URBAN PARTICULATE MATTER HAZARD MAPPING USING GIS AND LOW-COST SENSORS IN NABLUS, PALESTINE

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Date
2022-06-07
Authors
Saleh, Tawfiq
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Publisher
جامعة النجاح الوطنية
Abstract
Few of the air pollution studies were applied in the State of Palestine, all showed an increase in particulate matter concentrations above WHO guidelines. However, there is no clear methodology for selecting monitoring locations. In this study a methodology based on GIS and locally calibrated low-cost sensors was tested. A GIS-based weighted overlay summation process for the potential sources of air pollution (factories, quarries, and traffic) taking into account the influence of altitude and climate was used to obtain a particulate matter (PM) pollution hazard map for Nablus, Palestine. To test the methodology, eight locally calibrated PM sensors (AirUs) were deployed to measure PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations for 55 days from 7-Jan to 2-Mar 2022. The results of the hazard map showed that 82% of Nablus is exposed to a very high and high hazard of PM pollution. It also shows an elevated PM2.5 concentrations above WHO guidelines in all stations. In summary, the overall average for PM2.5 and PM10 in Nablus was 48 and 55.2 µg/m3 respectively Sensors’ readings showed a good match between the hazard index and PM concentrations. This indicate the effectiveness of mapping methodology and the use of low-cost, locally calibrated sensors in characterizing air quality status to identify the potential remediation options.
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Keywords
Air pollution, Hazard mapping, Low-Cost sensors, GIS, Palestine.
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