Contribution of atmospheric processes to the degradation of air quality: case study (Sohar Industrial Area, Oman)
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Contribution of atmospheric processes to the degradation of air quality: case study (Sohar Industrial Area, Oman) Abdullah Al-Khadouri & Sultan Al-Yahyai & Yassine Charabi
Received: 17 June 2013 / Accepted: 22 January 2014 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2014
Abstract The impact of the air pollution generated by any industrial activities may be further aggravated if the location of the industrial area is exposed to certain atmospheric characteristics. Under such conditions, the likelihood of accumulation of local air pollution is high. This paper uses two approaches (statistical and numerical simulation) to investigate the contribution of atmospheric processes towards degradation of air quality. A case study of the two approaches was conducted over Sohar Industrial Area in the Sultanate of Oman. Measured wind data were used to account for specific atmospheric characteristics such as stagnation, ventilation, and recirculation using the statistical approach. In the second approach, numerical weather prediction model was used to simulate mesoscale circulation phenomena such as sea breeze and its contribution to the processes affecting the air quality. The study demonstrates that the atmospheric processes appear to contribute substantially to the degradation of air quality in the Sohar Industrial Area. The statistical analysis shows that the atmospheric dilution potential of Sohar Industrial Area is prone to stagnation and recirculation, rather than ventilation. Moreover, model simulation shows that there is a seasonal variation in the contribution of atmospheric processes to the degradation of the air quality at Sohar Industrial Area.
A. Al-Khadouri : S. Al-Yahyai (*) Public Authority for Civil Aviation, Oman National Meteorological Service, P.O. 1, Postal Code 111 Muscat, Oman e-mail: [email protected] A. Al-Khadouri e-mail: [email protected] Y. Charabi Department of Geography, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. 42, Al-Khodh, Muscat 123, Oman e-mail: [email protected]
Keywords Air quality . Stagnation . Recirculation . Ventilation . Sea breeze . Sohar Industrial Area
Acronym/abbreviations U Observed wind speed θ Observed wind direction N Number of observations ui Wind vector into east–west direction of the ith observation vi Wind vector into north–south direction of the ith observation Xi Transportation distance on east–west direction Yi Transportation distance on north–south direction τ Sampling intervals of the wind observation Li Horizontal straight line distance of the ith observation Si Wind run of the ith observation Ri Recirculation factor of the ith observation
Introduction The issue of air quality is of a great concern to many people. Different studies have been conducted to investigate air quality problem and proposed methods to improve quality of the air, especially in rapidly developing industrial areas. In order to determine the effect of air quality on humans, deeper knowledge about the atmospheric processes that control the transport and dispersion of the air and its pollutan
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