Relative influence of air pollutants and weather conditions on solar radiation – Part 1: Relationship of air pollutants with weather conditions

Summary Air pollution measurements from January 1999 to December 2003 were studied in 14 sites covering most of Egypt, with the aim of understanding the governing processes pollutants phase interaction. The nature of the contributing sources has been investigated, and some attempts have been made to indicate the role played by neighboring regions in determining the air quality at these sites. The seasonal variability of particulate matter (PM₁₀) and some gaseous pollutants (e.g., SO₂, NO₂, CO and O₃) were analyzed. Their relationships with meteorology were also examined. The results reveal that levels of major air pollutants were not significantly different at the rural and background sites during any season. On contrary the high atmospheric loading for PM₁₀, CO and SO₂ was frequently observed in winter at the urban sites. As expected, the prevailing winds were found to have an influence not only on air pollutants but also on the correlation between them.