ESTIMATING THE WIND DIRECTION OF MAXIMUM AIR POLLUTANT CONCENTRATION

✍ Scribed by MATTHEW C. SOMERVILLE; SHAIBAL MUKERJEE; DONALD L. FOX

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 805 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1180-4009
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-095x(199603)7:2<231::aid-env207>3.0.co;2-i

✦ Synopsis

The evaluation of evidence concerning the existence and nature of associations between concentrations of air pollutants and wind direction can aid in investigating relationships between an emission source and measured pollutant levels at nearby sites. In this paper we present a model based on the beta function which can be used to provide an estimate of the direction of maximum pollutant concentration with a corresponding confidence interval. The model was fitted to meteorological and pollutant concentration data collected during two time periods at a site near Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Estimates and confidence intervals are reported, accompanied with results of hypothesis tests concerning the existence of associations between wind direction and pollutant concentration. Some implications of the results for future monitoring efforts are discussed.