The wind speed dependence of the concentrations of airborne particulate matter and NOx

Abstract

The wind speed dependence of concentrations of PM10, chloride, sulphate, nitrate, organic carbon, elemental carbon, particle number and NOx has been determined at three separate sites, Marylebone Road (kerbside), North Kensington (urban background) and Harwell (rural). The data are best described by a general dilution term multiplied by up to three separate source-related terms which we interpret as representing long-range transport sources, discrete local (including area) sources and marine sources respectively. Using this approach, the various particulate metrics can be quantitatively disaggregated according to the contributions of the three source types. The behaviour of nitrate is anomalous, probably due to an influence of wind speed upon the dissociation of ammonium nitrate. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.