Study of seasonal variation of PM2.5 concentration associated with meteorological parameters at residential sites in Delhi, India

The seasonal variation of particulate matter and its relationship with meteorological parameters were measured at five different residential sites in Delhi. Sampling was carried out for one year including all three seasons (summer, monsoon, and winter). The yearly average concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5) was 135.16 ± 41.34 µg/m3. The highest average values were observed in winter (208.44 ± 43.67 µg/m3) and the lowest during monsoon season (80.29 ± 39.47 µg/m3). The annual average concentration of PM2.5 was found to be the highest at the Mukherjee Nagar site (242.16 µg/m3 ) during the winter and lowest at (Jawaharlal Nehru University) JNU (35.65 µg/m3) during the monsoon season. The strongest correlation between PM mass and a meteorological parameter was a strong negative correlation with temperature (R2=0.55). All other parameters were weakly correlated (R2<0.2) with PM mass.