Relationships between Vertical Temperature Gradients and PM10 Concentrations during Selected Weather Conditions in Upper Silesia (Southern Poland)

• Published in: Atmosphere Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 125
• Main Authors: Łupikasza, Ewa Bożena, Niedźwiedź, Tadeusz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air quality; Air temperature; Airborne particulates; Atmosphere; Atmospheric boundary layer; Cloud cover; Cloudiness; Humidity; Inversions; Meteorological conditions; Outdoor air quality; Particulate matter; Pollutants; Probability theory; Radiation; Relative humidity; stable air; Surface temperature; Surface-air temperature relationships; Temperature gradients; Temperature inversion; Temperature inversions; unstable air; Urban areas; Weather; Weather conditions; Wind; Wind shear; Wind speed; Winter; Poland
• ISSN: 2073-4433; 2073-4433
• DOI: 10.3390/atmos13010125

This paper studies surface air temperature inversions and their impact on air pollution under the background of meteorological conditions in southern Poland. The relationship of temperature gradients and air quality classes with weather conditions in the most urbanized and polluted part of Poland as represented by the Upper Silesia region (USR) within the administrative boundaries of the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis (GZM) is presented. Based on probability analysis this study hierarchized the role of the selected weather elements in the development of surface-based temperature inversion (SBI) and air quality (AQ). The thresholds of weather elements for a rapid increase in the probability of oppressive air pollution episodes were distinguished. Although most SBI occurred in summer winter SBIs were of great importance. In that season a bad air quality occurred during >70% of strong inversions and >50% of moderate inversions. Air temperature more strongly triggered AQ than SBI development. Wind speed was critical for SBI and significant for AQ development. A low cloudiness favored SBI occurrence altered air quality in winter and spring during SBI and favored very bad AQ5 (>180 µg/m3) occurrence. The probability of high air pollution enhanced by SBI rapidly increased in winter when the air temperature dropped below −6 °C the wind speed decreased below 1.5 m/s and the sky was cloudless. Changes in the relative humidity did not induce rapid changes in the occurrence of bad AQ events during SBI