The distribution process of traffic contamination on roadside surface and the influence of meteorological conditions revealed by magnetic monitoring.

Abstract

With the increasing number of vehicles and the development of transport systems, traffic contamination has become an important source of current environmental pollution. The study of roadside distribution patterns of traffic-related contaminants and its influencing factors can contribute to assess the scope and distribution process of the contaminants. A large number of works confirmed that magnetic methods which are fast and economic can be used to indicate the traffic-related pollution. Based on the previous study, we installed two new monitoring sites and conducted repeated in situ measurements of magnetic susceptibility (κ). From these data, we calculated the accumulation amount and accumulation rate of κ to reveal the detailed distribution process of traffic contaminants on the roadside surface over time. In addition, we collected daily meteorological data (rainfall and wind direction) and conducted a correlation analysis between the accumulation rate of κ and the meteorological data. The results show that the accumulation rate of traffic contaminants on the roadside surface is lower in periods of higher rainfall, and that the winds influence the distribution pattern of contaminants through changing their transmission path. The results confirm that magnetic methods can be used to reveal the detailed distribution process of traffic-related contaminants and its influencing factors.