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Titre : Comparison of particulate matter pattern between the Eilat and Aqaba dust monitoring stations

Auteur : Zohara Efrat

Université de soutenance : Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Grade : Master of Science 2008

Résumé
PM2.5, a particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less is a significant component of air pollution that has severe health and environmental impacts (Vallius, 2005). The Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) initiated a study that performs continuous measurement and chemical analysis of PM2.5 through a period of one year in eleven different stations located in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In this study, concentrations of PM2.5 and its black carbon component are monitored in two stations, located in Eilat and Aqaba, on each side of the Israeli- Jordanian border. The aim of this study is to monitor the concentration of PM2.5 in each station, analyze the sources of pollution in each side, find correlation between the human activity and the concentration been measured and finally compare those findings between the two cities. Measurements from three different instruments were taken through a period of three months from early February until the end of May, 2007. A geographical survey was performed in addition, for each city. The general concentration of PM2.5 and the concentration of black carbon at both sites were found to have a similar level and trend, mostly at the beginning of the measurement period. Towards the end of the period, the correlation between the sites was lower, probably because malfunction of one of the instrument in Eilat’s station that assumingly recorded unverified data. During the end of the measurement period more exceedances were recorded, especially when the wind changed its direction from southern the northern. The daily average concentration of PM2.5 was 27.73 ± 19.24 µg/m3 in Aqaba and 32.08 ± 26.75µg/m3 in Eilat, these are lower than the EPA daily standard of 65µg/m3 and the revised standard of 35µg/m3 . The daily average concentration of black carbon was 1.37 ± 0.65 µg/m3 in Aqaba and 1.24 ± 0.54 µg/m3 in Eilat. It is therefore concluded that although both cities differ in their anthropogenic activities, tourism, industry and transportation profile, their geographical proximity seems to be the predominant factor and therefore both might be subjected to the same pollution sources.

Mots Clés : Air — Pollution — Regional disparities. — Israel — Elat. — Jordan — Aqaba. — Dust — Measurement.

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