Investigations on the Patterns of Air Pollution in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abstract. Understanding the formation and spatiotemporal distribution of particulate matter (PM) is crucial in atmospheric science and air quality assessment (Omari et al., 2019). PM comprises a mix of organic and inorganic particles suspended in the air, categorized by aerodynamic diameter into PM₁₀ (2.5–10 μm) and PM_2.5 (<2.5 μm), with the latter largely derived from gaseous precursors (Abuelgasim and Farahat, 2020; Abuelgasim et al., 2021). This study analyses the distribution of air pollutants in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi using hourly data from air quality stations to assess concentrations of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and other gases such as NO₂ , CO, SO₂ , and O₃ . Spatial maps and statistical analyses reveal that PM concentrations follow a seasonal cycle, peaking in summer due to natural dust events and declining in winter. Maximum PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 values reached 218 μg/m³ and 60 μg/m³ in summer, and 169 μg/m³ and 34 μg/m³ in winter, respectively. The PM_2.5 / PM₁₀ ratio was generally below 0.5, indicative of dominant natural sources typical of arid environments (Abuelgasim and Farahat, 2020). Results suggest that the primary drivers of pollution are desert dust and transboundary transport, with limited influence from local anthropogenic sources. While this study focuses on inland areas, future research will address coastal zones where sea salt aerosols and human activities, including marine transport and urbanization, may contribute significantly to air pollution.