Seasonal Characteristics of Particulate Matter by Pollution Source Type and Urban Forest Type
To provide consistent air purification benefits from urban forests, it is crucial to identify common characteristics that allow for similar experimental setups. This study aimed to analyze <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"&...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/21/9988 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | To provide consistent air purification benefits from urban forests, it is crucial to identify common characteristics that allow for similar experimental setups. This study aimed to analyze <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> concentrations in urban forests near pollution sources and understand their mitigation effects. Data from the Asian Initiative for Clean Air Networks, Korea, were used, focusing on three urban forests adjacent to road and industrial pollution sources in Korea, with <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> concentrations collected during 2021. Considering high <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> concentrations during winter and spring, these seasons were divided into two sub-periods, resulting in six seasonal periods for analysis. To address the right-skewed <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> distribution and reduce outlier influence, the Kruskal–Wallis test was used. The results showed that “good” <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> levels were lowest in early spring, increasing to a peak in summer before declining. High <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> events were concentrated in spring, early spring, and early winter. The Kruskal–Wallis test indicated lower median <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> concentrations in urban forests compared to pollution sources in the latter half of the year, while no significant median differences were found in the first half. Distribution visualizations further confirmed that even during high <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> periods, all urban forests showed lower <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> values compared to pollution sources. In conclusion, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> concentrations in urban forests were consistently lower than in pollution sources across all seasons, demonstrating their effectiveness in air purification at both road and industrial pollution sources. Future research should consider additional variables, such as <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">P</mi><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">M</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2.5</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, to further explore differences between pollution sources. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2076-3417 |