PM 2.5 Concentration Decreases with Snowfall as Revealed by Surface Observation Data
摘要
The quantitative relationship between the observed snowfall and PM2.5 concentration data collected at Niigata Prefecture, Japan, was examined. The PM2.5 concentration decreased as snowfall increased. A composite analysis revealed that the PM2.5 concentration decreased by 27.33% from 1 h before to 1 h after the onset of snowfall, which is statistically significant. The average PM2.5 concentration for all snowfall events decreased over a total of three hours, from 2 h before to 1 h after the onset of snowfall. The average PM2.5 scavenging rate for all snowfall events was 6.15 × 10−6 s−1, which was much higher than that for rainfall events. The scavenging rates were positive at relative humidity (RH) between 50% and 75% and above 95%. It is suggested that the deposition processes of wet scavenging are effective, both in reducing PM2.5 concentration during snowfall and in the RH dependence of scavenging rates.