Status of CO as an air pollutant and its prediction, using meteorological parameters in Esfahan, Iran

The present study analyzes air quality for Carbon monoxide (CO), in Esfahan with the measurements taken in three different locations to prepare average data in the city. The average concentrations have been measured every 24 hours, every month and every season with the results showing that the highest concentration of CO occurs generally in the morning and at the beginning of night, while the least concentration has been found in the afternoon and early morning. Monthly concentrations of CO show the highest values in August and the lowest values in February. The seasonal concentrations show the least amounts in spring, while the highest amounts belong to summer. Relations between the air pollutant and some meteorological parameters have been calculated statistically, using the daily average data. The data include Temperature (min, max), precipitation, Wind Direction (max), Wind Speed (max), and Evaporation, considered independent variables. The relations between the pollutant concentration and meteorological parameters have been expressed by multiple linear regression equations for both annual and seasonal conditions, using SPSS software. Analysis of variance shows that both regressions of ‘enter’ and ‘stepwise’ methods are highly significant, indicating a significant relation between the CO and different variables, especially for temperature and wind speed in annual condition. RMSE test shows that among different prediction models, stepwise model is the best option.