Spatial Distribution of BTEX and Inorganic Pollutants during Summer Season in Yalova, Turkey

Abstract

The objective of this research is to determine the atmospheric concentrations and spatial distribution of benzene (B), toluene (T), ethylbenzene (E) and xylenes (X) (BTEX) and inorganic air pollutants (O3, NO2 and SO2) in the Yalova atmosphere during summer 2015. In this study, a combination of passive sampling and Geographical Information System-based geo-statistics are used with spatial statistics of autocorrelation to characterise the spatial pattern of the quality of air based on concentrations of these pollutants in Yalova. The spatial temporal variations of pollutants in the air with five types of land-use, residence, rural, highway, side road and industrial areas were investigated at 40 stations in Yalova between 7th August 2015 and 26th August 2015 using passive sampling. An inverse distance weighting interpolation technique was used to estimate variables at an unmeasured location from observed values at nearby locations. The spatial autocorrelation of air pollutants in the city was investigated using the statistical methods of Moran's I in addition to the Getis Ord Gi. During the summer, highway and industrial sites had higher levels of BTEX then rural areas. The average concentration of toluene was measured to be 5.83 μg/m3 and this is the highest pollutant concentration. Average concentrations of NO2, O3 and SO2 are 35.64, 84.23 and 3.95 μg/m3, respectively. According to the global results of Moran's I; NO2 and BTEX had positive correlations on a global space at a significant rate. Moreover, the autocorrelation analysis on the local space demonstrated significant hot spots on industrial sites and along the main roads.