Air pollution relevance analysis in the bay of Algeciras (Spain)

The aim of this work is to accomplish an in-depth analysis of the air pollution in the two main cities of the Bay of Algeciras (Spain). A large database of air pollutant concentrations and weather measurements were collected using a monitoring network installed throughout the region from the period of 2010–2015. The concentration parameters contain nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), sulphur dioxide (SO(2)) and particulate matter (PM(10)). The analysis was developed in two monitoring stations (Algeciras and La Línea). The higher average concentration values were obtained in Algeciras for NO(2) (28.850 µg/m(3)) and SO(2) (11.966 µg/m(3)), and in La Línea for PM(10) (30.745 µg/m(3)). The analysis shows patterns that coincide with human activity. One of the goals of this work is to develop a useful virtual sensor capable of achieving a more robust monitoring network, which can be used, for instance, in the case of missing data. By means of trends analysis, groups of equivalent stations were determined, implying that the values of one station could be substituted for those in the equivalent station in case of failure (e.g., SO(2) weekly trends in Algeciras and Los Barrios show equivalence). On the other hand, a calculation of relative risks was developed showing that relative humidity, wind speed and wind direction produce an increase in the risk of higher pollutant concentrations. Besides, obtained results showed that wind speed and wind direction are the most important variables in the distribution of particles. The results obtained may allow administrations or citizens to support decisions.