Investigating the spatiotemporal associations between meteorological conditions and air pollution in the federal state Baden-Württemberg (Germany)

Abstract

When analyzing health data in relation to environmental stressors, it is crucial to identify which variables to include in the statistical model to exclude dependencies among the variables. Four meteorological parameters: temperature, ultraviolet radiation, precipitation, and vapor pressure and four outdoor air pollution parameters: ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) were studied on a daily basis for Baden‑Württemberg (Germany). This federal state covers urban and rural compartments including mountainous and river areas. A temporal and spatial analysis of the internal relationships was performed among the variables using (a) cross‑correlations, both on the grand ensemble of data as well as within subsets, and (b) the Local Indications of Spatial Association (LISA) method. Meteorological and air pollution variables were strongly correlated within and among themselves in time and space. We found a strong interaction between nitrogen dioxide and ozone, with correlation coefficients varying over time. The coefficients ranged from negative correlations in January (−0.84), April (−0.47), and October (−0.54) to a positive correlation in July (0.45). The cross‑correlation plot showed a noticeable change in the correlation direction for O3 and NO2. Spatially, NO2, PM2.5, and PM10 concentrations were significantly higher in urban than rural regions. For O3, this effect was reversed. A LISA analysis confirmed distinct hot and cold spots of environmental stressors. This work examined and quantified the spatio‑temporal relationship between air pollution and meteorological conditions and recommended which variables to prioritize for future health impact analyses. The results found are in line with the underlying physico‑chemical atmospheric processes. It also identified postal code areas with dominant environmental stressors for further studies.