Abstract:
Recently, in the study of air pollution, special attention has been paid to particulate matter (PM) because of great importance for the quality of life and Human Health (HH). The topic is especially relevant for Bulgaria and Sofia city, where the situation is especially severe regarding PM concentrations, where several times exceeded the limit values for concentrations. The research aims to provide a statistically reliable assessment of the atmospheric composition climate, particularly PM surface concentrations, the role in forming the Air Quality Index, and the relationship with the processes that determine. The following results are presented in the paper: Analysis of the spatial and temporal variability of the PM concentrations fields and behavior, the establishment of the connections with meteorological conditions and the pollution sources; Enrichment knowledge about the interactions of the processes forming the PM pollution; Highlighting cases with the most unfavorable PM pollution – „hot spots“ and the most unfavorable synoptic episodes, and clarifying the role of meteorological conditions and local processes.