Daily 1 km terrain resolving maps of surface fine particulate matter for the western United States 2003–2021
Alan Swanson, Zachary A. Holden, Jon Graham, Dallen Warren, Curtis W. Noonan, Erin L. Landguth
Abstract
Abstract We developed daily maps of surface fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) for the western United States. We used geographically weighted regression fit to air quality station observations with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) data, and meteorological data to produce daily 1-kilometer resolution PM 2.5 concentration estimates from 2003–2020. To account for impacts of stagnant air and inversions, we included estimates of inversion strength based on meteorological conditions, and inversion potential based on human activities and local topography. Model accuracy based on cross-validation was R 2 = 0.66. AOD data improve the model in summer and fall during periods of high wildfire activity while the stagnation terms capture the spatial and temporal dynamics of PM 2.5 in mountain valleys, particularly during winter. These data can be used to explore exposure and health outcome impacts of PM 2.5 across spatiotemporal domains particularly in the intermountain western United States where measurements from monitoring station data are sparse. Furthermore, these data may facilitate analyses of inversion impacts and local topography on exposure and health outcome studies.