Interpretation of roadside PM10 monitoring data from Sunderland, United Kingdom.

Roadside PM10 has been monitored by Partisol at three sites in Sunderland between August 1997 and February 1998. The sites chosen were an inner city kerbside site; a roadside site adjacent to a dual carriageway on the outskirts of Sunderland with an open aspect; and a rural site. The results indicate that there is a seasonal variation in the relationship between the sites in terms of monitored PM10. In the winter there is a poor correlation between the sites whereas in the summer significant correlations are obtained. Of the sites monitored PM10 is consistently highest at the inner city roadside site. During the summer, exceedances of the U.K. 50 microg m(-3) standard (DETR, 2000) are associated with conditions suitable for the build-up of photochemical pollution however during the winter period exceedances are recorded during a variety of weather conditions. At the dual carriageway site PM2.5 has also been recorded and contributions to measured PM10 are 77% in summer and 68% in winter. The results illustrate a number of inconsistencies between this study utilising the Partisol and others reporting results where PM10 has been monitored by TEOM.