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On frequency distributions of air pollutant concentrations

Bencala, Kenneth E. and Seinfeld, John H. (1976) On frequency distributions of air pollutant concentrations. Atmospheric Environment, 10 (11). pp. 941-950. ISSN 0004-6981. doi:10.1016/0004-6981(76)90200-6. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20200428-094555609

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Abstract

Observed frequency distributions of air pollutant concentration levels are critically analyzed with respect to their statistical description. It is demonstrated that several common distributions can be used to fit observed data, one of which is the popular log-normal distribution. The observation that concentration distributions for all averaging times are approximately log-normal can be explained if the short averaging time data are themselves assumed to be log-normally distributed. The near log-normality of pollutant concentration frequency distributions can be explained on the basis of the near log-normality of wind speed distributions, although this explanation does not establish that wind speed distributions are solely responsible for observed concentration distributions. It is concluded that pollutant concentration frequency distributions are the result of complex phenomena and cannot be predicted exactly, but that the approximate log-normal character of the distributions is useful from a practical point of view and can be understood qualitatively on the basis of the relation between wind speed and concentration.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://doi.org/10.1016/0004-6981(76)90200-6DOIArticle
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Seinfeld, John H.0000-0003-1344-4068
Additional Information:© 1976 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Received 21 January 1976, Revised 2 June 1976. This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant ENG71-02486.
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
NSFENG71-02486
Issue or Number:11
DOI:10.1016/0004-6981(76)90200-6
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20200428-094555609
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20200428-094555609
Official Citation:Kenneth E. Bencala, John H. Seinfeld, On frequency distributions of air pollutant concentrations, Atmospheric Environment (1967), Volume 10, Issue 11, 1976, Pages 941-950, ISSN 0004-6981, https://doi.org/10.1016/0004-6981(76)90200-6.
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:102840
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Tony Diaz
Deposited On:28 Apr 2020 16:50
Last Modified:13 Apr 2023 18:25

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