Analysis of PM concentrations under pollutant emission control strategies in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil.

Great efforts have been made over the years to assess the effectiveness of air pollution controls in place in the metropolitan area of São Paulo (MASP), Brazil. In this work, the community multiscale air quality (CMAQ) model was used to evaluate the efficacy of emission control strategies in MASP, considering the spatial and temporal variability of fine particle concentration. Seven different emission scenarios were modeled to assess the relationship between the emission of precursors and ambient aerosol concentration, including a baseline emission inventory, and six sensitivity scenarios with emission reductions in relation to the baseline inventory: a 50% reduction in SO emissions; no SO emissions; a 50% reduction in SO, NO, and NH emissions; no sulfate (PSO) particle emissions; no PSO and nitrate (PNO) particle emissions; and no PNO emissions.