Assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern Ontario, Canada, 2003–2012
Fine particulate matter is primarily released by transportation, residential and industrial processes. It can cause cardiopulmonary problems and has been attributed to the development of diabetes. Ontario is Canada’s most populous province and shares its southern border with the United States of Ame...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AIMS Press
2018-02-01
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| Series: | AIMS Environmental Science |
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| Online Access: | http://www.aimspress.com/environmental/article/1828/fulltext.html |
| _version_ | 1828870950750257152 |
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| author | K. Wayne Forsythe Cameron Hare Amy J. Buckland Richard R. Shaker Joseph M. Aversa Stephen J. Swales Michael W. MacDonald |
| author_facet | K. Wayne Forsythe Cameron Hare Amy J. Buckland Richard R. Shaker Joseph M. Aversa Stephen J. Swales Michael W. MacDonald |
| author_sort | K. Wayne Forsythe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fine particulate matter is primarily released by transportation, residential and industrial processes. It can cause cardiopulmonary problems and has been attributed to the development of diabetes. Ontario is Canada’s most populous province and shares its southern border with the United States of America. The 2003 Canada-United States Border Air Quality Strategy outlines an initiative to reduce air pollution, specifically targeting southern Ontario due to its proximity to the U.S. and its historical air pollution levels. Ambient air concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) in southern Ontario were analyzed in this research. The data were obtained from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. There are 40 stations across Ontario that monitor concentrations of up to six airborne pollutants on an hourly basis. The purpose of this research was to examine ambient air quality trends from 2003 to 2012 by generating prediction surfaces using the ordinary kriging spatial interpolation technique. Average PM<sub>2.5</sub> levels for each year as well as maximum pollutant concentrations for the lowest and the highest year were produced. The results showed that fine particulate matter levels decreased, and the maximum levels per year also declined significantly. This indicates that fine particulate matter was greatly reduced and air quality generally improved in terms of PM<sub>2.5 </sub>during the analysis period. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T06:22:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bf7f1f3d7c9e4f9e92d21a964352b9d4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2372-0352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T06:22:21Z |
| publishDate | 2018-02-01 |
| publisher | AIMS Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AIMS Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-bf7f1f3d7c9e4f9e92d21a964352b9d42022-12-21T23:56:49ZengAIMS PressAIMS Environmental Science2372-03522018-02-0151354610.3934/environsci.2018.1.35environ-05-00035Assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern Ontario, Canada, 2003–2012K. Wayne Forsythe0Cameron Hare1Amy J. Buckland2Richard R. Shaker3Joseph M. Aversa4Stephen J. Swales5Michael W. MacDonald6Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaFine particulate matter is primarily released by transportation, residential and industrial processes. It can cause cardiopulmonary problems and has been attributed to the development of diabetes. Ontario is Canada’s most populous province and shares its southern border with the United States of America. The 2003 Canada-United States Border Air Quality Strategy outlines an initiative to reduce air pollution, specifically targeting southern Ontario due to its proximity to the U.S. and its historical air pollution levels. Ambient air concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) in southern Ontario were analyzed in this research. The data were obtained from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. There are 40 stations across Ontario that monitor concentrations of up to six airborne pollutants on an hourly basis. The purpose of this research was to examine ambient air quality trends from 2003 to 2012 by generating prediction surfaces using the ordinary kriging spatial interpolation technique. Average PM<sub>2.5</sub> levels for each year as well as maximum pollutant concentrations for the lowest and the highest year were produced. The results showed that fine particulate matter levels decreased, and the maximum levels per year also declined significantly. This indicates that fine particulate matter was greatly reduced and air quality generally improved in terms of PM<sub>2.5 </sub>during the analysis period.http://www.aimspress.com/environmental/article/1828/fulltext.htmlkrigingOntarioair qualityair pollutionfine particulate matter |
| spellingShingle | K. Wayne Forsythe Cameron Hare Amy J. Buckland Richard R. Shaker Joseph M. Aversa Stephen J. Swales Michael W. MacDonald Assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern Ontario, Canada, 2003–2012 AIMS Environmental Science kriging Ontario air quality air pollution fine particulate matter |
| title | Assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern Ontario, Canada, 2003–2012 |
| title_full | Assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern Ontario, Canada, 2003–2012 |
| title_fullStr | Assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern Ontario, Canada, 2003–2012 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern Ontario, Canada, 2003–2012 |
| title_short | Assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern Ontario, Canada, 2003–2012 |
| title_sort | assessing fine particulate matter concentrations and trends in southern ontario canada 2003 2012 |
| topic | kriging Ontario air quality air pollution fine particulate matter |
| url | http://www.aimspress.com/environmental/article/1828/fulltext.html |
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