Transport routes and potential source areas of PM₁₀ in Kirklareli, Turkey

In this study, the seasonal variation, transport routes, and potential source areas of PM₁₀ in the central district of Kirklareli (Turkey) were investigated. It was determined that PM₁₀ concentrations had the highest seasonal average value in autumn and the lowest seasonal average value in spring. Cumulative distributions of PM₁₀ concentrations data set were examined. In order to determine the air mass source and transport routes, the backward trajectories of the air masses obtained by using the hybrid single-particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory (HYSPLIT) model were run and cluster analysis, which is one of the multivariate statistical analyses, was performed. Cluster analysis results revealed that there are five main clusters affecting the receptor site in all four seasons. By defining the PM₁₀ concentrations data as an input to the potential source contribution function (PSCF) model, the probable locations of potential source areas were identified. It has been observed that there are obvious seasonal differences in the potential source areas of PM₁₀. High PSCF values were observed especially in Greece and the Mediterranean during the winter and especially in Albania and Greece during the spring. While high PSCF values were observed especially in the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Kocaeli, Sakarya, and the Black Sea coasts of these regions during the summer, they were observed especially in İzmir and Balikesir during the autumn.