MODELACIÓN Y ESTIMACIÓN DE NO2 Y O3 EN ZONAS RURALES Y SUBURBANAS DEL VALLE DE MÉXICO

Abstract

Forests surrounding the Valley of Mexico are affected by air pollution produced within the valley; however, air pollution monitoring stations are scarce within the forest areas. This condition prevents the impacts of air pollution on forests from being studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the technical feasibility of using mathematical models to estimate O3 and NO2 concentrations in rural and suburban sites around the Valley of Mexico. Models for estimation of O3 and NO2 from data collected from the stations of the Red Automática de Monitoreo Atmosférico (automatic air quality monitoring network, RAMA) and climatological variables from the Red de Meteorología y Radiación Solar (meteorology and solar radiation network, REDMET) of the Valley of Mexico were developed. We made 12 lineal multiple regression models for estimating air pollutants for stations Ajusco Medio, Cuajimalpa, Cuautitlán, and Montecillo. Estimations of O3 are a function of O3 concentrations and/or concentrations of NO2, O3, and meteorological variables from RAMA and REDMET. Models for NO2 estimate this pollutant as a function of concentrations of NO2 and meteorological variables. The best models for estimating O3 are those that depend on O3 concentrations from other stations, being temperature, relative humidity, and wind velocity the meteorological variables that impacted O3 estimations the most. Models for NO2 concentrations behaved correctly, except that of Cuautitlán. Temperature and wind direction are the variables that impacted NO2 concentrations the most.