Impact assessment of river dust on regional air quality through integrated remote sensing and air quality modeling

Chien-Yuan Chen; Ho Wen Chen; Chu-Ting Sun; Yen Hsun Chuang; Kieu Lan Phuong Nguyen; Yu Ting Lin

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142621

Impact assessment of river dust on regional air quality through integrated remote sensing and air quality modeling

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Feb 10;755(Pt 2):142621. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142621. Epub 2020 Oct 1.

Authors

Chien-Yuan Chen¹, Ho Wen Chen², Chu-Ting Sun³, Yen Hsun Chuang⁴, Kieu Lan Phuong Nguyen⁵, Yu Ting Lin³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan. Electronic address: chienyuc@mail.ncyu.edu.tw.
² Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan; Center for Smart Sustainable Circular Economy, Tung-Hai University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: hwchen@thu.edu.tw.
³ Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: yhchuang@thu.edu.tw.
⁵ Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan; Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Electronic address: d05340701@thu.edu.tw.

PMID: 33035851
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142621

Abstract

Sand and dust storms in arid and semiarid regions deteriorate regional air quality and threaten public health security. To quantify the negative effects of river dust on regional air quality, this study selected the estuary areas located in central Taiwan as a case study and proposed an integrated framework to measure the fugitive emission of dust from riverbeds with the aid of satellite remote sensing and wind tunnel test, together with the concentrations of particulate matter with a diameter of <10 μm (PM₁₀) around the river system by using The Air Pollution Model. Additionally, the effects of 25 types of meteorological conditions on the health risk due to exposure to dust were evaluated near the estuary areas. The results reveal landscape changes in the downstream areas of Da'an and Dajia rivers, with an increase of 370,820 m² and 1,554,850 m² of bare land areas in the dry season compared with the wet season in Da'an and Dajia rivers, respectively. On the basis of the maximum emission of river dust, PM₁₀ concentration increases considerably during both wet and dry seasons near the two rivers. Among 25 different types of weather conditions, frontal surface transit, outer-region circulation from tropical depression system, weak northeast monsoons, and anticyclonic outflow have considerable influence on PM₁₀ diffusion. In particular, weak northeast monsoons cause the highest health risk in the areas between Da'an and Dajia rivers, which is the densely populated Taichung City. Future studies should attempt to elucidate the environmental impact of dust in different weather conditions and understand the spatial risks to human health due to PM₁₀ concentration. Facing the increasing threat of climate and landscape changes, governments are strongly encouraged to begin multimedia assessments in environmental management and propose a long-term and systematic framework in resources planning.

Keywords: Exposure risk; Landscape change; PM(10); Remote sensing; TAPM.