Impact of Climate Change on Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Air Quality

This dissertation investigates the impact of 2000-2050 climate change on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air quality. We first applied a multiple linear regression model to study the correlations of total PM2.5 and its components with meteorological variables using the past decadal PM2.5 observations over the contiguous US. We find that daily variation in meteorology can explain up to 50% of PM2.5 variability. Temperature is positively correlated with sulfate and organic carbon (OC) almost everywhere. The correlation of nitrate with temperature is negative in the Southeast but positive in California and the Great Plains. Relative humidity (RH) is positively correlated with sulfate and nitrate, but negatively with OC. Precipitation is strongly negatively correlated with all PM2.5 components.