchang Feng,et al.  Long-term variation of the levels, compositions and sources of size-resolved particulate matter in a megacity in China. , 2013, The Science of the total environment.

[10]  Li Chen,et al.  Receptor modeling of PM2.5, PM10 and TSP in different seasons and long-range transport analysis at a coastal site of Tianjin, China. , 2010, The Science of the total environment.

[11]  Guangxun Liu,et al.  Estimated contributions and uncertainties of PCA/MLR–CMB results: Source apportionment for synthetic and ambient datasets , 2011 .

[12]  Junji Cao,et al.  Aerosol pollution in China: Present and future impact on environment , 2009 .

[13]  S. Tao,et al.  Seasonal and spatial occurrence and distribution of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in rural and urban areas of the North Chinese Plain. , 2008, Environmental pollution.

[14]  L. Chan,et al.  Vertical dispersion of suspended particulates in urban area of Hong Kong , 2000 .

[15]  L. Chen,et al.  Long-Term Trends in Visibility and at Chengdu, China , 2013, PloS one.

[16]  Ajay Taneja,et al.  Metal concentration of PM(2.5) and PM(10) particles and seasonal variations in urban and rural environment of Agra, India. , 2009, The Science of the total environment.

[17]  Junji Cao,et al.  Chemical characteristics of PM2.5 during dust storms and air pollution events in Chengdu, China , 2013 .

[18]  P. Biswas,et al.  Spatial and temporal variations of PM2.5 concentration and composition throughout an urban area with high freeway density—the Greater Cincinnati study , 2004 .

[19]  S. Tao,et al.  Atmospheric concentrations and air-soil gas exchange of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in remote, rural village and urban areas of Beijing-Tianjin region, North China. , 2011, The Science of the total environment.

[20]  Chun-Quan Ou,et al.  Spatial and temporal analysis of Air Pollution Index and its timescale-dependent relationship with meteorological factors in Guangzhou, China, 2001-2011. , 2014, Environmental pollution.

[21]  G. Fang,et al.  Atmospheric particulate (PM10 and PM2.5) mass concentration and seasonal variation study in the Taiwan area during 2000–2008 , 2010 .

[22]  A. Chan,et al.  Indoor–outdoor relationships of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides under different outdoor meteorological conditions , 2002 .

[23]  I. McKendry,et al.  Six 'new' episodes of trans-Pacific transport of air pollutants , 2003 .

[24]  Wei Li,et al.  Distribution of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) in rural field, rural village and urban areas of northern China. , 2014, Environmental pollution.

[25]  Nan Li,et al.  Assessment of human exposure level to PM10 in China , 2013 .

[26]  V. Kotroni,et al.  Particulate matter pollution over a Mediterranean urban area. , 2013, The Science of the total environment.

[27]  R. Hillamo,et al.  Composition of PM2.5 and PM10 Collected at Urban Sites in Brazil , 2014 .

[28]  Yan Yin,et al.  The effects of heating by transported dust layers on cloud and precipitation: a numerical study , 2007 .

[29]  M. Elbayoumi,et al.  Spatial and seasonal variation of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in Middle Eastern classrooms , 2013 .

[30]  Bert Brunekreef,et al.  Assessment of exposure to traffic related air pollution of children attending schools near motorways , 2001 .

[31]  W. Robarge,et al.  Atmospheric concentrations of ammonia and ammonium at an agricultural site in the southeast United States , 2002 .

[32]  Ions species size distribution in particulate matter associated with VOCs and meteorological conditions over an urban region. , 2008, Chemosphere.

[33]  D. Dockery,et al.  Health Effects of Fine Particulate Air Pollution: Lines that Connect , 2006, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association.