Low-Cost Air Quality Stations’ Capability to Integrate Reference Stations in Particulate Matter Dynamics Assessment

Atmosphere

Bianca Patrizia Andreini¹  Marco Stefanelli¹  Alice Cavaliere²  Giovanni Gualtieri²  Carolina Vagnoli²  Alessandro Zaldei²  Lorenzo Brilli²  Beniamino Gioli²  Federico Carotenuto²  Francesca Martelli²  Andrea Esposito³  Stefania Venturi⁴ 

[1] ARPAT, Tuscany Region Environmental Protection Agency, Via Porpora, 22, 50144 Firenze, Italy;CNR-IBE, National Research Council Institute for the BioEconomy, Via Caproni 8, 50145 Firenze, Italy;CNR-ISAFOM, National Research Council Institute of Mediterranean Agricultural and Forestry Systems, P. le Enrico Fermi 1—Loc. Porto del Granatello, 80055 Portici, Italy;DST-Unifi, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy;

关键词: air quality;    low-cost sensor;    PM₁₀;    high-resolution;    population exposure;   

DOI  :  10.3390/atmos12081065

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Low-cost air quality stations can provide useful data that can offer a complete picture of urban air quality dynamics, especially when integrated with daily measurements from reference air quality stations. However, the success of such deployment depends on the measurement accuracy and the capability of resolving spatial and temporal gradients within a spatial domain. In this work, an ensemble of three low-cost stations named “AirQino” was deployed to monitor particulate matter (PM) concentrations over three different sites in an area affected by poor air quality conditions. Data of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations were collected for about two years following a protocol based on field calibration and validation with a reference station. Results indicated that: (i) AirQino station measurements were accurate and stable during co-location periods over time (R² = 0.5–0.83 and RMSE = 6.4–11.2 μg m⁻³; valid data: 87.7–95.7%), resolving current spatial and temporal gradients; (ii) spatial variability of anthropogenic emissions was mainly due to extensive use of wood for household heating; (iii) the high temporal resolution made it possible to detect time occurrence and strength of PM₁₀ concentration peaks; (iv) the number of episodes above the 1-h threshold of 90 μg m⁻³ and their persistence were higher under urban and industrial sites compared to the rural area.

【 授权许可】

Unknown