Zeitschrift für Umweltverschmutzung

Characterizing Particulate Matter 2.5 Concentration Pattern within a Transportation Network: A Case Study in the Port of Houston Region

Abstract

Qing Li, Jianbang Du, Fengxiang Qiao and Lei Yu

Particulate matter 2.5 has been identified as an important contributor to the toxicity of air pollutions. Roadways are one of the major sources in an urban area. To protect the public health from the PM2.5 pollutions, an effective monitoring system is required. Various methodology and technologies have been developed and designed to measure the PM2.5 concentrations, which however also exist some limitations that are not easily overcome. This study is intended to propose a method to estimate and monitor the PM2.5 concentrations in a region within a transportation network. A case study was conducted to the Port of Houston region where there are three ambient air quality monitoring stations. The PM2.5 concentration pattern and its associated health risk were characterized to develop lookup tables of PM2.5 concentration factors. Results showed that the majority of the average daily PM2.5 concentrations in the Port of Houston region are lower than 10 μg/m3, indicating the lowest PM-caused health risk. No significant difference in the trends of the PM2.5 emission patterns collected from the three stations was observed. Two lookup tables of generalized PM2.5 concentration factors were developed to estimate the average daily concentration in a specific time of a year in the region, which could be easily applied to a similar region for PM2.5 monitoring.