Spatial and Temporal Variations of the Particulate Matter in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Mass concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 for January 2012 up to October 2013 were measured at two sites; a suburban area, Riyadh airport (AP) and an urban area, King Fahd road district (KF) (densely trafficked site). Daily concentrations of both PM10 and PM2.5 measured at these two sites were highly variable. The temporal variation observed either for PM10 or PM2.5 was associated mainly with the dust events. The annual pattern of PM10 and PM2.5 at the AP station shows a significant increase in spring and summer (dusty seasons) where monthly mean concentrations of up to 696 μg·m−3 PM10 were recorded in March. PM10 concentrations during winter months are significantly lower, with 65 μg·m−3 measured in November and 78 μg·m−3 measured in December. January exhibits PM10 concentrations little above 100 μg·m−3. Both PM10 and PM2.5 showed substantial variations at these two monitoring stations during the study period. In the urban station (King Fahd), average annual PM10 varied by up to...