Incorporating long-term satellite-based aerosol optical depth, localized land use data, and meteorological variables to estimate ground-level PM 2.5 concentrations in Taiwan from 2005 to 2015
Journal
Environmental Pollution
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
Abstract
Satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) is now comprehensively applied to estimate ground-level concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This study aimed to construct the AOD-PM2.5 estimation models over Taiwan. The AOD-PM2.5 modeling in Taiwan island is challenging owing to heterogeneous land use, complex topography, and humid tropical to subtropical climate conditions with frequent cloud cover and prolonged rainy season. The AOD retrievals from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites were combined with the meteorological variables from reanalysis data and high resolution localized land use variables to estimate PM2.5 over Taiwan island from 2005 to 2015. Ten-fold cross validation was carried out and the residuals of the estimation model at various locations and seasons are assessed. The cross validation (CV) R2 based on monitoring stations were 0.66 and 0.66, with CV root mean square errors of 14.0 μg/m3 (34%) and 12.9 μg/m3 (33%), respectively, for models based on Terra and Aqua AOD. The results provided PM2.5 estimations at locations without surface stations. The estimation revealed PM2.5 concentration hotspots in the central and southern part of the western plain areas, particularly in winter and spring. The annual average of estimated PM2.5 concentrations over Taiwan consistently declined during 2005–2015. The AOD-PM2.5 model is a reliable and validated method for estimating PM2.5 concentrations at locations without monitoring stations in Taiwan, which is crucial for epidemiological study and for the assessment of air quality control policy. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
Subjects
Aerosol optical depth; Fine particulate matter; Land use; Meteorological variables; PM2.5
Other Subjects
Aerosols; Air quality; Atmospheric aerosols; Estimation; Land use; Landforms; Location; Mean square error; Optical properties; Radiometers; Satellite imagery; Satellites; Aerosol optical depths; Epidemiological studies; Fine particulate matter; Fine particulate matter (PM2.5); Ground level concentrations; Meteorological variables; Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer; PM2.5; Particles (particulate matter); aerosol; annual variation; concentration (composition); data set; land use; optical depth; particulate matter; aerosol; air quality; Article; autumn; climate change; cropland; environmental protection; grassland; humidity; land use; meteorological phenomena; meteorology; Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer; particulate matter; pastureland; precipitation; prediction and forecasting; quality control; rainy season; satellite based aerosol optical depth; season; spring; summer; Taiwan; topography; winter; aerosol; air pollutant; air pollution; analysis; environmental monitoring; meteorology; particulate matter; procedures; satellite imagery; statistics and numerical data; Taiwan; Aerosols; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Environmental Monitoring; Meteorology; Particulate Matter; Satellite Imagery; Seasons; Taiwan
Type
journal article