Abstract:

Air pollution poses a significant problem worldwide as a result of factors such as the spread of industrialization, increasing vehicle numbers, agricultural activities, and urbanization. The primary factor contributing to the deterioration of air quality is the increase in concentrations of air pollutants. The fog phenomenon, which is a meteorological event occurring under stable atmospheric conditions, is one of the important factors that lead to the trapping of air pollutant emissions in a specific region, resulting in increased concentrations. In this study, the pollutant concentrations on foggy and non-foggy days between 2018 and 2022 were analyzed for the province of Tekirdağ. The relationship between these variables was investigated. Foggy and non-foggy days were identified using aviation reports published by Tekirdağ Çorlu Airport. Additionally, analyses of certain meteorological parameters (temperature, dew point temperature, wind speed/direction, and relative humidity) obtained from airport reports were performed. Access to air quality data for foggy and all days was obtained from the Air Quality Database provided free of charge by the Republic of Turkiye Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. Monthly and annual analyses were conducted for foggy days, and the variations in meteorological parameters during these periods were examined. Changes in concentrations of particulate matter (PM10), one of the air pollutant parameters, were analyzed for foggy and non-foggy days. The results of the analyses indicated that PM10 concentrations were higher on foggy days compared to other days. It was observed that pollutant intensity increased in parallel with the increase in the number of foggy days during the autumn and winter seasons.

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