Impact of dust transport events on PM10 concentrations on the western coasts of Turkey: a case of April 2022

This study aims to reveal the impact of dust transport events on PM10 concentrations on the western coast of Turkey (26 –28 E, 37–41 N) during April 2022. Another purpose of this study is to suggest a proper location for the monitoring station to observe dust transport. Daily measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor onboard Terra and Aqua sa tellites were examined for dust transport from the Sahara Desert. Three dust events (AOD >  0.5) were detected on the 1st, 5th, and 22nd days of April 2022 according to Terra MODIS data. The impact of these events on PM10 concentrations was analyzed by using measurements of 47 ground air quality monitoring stations in Ayd ın, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, İzmir, Muğla, and Manisa. The correlations between AOD and PM10 ranged from 0.13 to 0.81. High positive correlations were observed over the southern part of the study area (Mu ğla and Aydın provinces) which could be considered as a proper location for an air quality monitoring station to observe dust transport to Turkey.
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research