Assessment of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) Vulnerable Areas Using Geographic Information System, Mueang Chiang Mai District Case Study

Abstract

The research “Assessment of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) Vulnerable Areas Using Geographic Information System, Mueang Chiang Mai District Case Study” has 3 objectives which are: 1) to study the spread of particulate matter 2.5 2) to study the factors influencing the formation of particulate matter 2.5 and 3) to analyze particulate matter 2.5 vulnerable areas in Mueang Chiang Mai district. It is a cross-sectional survey research. The study from the spread of particulate matter 2.5 showed that the study area had the worst air quality in hot season, especially in March. Hourly spread showed that during 09:01-12:00, the particulate concentration was at the highest level. The precipitation was the most influential factor of the occurrence of particulate matter 2.5, which had an inverse relationship. After considering factors which are concentration of particulate matter 2.5, temperature, precipitation, population density, land use, and road types in Potential Surface Analysis (PSA), the particulate matter 2.5 vulnerable areas were found as follows: hot season was the most vulnerable, especially in the community and commercial areas. Considering the distance, the direction and the position, it was found that the increased distance from the city center to the west of the study area had the lower vulnerability due to the forest land use factor.