Sources of PM10 and PM2.5 in Cairo’s ambient air

A source attribution study was performed to assess the contributions of specific pollutant source types to the observed particulate matter (PM) levels in the greater Cairo Area using the chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor model. Three intensive ambient monitoring studies were carried out during the period of February 21–March 3, 1999, October 27–November 27, 1999, and June 8–June 26, 2002. PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured on a 24-h basis at six sampling stations during each of the intensive periods. The six intensive measurement sites represented background levels, mobile source impacts, industrial impacts, and residential exposure. Major contributors to PM₁₀ included geological material, mobile source emissions, and open burning. PM_2.5 tended to be dominated by mobile source emissions, open burning, and secondary species. This paper presents the results of the PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, source contribution estimates.     

Determination of road dust loadings and chemical characteristics using resuspension

The contribution of fugitive dust from traffic to air pollution can no longer be ignored in China. In order to obtain the road dust loadings and to understand the chemical characteristics of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 from typical road dust, different paved roads in eight districts of Beijing were selected for dust collection during the four seasons of 2005. Ninety-eight samples from 28 roads were obtained. The samples were resuspended using equipment assembled to simulate the rising process of road dust caused by the wind or wheels in order to obtain the PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 filter samples. The average road dust loading was 3.82 g m^− 2, with the highest of 24.22 g m^− 2 being in Hutongs in the rural–urban continuum during winter. The road dust loadings on higher-grade roads were lower than those on lower-grade roads. Attention should be paid to the pollution in the rural–urban continuum areas. The sums of element abundances measured were 16.17% and 18.50% for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 in road dust. The average abundances of OC and EC in PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 in road dust were 11.52%, 2.01% and 12.50%, 2.06%, respectively. The abundance of elements, water-soluble ions, and OC, EC in PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 resuspended from road dust did not change greatly with seasons and road types. The soil dust, construction dust, dust emitted from burning coal, vehicle exhaust, and deposition of particles in the air were the main sources of road dust in Beijing. Affected by the application of snow-melting agents in Beijing during winter, the amount of Cl⁻ and Na⁺ was much higher during that time than in the other seasons. This will have a certain influence on roads, bridges, vegetations, and groundwater.     

Results of An Indoor Size Fractionated PM School Sampling Program in Libby, Montana

Libby, Montana is the only PM_2.5 nonattainment area in the western United States with the exceptions of parts of southern California. During January through March 2005, a particulate matter (PM) sampling program was conducted within Libby’s elementary and middle schools to establish baseline indoor PM concentrations before a wood stove change-out program is implemented over the next several years. As part of this program, indoor concentrations of PM mass, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) in five different size fractions (>2.5, 1.0–2.5, 0.5–1.0, 0.25–0.5, and <0.25 μm) were measured. Total measured PM mass concentrations were much higher inside the elementary school, with particle size fraction (>2.5, 0.5–1.0, 0.25–0.5, and <0.25 μm) concentrations between 2 and 5 times higher when compared to the middle school. The 1.0–2.5 μm fraction had the largest difference between the two sites, with elementary school concentrations nearly 10 times higher than the middle school values. The carbon component for the schools’ indoor PM was found to be predominantly composed of OC. Measured total OC and EC concentrations, as well as concentrations within individual size fractions, were an average of two to five times higher at the elementary school when compared to the middle school. For the ultrafine fraction (<0.25), EC concentrations were similar between each of the schools. Despite the differences in concentrations between the schools at the various fraction levels, the OC/EC ratio was determined to be similar.     

Ambient air quality of Lucknow City (India) during use of fireworks on Diwali Festival

The present study deals with the effect of fireworks on ambient air quality during Diwali Festival in Lucknow City. In this study, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO _x and 10 trace metals associated with PM₁₀ were estimated at four representative locations, during day and night times for Pre Diwali (day before Diwali) and Diwali day. On Diwali day 24 h average concentration of PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO _x was found to be 753.3, 139.1, and 107.3 μg m⁻³, respectively, and these concentrations were found to be higher at 2.49 and 5.67 times for PM₁₀, 1.95 and 6.59 times for SO₂ and 1.79 and 2.69 for NO _x , when compared with the respective concentration of Pre Diwali and normal day, respectively. On Diwali day, 24 h values for PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO _x were found to be higher than prescribed limit of National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), and exceptionally high (7.53 times) for PM₁₀. On Diwali night (12 h) mean level of PM₁₀, SO₂ and NO _x was 1,206.2, 205.4 and 149.0 μg m⁻³, respectively, which was 4.02, 2.82 and 2.27 times higher than their respective daytime concentrations and showed strong correlations (p < 0.01) with each other. The 24 h mean concentration of metals associated with PM₁₀ was found to be in the order of Ca (3,169.44) > Fe (747.23) > Zn (542.62) > Cu (454.03), > Pb (307.54) > Mn (83.90) > Co (78.69) > Cr (42.10) > Ni (41.47) > Cd (34.69) in ng m⁻³ and all these values were found to be higher than the Pre Diwali (except Fe) and normal day. The metal concentrations on Diwali day were found to be significantly different than normal day (except Fe & Cu). The concentrations of Co, Ni, Cr and Cd on Diwali night were found to be significantly higher than daytime concentrations for Pre Diwali (control). The inter correlation of metals between Ca with Pb, Zn with Ni and Cr, Cu with Co, Co with Mn, Ni with Cd, Mn with Cd, Ni with Cd and Cr, and Cr with Cd showed significant relation either at p < 0.05 or P < 0.01 levels, which indicated that their sources were the same. The metals Cu, Co, Ni, Cr and Cd showed significant (p < 0.01) association with PM₁₀. These results indicate that fireworks during Diwali festival affected the ambient air quality adversely due to emission and accumulation of PM₁₀, SO₂, NO _x and trace metals. ITRC Communication Number 2538     

The impact of ground-level fireworks (13?km long) display on the air quality during the traditional Yanshui Lantern Festival in Taiwan

In this study, the concentrations of CO, non-methane hydrocarbons, NO_X, SO₂, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX), PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 were continuously monitored before and after the fireworks display during the traditional Lantern Festival from March 2?C7, 2007 in Yanshui Town, Taiwan. Major roads in Yanshui Town were surrounded by fireworks 13 km in length, with the display lasting for 45 min. More than 200 small firecracker towers popped up randomly in town, resulting in exceedingly inhomogeneous air quality until the end of display at 03:00 the next day, March 5. During the fireworks display, the hourly concentration of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 at Yanshui Primary School reached about 429 and 250 ??g m^???3, respectively, which is 10 times the normal level, and 6 s values even went as high as 1,046 and 842 ??g m^???3, respectively. Similarly, BTEX concentration went up to about five to 10 times its normal value during the fireworks display. As indicated by the distribution of submicron particle sizes, the number of particles with a diameter less than 100 nm increased abruptly during the event period. Metal components with concentrations of more than 10 times higher than the normal value at Yanshui Primary School were Sr, K, Ba, Pb, Al, Mg, and Cu, in sequence. Among water-soluble ions, the content of K^?+?, Mg^2?+?, and Cl^??? increased the most, all of which were related to the materials used in the fireworks. The results of this study indicate that fireworks can cause an abrupt increase in the concentration of trace substances in the air within a short period. Although the risks of these trace substances on public health remain to be further assessed, the study results can be utilized in the management of folk events.     

Suspended Particulate Matter Distribution in Rural-Industrial Satna and in Urban-Industrial South Delhi

An air quality sampling program was designed and implemented to collect the baseline concentrations of respirable suspended particulates (RSP = PM₁₀), non-respirable suspended particulates (NRSP) and fine suspended particulates (FSP = PM_2.5). Over a three-week period, a 24-h average concentrations were calculated from the samples collected at an industrial site in Southern Delhi and compared to datasets collected in Satna by Envirotech Limited, Okhla, Delhi in order to establish the characteristic difference in emission patterns. PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and total suspended particulates (TSP) concentrations at Satna were 20.5 ± 6.0, 102.1 ± 41.1, and 387.6 ± 222.4 μg m⁻³ and at Delhi were 126.7 ± 28.6, 268.6 ± 39.1, and 687.7 ± 117.4 μg m⁻³. Values at Delhi were well above the standard limit for 24-h PM_2.5 United States National Ambient Air Quality Standards (USNAAQS; 65 μg m⁻³), while values at Satna were under the standard limit. Results were compared with various worldwide studies. These comparisons suggest an immediate need for the promulgation of new PM_2.5 standards. The position of PM₁₀ in Delhi is drastic and needs an immediate attention. PM₁₀ levels at Delhi were also well above the standard limit for 24-h PM₁₀ National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS; 150 μg m⁻³), while levels at Satna remained under the standard limit. PM_2.5/PM₁₀ values were also calculated to determine PM_2.5 contribution. At Satna, PM_2.5 contribution to PM₁₀ was only 20% compared to 47% in Delhi. TSP values at Delhi were well above, while TSP values at Satna were under, the standard limit for 24-h TSP NAAQS (500 μg m⁻³). At Satna, the PM₁₀ contribution to TSP was only 26% compared to 39% in Delhi. The correlation between PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and TSP were also calculated in order to gain an insight to their sources. Both in Satna and in Delhi, none of the sources was dominant a varied pattern of emissions was obtained, showing the presence of heterogeneous emission density and that nonrespirable suspended particulate (NRSP) formed the greatest part of the particulate load.     

Study of urban atmospheric pollution in Navarre (Northern Spain)

An ambient air quality study was undertaken in two cities (Pamplona and Alsasua) of the Province of Navarre in northern Spain from July 2001 to June 2004. The data were obtained from two urban monitoring sites. At both monitoring sites, ambient levels of ozone, NO_x, and SO₂ were measured. Simultaneously with levels of PM₁₀ measured at Alsasua (using a laser particle counter), PM₁₀ levels were also determined at Pamplona (using a beta attenuation monitor). Mean annual PM₁₀ concentrations in Pamplona and Alsasua reached 30 and 28 μg m⁻³, respectively. These concentrations are typical for urban background sites in Northern Spain. By using meteorological information and back trajectories, it was found that the number of exceedances of the daily PM₁₀ limit as well as the PM₁₀ temporal variation was highly influenced by air masses from North Africa. Although North African transport was observed on only 9% of the days, it contributed the highest observed PM₁₀ levels. Transport from the Atlantic Ocean was observed on 68% of the days; transport from Europe on 13%; low transport and local influences on 7%; and transport from the Mediterranean region on 3% of the days. The mean O₃ concentrations were 45 and 55 μg m⁻³ in Pamplona and Alsasua, respectively, which were above the values reported for the main Spanish cities. The mean NO and NO₂ levels were very similar in both sites (12 and 26 μg m⁻³, respectively). Mean SO₂ levels were 8 μg m⁻³ in Pamplona and 5 μg m⁻³ in Alsasua. Hourly levels of PM₁₀, NO and NO₂ showed similar variations with the typically two coincident maximums during traffic rush hours demonstrating a major anthropogenic origin of PM₁₀, in spite of the sporadic dust outbreaks.     

Relationships of relative humidity with PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> and PM<Subscript>10</Subscript> in the Yangtze River Delta,China

Severe particulate matter (PM, including PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) pollution frequently impacts many cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China, which has aroused growing concern. In this study, we examined the associations between relative humidity (RH) and PM pollution using the equal step-size statistical method. Our results revealed that RH had an inverted U-shaped relationship with PM_2.5 concentrations (peaking at RH = 45–70%), and an inverted V-shaped relationship (peaking at RH = 40 ± 5%) with PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO₂. The trends of polluted-day number significantly changed at RH = 70%. The very-dry (RH < 45%), dry (RH = 45–60%) and low-humidity (RH = 60–70%) conditions positively affected PM_2.5 and exerted an accumulation effect, while the mid-humidity (RH = 70–80%), high-humidity (RH = 80–90%), and extreme-humidity (RH = 90–100%) conditions played a significant role in reducing particle concentrations. For PM₁₀, the accumulation and reduction effects of RH were split at RH = 45%. Moreover, an upward slope in the PM_2.5/PM₁₀ ratio indicated that the accumulation effects from increasing RH were more intense on PM_2.5 than on PM₁₀, while the opposite was noticed for the reduction effects. Secondary transformations from SO₂ and NO₂ to sulfate and nitrate were mainly responsible for PM_2.5 pollution, and thus, controlling these precursors is effective in mitigating the PM pollution in the YRD, especially during winter. The conclusions in this study will be helpful for regional air-quality management.     

Study of the PM<Subscript>10</Subscript> concentration variations along two intra-urban roads within a compact city

Eighty-five measurement campaigns were performed repeatedly to compare the concentration variation profiles along two intra-urban roads—one with open configuration and the other with street canyon effect. Fixed-effects panel data analysis was applied for formulating a model to express the PM₁₀ concentrations along intra-urban roads in terms of parameters like nearby central monitoring data, traffic counts and meteorological conditions with an objective to analyze the PM₁₀ concentration variation patterns along the two roads. Our findings reveal that traffic intensity and metrological conditions exert influence on concentration variation for both types of road configurations while wind velocity only affect the pollutants removal effectiveness of open road configuration. Further analysis unveils that the PM₁₀ concentration distribution profiles within a compact city environment are not always uniform and are dependent on the road configuration. Considerable PM₁₀ concentration differences were observed along the street canyon, and 70% of their variations are attributed to variations in their road aspect ratios. By contrast, no significant concentration difference is observed at open road configurations.     

Time series modelling of respiratory hospital admissions and geometrically weighted distributed lag effects from ambient particulate air pollution within Kathmandu Valley,Nepal

The distributed lag effects of ambient particulate air pollution exposure on respiratory hospital admissions in Kathmandu Valley are modelled using daily time series data. The extended exposure to PM₁₀ is accounted for by assigning weights to daily average PM₁₀ which decline geometrically as the lag period increases in days. Results show that the percent increase in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospital admissions and respiratory admissions including COPD, asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis per 10 μg/m³ rise in PM₁₀ are found to be 4.85% for 30 days lag effect, about 15.9% higher than that observed for same-day lag effect and 3.52% for 40 days lag effect, about 28.9% higher than the observed value for same-day lag effect, respectively.     

Numerical Simulations on the Effect of Sea–Land Breezes on Atmospheric Haze over the Pearl River Delta Region

The atmospheric haze over the Pearl River Delta (PRD) was investigated by using the Models-3 Community Multi-scale Air Quality modeling system with meteorological fields simulated by the Fifth-generation National Center for Atmospheric Research/Penn State University Mesoscale Model (MM5) from September 26th to September 30th, 2004. The model-simulated meteorological elements and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM₁₀) were compared with observations at four air quality-monitoring stations. The results showed that MM5 successfully reproduced the diurnal variations of temperature, wind speed, and wind directions at these stations. The temporal variations of the simulated values were consistent with those of the observed (such as temperature, wind speed, and wind direction). The correlation coefficient was 0.91 for temperature and 0.56 for wind speed. The modeling results show that the spatial distributions of simulated PM₁₀ were closely related to the source emissions indicating three maxima of PM₁₀ over the PRD. The sea–land breezes diurnal cycle played a significant role in the redistribution and transport of PM₁₀. Nighttime land breeze could transport PM₁₀ to the coast and the sea, while daytime sea breeze (SB) could carry the accumulated PM₁₀ offshore back to the inland cities. PM₁₀ could also be transported vertically to a height of up to about 1000 m because of strong turbulence in the SB front. Process analyses indicated that the emission sources and the vertical diffusion were the major processes to influence the concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5).     

Seasonal Variations of PM10 and TSP in Residential and Industrial Sites in an Urban Area of Kolkata, India

The objective of the study is to investigate seasonal and spatial variations of PM₁₀ (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm) and TSP (total suspended particulate matter) of an Indian Metropolis with high pollution and population density from November 2003 to November 2004. Ambient concentration measurements of PM₁₀ and TSP were carried out at two monitoring sites of an urban region of Kolkata. Monitoring sites have been selected based on the dominant activities of the area. Meteorological parameters such as wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, temperature and relative humidity were also collected simultaneously during the sampling period from Indian Meteorological Department, Kolkata. The 24 h average concentrations of PM₁₀ and TSP were found in the range 68.2–280.6 μg/m³ and 139.3–580.3 μg/m³ for residential (Kasba) area, while 62.4–401.2 μg/m³ and 125.7–732.1 μg/m³ for industrial (Cossipore) area, respectively. Winter concentrations of particulate pollutants were higher than other seasons, irrespective of the monitoring sites. It indicates a longer residence time of particulates in the atmosphere during winter due to low winds and low mixing height. Spread of air pollution sources and non-uniform mixing conditions in an urban area often result in spatial variation of pollutant concentrations. The higher particulate pollution at industrial area may be attributed due to resuspension of road dust, soil dust, automobile traffic and nearby industrial emissions. Particle size analysis result shows that PM₁₀ is about 52% of TSP at residential area and 54% at industrial area.     

Analysis of a high PM10 episode observed at a coastal site nearby Shanghai, China

A high PM₁₀ episode observed at a coastal site nearby Shanghai during 18–19 January 2007 was analyzed in this study. The maximum hourly averaged PM₁₀ concentrations for the 2 days were 0.58 and 0.62 mg/m³, respectively. The meteorological condition during the episode was favorable for air pollution with large-scale stagnation. There was no dispersing effect by high wind, no scavenging function by precipitation, and no diluting process by clean marine air during the episode. The trajectories for 16–19 January all came from the northern region and kept in low levels, and during the episode peak time, from the morning of 18 to the morning of 19 January, trajectories all came from the northern inland areas and had passed over the coastal region of Jiangsu province before arriving at the site. The variation of the air pollution indexes (APIs) in the cities located in the upwind direction of the site during the episode days clearly shows a process of large-scale air pollution from north to south. The liner correlation coefficient for PM₁₀ and SO₂ concentrations is 0.774 during the episode, while for PM₁₀ and CO, it even reaches 0.995, which indicated that the high PM₁₀ was mainly emitted from the coal burning for domestic heating in winter. Therefore, the observed episode was caused by the transport of domestic heating pollutants accumulated in the boundary layer from northern continental areas.     

烟花爆竹禁燃对春节期间东北地区空气质量影响评估

利用2015—2017年春节期间东北地区主要大气污染物(PM_(10)、PM_(2.5)、SO_2、NO_2、CO和O3)质量浓度监测资料及相应气象因子(温度、湿度、风速和气压)观测资料,分析了春节期间烟花爆竹禁燃对东北地区空气质量的影响。结果表明:随着东北地区主要城市禁燃力度的增强,空气质量逐年提升,PM_(2.5)和SO_2浓度逐年大幅度下降。禁燃可明显降低城区PM_(2.5)浓度,而由于春节期间污染源整体减少,城区和城郊监测点PM_(2.5)浓度值差异减小。烟花爆竹对PM_(10)和PM_(2.5)浓度影响高于对气体污染物SO_2、NO_2和CO的影响。此外,气象条件对东北地区春节期间禁燃改善空气质量的效果也有明显影响。因此,结合春节期间的气象条件,在东北地区实施禁燃政策动态调整非常必要。     

Water quality and dissolved inorganic fluxes of N,P, SO<Subscript>4</Subscript>, and K of a small catchment river in the Southwestern Coast of India

The southwestern coast of India is drained by many small rivers with lengths less than 250 km and catchment areas less than 6,500 km². These rivers are perennial and are also the major drinking water sources in the region. But, the fast pace of urbanization, industrialization, fertilizer intensive agricultural activities and rise in pilgrim tourism in the past four to five decades have imposed marked changes in water quality and solute fluxes of many of these rivers. The problems have aggravated further due to leaching of ionic constituents from the organic-rich (peaty) impervious sub-surface layers that are exposed due to channel incision resulting from indiscriminate instream mining for construction-grade sand and gravel. In this context, an attempt has been made here to evaluate the water quality and the net nutrient flux of one of the important rivers in the southwestern coast of India, the Manimala river which has a length of about 90 km and catchment area of 847 km². The river exhibits seasonal variation in most of the water quality parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, HCO₃, NO₂-N, NO₃-N, P _\text-inorg_{\rm \text{-}inorg}, P _\text-tot_{\rm \text{-}tot}, chloride, SO₄, and SiO₂). Except for NO₃-N and SiO₂, all the other parameters are generally enriched in non-monsoon (December–May) samples than that of monsoon (June–November). The flux estimation reveals that the Manimala river transports an amount of 2,308 t y^− 1 of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, 87 t y^− 1 dissolved inorganic phosphorus, and 9246 t y^− 1 of SO₄, and 1984 t y^− 1 K into the receiving coastal waters. These together constitute about 23% of the total dissolved fluxes transported by the Manimala river. Based on the study, a set of mitigation measures are also suggested to improve the overall water quality of small catchment rivers of the densely populated tropics in general and the south western coast in particular.     

基于火点辐射能量的2017—2021年广西秸秆露天燃烧排放时空分析

基于2017—2021年MODIS、VIIRS和Himawari-8等多套卫星的火点辐射能量(FRE)和云量反演数据,使用更高分辨率的火点替代相邻位置低分辨率火点的融合方法,利用晴空的火点分布数据对被云遮蔽的区域进行补偿,核算得到了2 km高分辨率的广西秸秆露天燃烧排放数据,并针对2017—2021年的广西秸秆露天燃烧排放量展开精细的时空分布研究。结果表明:2017—2021年广西秸秆露天燃烧的CO、NO_x、SO₂、NH₃、VOCs、PM₁₀和PM_2.5的年排放量均值分别为12.91万、0.78万、0.16万、0.17万、2.77万、2.26万、2.21万t,排放高值区域分布在广西中部及西南部。秸秆露天燃烧排放的主要时间集中在冬、春季节(10月至次年3月),时值晚稻收割期和甘蔗榨季,占全年排放量的60%以上。广西秸秆露天燃烧PM_2.5年均排放量是全广西PM_2.5人为源年排放量的8.74%,通过逐日排放贡献分析发现,秸秆露天燃烧具有短期排放量较大的特点,2017—2021年,在1—2月有34 d出现秸秆露天燃烧导致PM_2.5排放量超过人为源排放量50%的情况。     

Characterisation of PM10, PM2.5 and Benzene Soluble Organic Fraction of Particulate Matter in an Urban Area of Kolkata, India

In this study, the relationship between inhalable particulate (PM₁₀), fine particulate (PM_2.5), coarse particles (PM_{2.5 – 10}) and meteorological parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed were statistically analyzed and modelled for urban area of Kolkata during winter months of 2003–2004. Ambient air quality was monitored with a sampling frequency of twenty-four hours at three monitoring sites located near traffic intersections and in an industrial area. The monitoring sites were located 3–5 m above ground near highly trafficked and congested areas. The 24 h average PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 samples were collected using Thermo-Andersen high volume samplers and exposed filter papers were extracted and analysed for benzene soluble organic fraction. The ratios between PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were found to be in the range of 0.6 to 0.92 and the highest ratio was found in the most polluted urban site. Statistical analysis has shown a strong positive correlation between PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 and inverse correlation was observed between particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) and wind speed. Statistical analysis of air quality data shows that PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 are showing poor correlation with temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation. Regression equations for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 and meteorological parameters were developed. The organic fraction of particulate matter soluble in benzene is an indication of poly aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration present in particulate matter. The relationship between the benzene soluble organic fraction (BSOF) of inhalable particulate (PM₁₀) and fine particulate (PM_2.5) were analysed for urban area of Kolkata. Significant positive correlation was observed between benzene soluble organic fraction of PM₁₀ (BSM10) and benzene soluble organic fraction of PM_2.5 (BSM2.5). Regression equations for BSM10 and BSM2.5 were developed.     

Atmosphic pollutants study of particles ionic species during high wind speed (>7 m s-1) near Taiwan strait in central Taiwan from 2004 to 2005

This study monitored atmospheric pollutants during high wind speed (> 7 m s⁻¹) at two sampling sites: Taichung Harbor (TH) and Wuci traffic (WT) during March 2004 to January 2005 in central Taiwan. The correlation coefficient (R ²) between TSP, PM_2.5, PM_2.5−10 particle concentration vs. wind speed at the TH and WT sampling site during high wind speed (< 7 m s⁻¹) were also displayed in this study. In addition, the correlation coefficients between TSP, PM_2.5 and PM_2.5−10 of ionic species vs. high wind speed were also observed. The results indicated that the correlation coefficient order was TSP > PM_2.5−10 > PM_2.5 for particle at both sampling sites near Taiwan strait. In addition, the concentration of Cl⁻, NO₃ ⁻, SO₄ ²⁻, NH₄ ⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Na⁺ were also analyzed in this study.     

Study of temporal variation in ambient air quality during Diwali festival in India

The variation in air quality was assessed from the ambient concentrations of various air pollutants [total suspended particle (TSP), particulate matter ≤10 μm (PM₁₀), SO₂, and NO₂] for pre-Diwali, Diwali festival, post-Diwali, and foggy day (October, November, and December), Delhi (India), from 2002 to 2007. The extensive use of fireworks was found to be related to short-term variation in air quality. During the festival, TSP is almost of the same order as compared to the concentration at an industrial site in Delhi in all the years. However, the concentrations of PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO₂ increased two to six times during the Diwali period when compared to the data reported for an industrial site. Similar trend was observed when the concentrations of pollutants were compared with values obtained for a typical foggy day each year in December. The levels of these pollutants observed during Diwali were found to be higher due to adverse meteorological conditions, i.e., decrease in 24 h average mixing height, temperature, and wind speed. The trend analysis shows that TSP, PM₁₀, NO₂, and SO₂ concentration increased just before Diwali and reached to a maximum concentration on the day of the festival. The values gradually decreased after the festival. On Diwali day, 24-h values for TSP and PM₁₀ in all the years from 2002 to 2007 and for NO₂ in 2004 and 2007 were found to be higher than prescribed limits of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and exceptionally high (3.6 times) for PM₁₀ in 2007. These results indicate that fireworks during the Diwali festival affected the ambient air quality adversely due to emission and accumulation of TSP, PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO_2.