Impact of Meteorological Factors on the Interaction between Green Vegetation, Urban Features and Air Quality Over Time in Kampala-Uganda
Abstract
The study aimed to analyze the influence of meteorological factors on the interaction between green vegetated areas, urban features, and air quality over time within Kampala city. Six (6) streets were sampled: - Nasser Lane, 6th Street, Namirembe Road, Owino Kafumbe- Mukasa, Makindu Close, and Nakasero Lane. From each street, samples were taken 3 times a day (Morning, Midday and Afternoon) for 7 days. The sampling frequency of every spot was thus 21 times. Makindu Close and Nakasero Lane are known for green vegetation, 6th Street is known for buildings and industrial zones, while Namirembe Road and Owino Kafumbe- Mukasa are known for car parks. A negative coefficient for humidity indicated that higher humidity levels are associated with low PM2.5 concentrations. The relationship between temperature and PM2.5 in the morning showed a slight positive trend, suggesting that PM2.5 levels may increase slightly as temperatures rise. Significant negative impact for several sites indicated that compared to the reference site (6th Street Industrial Area), other sites had lower PM2.5 levels. Both PM2.5 and PM10 levels had broader distributions in the morning and evening, indicating more significant variability in particulate matter concentrations during these times. CO levels were variable in the evening, with several sites showing higher concentrations. NO2 levels showed variability across different times, with the highest spread in the evening, indicating increased variability of nitrogen dioxide concentrations during that period. Makindu Close Kololo showed relatively stable levels across the day compared to other sites justifying the importance of green vegetated areas in improving air quality by absorbing pollutants
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