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Contribution of atmospheric processes to the degradation of air quality: case study (Sohar Industrial Area, Oman)

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Abstract

The impact of the air pollution generated by any industrial activities may be further aggravated if the location of the industrial area is exposed to certain atmospheric characteristics. Under such conditions, the likelihood of accumulation of local air pollution is high. This paper uses two approaches (statistical and numerical simulation) to investigate the contribution of atmospheric processes towards degradation of air quality. A case study of the two approaches was conducted over Sohar Industrial Area in the Sultanate of Oman. Measured wind data were used to account for specific atmospheric characteristics such as stagnation, ventilation, and recirculation using the statistical approach. In the second approach, numerical weather prediction model was used to simulate mesoscale circulation phenomena such as sea breeze and its contribution to the processes affecting the air quality. The study demonstrates that the atmospheric processes appear to contribute substantially to the degradation of air quality in the Sohar Industrial Area. The statistical analysis shows that the atmospheric dilution potential of Sohar Industrial Area is prone to stagnation and recirculation, rather than ventilation. Moreover, model simulation shows that there is a seasonal variation in the contribution of atmospheric processes to the degradation of the air quality at Sohar Industrial Area.

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Abbreviations

U :

Observed wind speed

θ :

Observed wind direction

N :

Number of observations

u i :

Wind vector into east–west direction of the ith observation

v i :

Wind vector into north–south direction of the ith observation

X i :

Transportation distance on east–west direction

Y i :

Transportation distance on north–south direction

τ :

Sampling intervals of the wind observation

L i :

Horizontal straight line distance of the ith observation

S i :

Wind run of the ith observation

R i :

Recirculation factor of the ith observation

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Public Authority for Civil Aviation, Oman National Meteorological Service, P.O. 1, Postal Code 111, Muscat, Oman

    Abdullah Al-Khadouri & Sultan Al-Yahyai

  2. Department of Geography, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. 42, Al-Khodh, Muscat, 123, Oman

    Yassine Charabi

Authors
  1. Abdullah Al-Khadouri
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  2. Sultan Al-Yahyai
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  3. Yassine Charabi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sultan Al-Yahyai.

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Al-Khadouri, A., Al-Yahyai, S. & Charabi, Y. Contribution of atmospheric processes to the degradation of air quality: case study (Sohar Industrial Area, Oman). Arab J Geosci 8, 1623–1633 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1295-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1295-0

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