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Comparison of PM2.5 Concentrations in Cities of Varying Population Size Across Mississippi, USA

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Abstract

The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and the meteorological parameters were investigated at six monitoring stations across Mississippi, USA, from September 2013 to December 2014. The dataset was evaluated after dividing the locations into two groups based on city size: large (population larger than 45,000) and small (population less than 25,000). The daily mean concentration of PM2.5 in the large cities ranged from 9.60 ± 3.99 μg m−3 (Gulfport) to 13.8 ± 6.55 μg m−3 (Jackson), while small cities varied from 8.61 ± 4.50 μg m−3 (Grenada) to 9.70 ± 5.50 μg m−3 (Hernando). The elevated PM2.5 concentrations were likely due to increases in local source emissions. The most dominant values of PM2.5 in the summer were consequences of emission sources associated with meteorological parameters. Strong correlations between PM2.5 concentration and meteorological parameters (e.g., temperature and wind speed) were observed. A potential sources assessment indicated that the high potential sources of PM2.5 were associated with reduced wind speeds and wind directions blowing from nearby traffic roads of commercial or residential areas and/or high wind speeds blowing from manufacturing/industrial areas and international airports. The difference in PM2.5 values between the two city groups reflects the significant influences of the local emission sources on the distribution of PM2.5 concentrations at the receptor sites. The results of this study support the understanding of air quality in the southern USA where there are unique sources and high percentages of rural communities.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for the generous donation of PM2.5 filter sample information and members of the Roper Lab (Chandler Tolbert, Kasey Murphy) for collection of meteorological data.

Funding

This research was supported by internal funds at the University of Mississippi and the Department of BioMolecular Sciences.

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Correspondence to Courtney Roper.

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The authors declare no competing interests .

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Nguyen, H., Faruque, F. & Roper, C. Comparison of PM2.5 Concentrations in Cities of Varying Population Size Across Mississippi, USA. Water Air Soil Pollut 233, 153 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05612-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05612-x

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