Statistical analysis of pollutants and AQI for understanding the effect of seasonal and anthropogenic activity variations on air pollution

Abstract

Air pollution is a complex phenomenon, with multiple factors affecting it. Understanding the factors influencing air pollution is a difficult task, and hence, indicators like the AQI are used for this purpose. AQI can give a comprehensive understanding of the overall pollution levels in a certain region. This study dealt with comparing the AQI and the constituent pollutant concentrations that contribute to AQI calculation using basic statistical techniques. It was aimed at understanding the effect of seasons and anthropogenic activity levels (using the pandemic lockdown as a proxy). The winter season was found to be contributing highly to AQI via an increase in RSPM and NOx values for both stations, whereas anthropogenic activities contributed to AQI via NOx increase in the residential region and via NOx and RSPM values in the industrial region. The overall pollutant levels were found to be higher in the industrial region than in the residential region. The findings suggest that a tailored approach for each region could be beneficial for mitigating air pollution in different regions.