Some considerations about the functional connection between PM10 data and the height of the urban mixing layer. Case-study: Aburra valley (Colombia)

One of the major environmental challenges of modern metropolis is air pollution management. The problem is more acute in complex terrain urban areas where air circulation is inhibited due to topographic and building conditions. This is the case for the metropolitan Aburra valley (Colombia), which is located in a branch of the Colombian Andes. Here we present statistical analysis of PM10 hourly data, this allows to define the general features of the diurnal cycle of urban pollutants at the Aburra valley. This bimodal cycle is contrasted with atmospheric mixing heights, estimated from a WRF/urban numerical experiment of boundary layer conditions on June 30, 2008. As the connections between dispersion processes and the evolution of convective boundary layers are widely recognized, new questions arise in the case of mountainous tropical cities. We explore PM10 and mixing height connections, trying to understand the particularities of this tropical case-study.