Air quality at two stations (Gdynia and Rumia) located in the region of Gulf of Gdansk during periods of intensive smog in Poland

Abstract

The study was conducted to establish whether an extremely high concentration of aerosols occurred in the region of the Gulf of Gdansk at the very end of 2016, and if so which factors determined it. This period was notable in terms of intensity of smog episodes across the rest of Poland. The main goal was to consider pollution sources affecting two nearby stations in the area, which is usually characterised by better air quality than other parts of the country. To achieve this, concentrations of PM1 and PM2.5 were studied in Gdynia and PM10 concentration was measured in Rumia from 22 December 2016 to 22 January 2017. Concentrations of OC, EC, PAHs and major ions were also examined in order to indicate the origin of pollutants. The average daily concentration ranged 6.0–50.0 μg·m−3 for PM1 and 8.3–61.9 μg·m−3 for PM2.5 in Gdynia, and 8.6–71.9 μg·m−3 for PM10 in Rumia. High concentrations of PM1 and PM2.5, classified as values higher than 25 μg·m−3, were noted 4 times. The 24-h limit value of PM10 was exceeded 3 times. Even though the highest aerosol concentration obtained in our results exceeded the limit value by 150%, it was nevertheless lower than in other Polish regions at the same time. This was due to dissimilar meteorological conditions, heavy snowfall and the landfall of Hurricane Barbara. However, high PAH concentrations in aerosols measured in Gdynia and Rumia indicate poor air conditions despite there being a relatively low average concentration of PM at the same time.