The influence of wind speed, humidity, temperature and air pressure on pollutants concentrations of PM10 — Sarajevo case study using wavelet coherence approach

Abstract

The city of Sarajevo as the capital and the largest administrative and economic center in Bosnia and Herzegovina represents one of the most polluted cities in Europe in terms of the concentration of PM10 (particulate matter 10). Scientific and professional communities have particularly been focused on identifying the causes of this situation, and on the introduction of the system of measures to reduce PM10 values to below the limit values. This paper analyzes the impact of meteorological variables (wind speed, humidity, temperature and pressure) to the concentration of PM10 in the city of Sarajevo by using the Wavelet Coherence approach (WTC). Available data indicate actual values recorded in the Federal Institute for Hydrometeorology in 2012. The results of the analysis show the different effects that certain meteorological parameters have on the concentrations of PM10 particles in a time period of one year. It can also be concluded that this approach is very useful in terms of the practical interpretation of available data and it offers a clearer picture of the impact of meteorological conditions on the concentrations of PM10 particles.