Climatic Influences on Fine Particle Pollution in Sydney
Fine particle pollution in the Sydney region is a key environmental indicator for NSW. Under certain conditions daily average PM10 levels can exceed the standard set by the Australian National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality (AAQ NEPM). Fine particle measurements from the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation and meteorological measurements from the Bureau of Meteorology have been analysed for the period 1996-2005. Multivariate statistical techniques are used to examine the impact that climatic variations have on fine particle levels in the Sydney region. Results show that in Sydney fine particle pollution events generally fall within two categories: extreme events such as bushfires and dust storms and “trapping” events where the dispersion of emissions is reduced due to meteorological conditions. The frequency and severity of events from each category is shown to be influenced by climatic variations. The need to adjust long term particle trends to account for climatic variation and the implications of climate change on fine particle levels are briefly discussed.