Effects of land use patterns on PM10 concentrations in urban and suburban areas. A European scale analysis

Abstract

Landscape structure, the spatial characteristic of land cover, is a key factor in air quality. In this study, we investigate the connection between different land-use category areas taken from the 2018 Urban Atlas and the European Environmental Agency's monthly average coarse particulate matter (PM10) concentrations. We identified the main PM10 emission-source land-use categories that restrict the transmission of PM10 and therefore reduce PM10 concentrations in urban and suburban areas. According to our results, water, forest and urban park areas inside differently sized buffer zones surrounding PM10 monitoring stations have an obvious clearing effect on PM10 concentrations throughout almost all seasons, while there is a positive correlation between areas of vacant land, railways and mine, dump and construction sites and monthly PM10 concentrations. In addition, the strong effect of the correlation between built-up areas, industrial areas and roads and monthly average PM10 concentrations changes seasonally. Air pollution from motor vehicles shows a significant positive statistical relationship with PM10 concentrations only in the summer, but in contrast, during the heating (cold) period, because of motor vehicle driving (secondary) winds, traffic corridors have a significant decreasing effect on PM10 concentrations. By understanding the effect of different land use/land cover patterns on PM10 concentrations and variability, we can derive precise spatial urban planning strategies that are adaptable for health care.