The Sandstorm in Polatlı: The Level of Particulate Matter is Rising

Yavaş, Seher Palanbek; Baysan, Caner

doi:10.5505/amj.2020.59365

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The lack of vegetation, prolonged drought conditions and increasing desertification in the summer months enable transporting of sand particles from the surface to the upper levels by local severe winds, which significantly increase PM 10 levels of the terrestrial areas of Turkey. For example, the local sandstorm that occurred on 12 September 2020 in Polatli, Ankara (CAR of Turkey) is an important case event in terms of explaining the impact of drought on PM 10 (Yavaş & Baysan, 2020). After winter, the worst air quality due to the particulate matter is found in the fall months of Turkey and this can be explained by the negative relationship between drought intensity and PM 10 (Figure 3d).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of drought conditions on air pollution over Turkey

Baltaci

Tumay

Labban

2023

Intl Journal of Climatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As a natural disaster, drought affects many sectors such as agriculture and hydrology, as well as having an effect on air quality. In terms of air pollution, drought can reduce wet scavenging of pollutants and change their chemical production/loss and lifetime. This study investigates the relationship between drought events and air pollutants in Turkey. As a drought indicator, the Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)‐1 monthly values for dry (SPEI < −0.99), normal (−0.99 < SPEI < 0.99) and wet (SPEI < 0.99) conditions were used to investigate the changes in PM10, PM2.5, O3 concentration levels. Monthly mean PM10 values of 80 stations for the period 2010–2018, PM2.5 and O3 values of 10 and 12 stations, respectively, were used for the analysis throughout the 2014–2018 period. According to the results, while frequency occurrence of normal conditions decreased in the last period (2010–2018) when compared to the first (1901–2009), drought conditions have significantly increased in each region of Turkey in the last decade. Highest increase in drought events occurred in the inner/southern parts of Turkey. In dry events, while PM10 levels of the stations show above‐normal values, highest regional increase in PM10 was found in the Central Anatolia (CAR), Mediterranean (MeR), Aegean (AR) and Marmara (MR) regions of the country. In fall, high daily temperatures and cloudless days in CAR and MeR regions are seen under deep surface low over continental Europe and surface high over Caspian Sea, which result in severe dryness events and associated high PM10 values in the air quality stations. On the other hand, as a consequence of the expanding Asiatic monsoon low to the eastern part of Turkey, significant amount of moisture is transferred from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea surface to the CAR and MeR regions by southerly flows (wetness SPEI conditions in fall) and cause to appear below‐normal PM10 values in the southern stations.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%