Connection between weather types and air pollution levels: a 19-year study in nine EMEP stations in Spain

This study focuses on the analysis of the distribution, both spatial and temporal, of the PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter of 10 m or less) concentrations recorded in nine EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme) background stations distributed throughout mainland Spain between 20...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pardo, Nuria, Sainz Villegas, Samuel, Calvo, Ana I., Blanco Alegre, Carlos, Fraile, Roberto
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Cantabria (UC)
Repositorio:UCrea Repositorio Abierto de la Universidad de Cantabria
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unican.es:10902/28613
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10902/28613
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Atmospheric pollution
EMEP
PM10
Trends
Weather types
Descripción
Sumario:This study focuses on the analysis of the distribution, both spatial and temporal, of the PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter of 10 m or less) concentrations recorded in nine EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme) background stations distributed throughout mainland Spain between 2001 and 2019. A study of hierarchical clusters was used to classify the stations into three main groups with similarities in yearly concentrations: GC (coastal location), GNC (north-central location), and GSE (southeastern location). The highest PM10 concentrations were registered in summer. Annual evolution showed statistically significant decreasing trends in PM10 concentration in all the stations covering a range from -0.21 to -0.50 μg m-3/year for Barcarrota and Víznar, respectively. Through the Lamb classification, the weather types were defined during the study period, and those associated with high levels of pollution were identified. Finally, the values exceeding the limits established by the legislation were analyzed for every station assessed in the study.