Role of Meteorology in Seasonal Variation of Air Pollution

The meteorological parameters such as atmospheric temperature, wind speed and direction, and relative humidity are the governing factors for the concentration of air pollutants in the ambient atmosphere. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of these meteorological parameters on ambient particulate matter (PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitrogen oxide (NO), ozone (O₃), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and ammonia (NH₃) concentration during northeast monsoon, winter, summer, and southwest monsoon for Lucknow. Multiple linear regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation matrix is prepared using data from October 2014 to October 2017. The monitored values by pollution control board and predicted values using regression equations are compared from October 2017 to October 2018. The result shows that in northeast monsoon, PM_2.5 is highly correlated with temperature, and O₃ and NH₃ are moderately correlated with relative humidity and wind speed, respectively. In summer, NO₂, O₃, and NH₃ are moderately correlated with relative humidity, and NH₃ is also moderately correlated with wind speed. In southwest monsoon, PM_2.5 is highly correlated with relative humidity and atmospheric temperature, and NO and O₃ are moderately correlated with wind speed and relative humidity, respectively. In winter, O₃ is highly correlated with relative humidity and PM_2.5 with wind speed and relative humidity, O₃ with atmospheric temperature and wind speed in moderately correlated, while rest of above pollutants in different seasons are low correlated with meteorological parameter.