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Air quality expert group - Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in ... - Defra

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<strong>PM2.5</strong> <strong>in</strong> the UK<br />

132<br />

PM component (µgm -3 )<br />

20<br />

18<br />

16<br />

14<br />

12<br />

10<br />

8<br />

6<br />

4<br />

2<br />

0<br />

Annual mean <strong>PM2.5</strong> transect across London for 2009 from PCM model<br />

470500<br />

473500<br />

476500<br />

479500<br />

482500<br />

485500<br />

488500<br />

491500<br />

494500<br />

497500<br />

500500<br />

503500<br />

506500<br />

509500<br />

512500<br />

515500<br />

518500<br />

521500<br />

524500<br />

527500<br />

530500<br />

533500<br />

536500<br />

539500<br />

542500<br />

545500<br />

548500<br />

551500<br />

554500<br />

557500<br />

560500<br />

563500<br />

566500<br />

569500<br />

572500<br />

575500<br />

578500<br />

581500<br />

East<strong>in</strong>g (m)<br />

traffic area sources<br />

non-traffic area sources<br />

po<strong>in</strong>t sources<br />

urban dust<br />

rural dust<br />

regional primary<br />

secondary organic<br />

secondary <strong>in</strong>organic<br />

residual<br />

sea salt<br />

Figure 5.6: Transect through the <strong>PM2.5</strong> concentration distribution <strong>in</strong> London,<br />

show<strong>in</strong>g a number of <strong>in</strong>dividual PM components from Henley-on-Thames <strong>in</strong> the<br />

west to Southend-on-Sea <strong>in</strong> the east (derived from PCM model). The transect is<br />

co<strong>in</strong>cident with but extends further than that shown <strong>in</strong> Figure 5.5.<br />

27. All of these examples show that the secondary <strong>in</strong>organic aerosol accounts for<br />

a large proportion of total <strong>PM2.5</strong> (~40% averaged over the UK), with data <strong>in</strong><br />

Table 5.5 <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g a substantial contribution to this from sources outside the<br />

UK. The longer range nature of this transport accounts for the smooth spatial<br />

variation across the UK <strong>in</strong> Figure 5.7. Superimposed on this, the contribution<br />

from primary sources shows a much greater variability with sharp peaks<br />

<strong>in</strong> central London areas where emissions are concentrated. The rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />

components of secondary organic aerosol, dust, sea salt and water content,<br />

are small <strong>in</strong>dividually. However, their comb<strong>in</strong>ed contribution makes up a<br />

considerable fraction of the total. Represent<strong>in</strong>g each of these components and<br />

achiev<strong>in</strong>g mass closure (see Chapter 4) poses different problems as discussed<br />

below.<br />

5.4.1 Modelled primary concentrations<br />

28. Chapter 4 discusses the primary emissions of <strong>PM2.5</strong> that can be quantified<br />

<strong>in</strong> emission <strong>in</strong>ventories, and hence represented <strong>in</strong> modell<strong>in</strong>g. The large<br />

uncerta<strong>in</strong>ties <strong>in</strong> these emissions and miss<strong>in</strong>g sources feed through to the<br />

models and the estimated concentrations. Although the contribution of primary<br />

<strong>PM2.5</strong> emissions to overall concentrations <strong>in</strong> the UK is smaller than that of the<br />

secondary aerosol, the spatial pattern is correlated with the emissions and<br />

results <strong>in</strong> higher concentrations <strong>in</strong> London and other cities. This, together with<br />

additional urban dust, accounts for <strong>PM2.5</strong> annual mean concentrations weighted<br />

by population density (‘population-weighted mean’) be<strong>in</strong>g around 3 to 4 µg m -3<br />

higher <strong>in</strong> Inner London than <strong>in</strong> the Rest of England (see Table 5.3, derived from<br />

PCM).

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