Spatial-Temporal Variations of Particulate Matter Influenced by Hydro-Meteorological and Gaseous Pollutants Factors: A Case Study of Taiwan Coal-Fired Power Plants

Electricity is an indispensable resource for human activity. Despite its importance, power generation imposes a significant environmental burden by contributing to air pollution and climate change. Meteorological and climatic conditions, geographic terrain, industrial characteristics, and human activities further influence air pollution. To quantitatively investigate these influences, this study conducts a time–frequency analysis of particulate matter (PM). The study areas were selected based on the locations of coal-fired power plants in Taiwan, including Linkou, Shalu, Qiaotou, and Xiaogang, enabling the investigation of regionally distinct air pollution characteristics.

Building on our previous study, which identified pronounced regional heterogeneity in PM behavior across these four monitoring stations, this work further explores the scale-dependent and time-lagged dynamics underlying such differences. Time-Dependent Intrinsic Cross-Correlation (TDICC) is applied to examine the scale-dependent and time-lagged coupling relationships between PM and meteorological and gaseous pollutant factors. This analysis reveals delayed PM responses associated with meteorological conditions and gaseous pollutants, providing complementary insights beyond conventional correlation analyses.

By integrating all correlation analysis results, this study develops an integrated heat risk map to illustrate how different factors influence PM at multiple time scales at each station. The resulting heat risk map highlights distinct spatial patterns and regional heterogeneity in PM-related risk, offering a comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal characteristics and potential source contributions of PM. This integrated framework provides practical insights for identifying high-risk areas and dominant influencing factors, supporting more targeted air pollution management and mitigation strategies under varying meteorological conditions.

 

Keywords: Power Plants; Air pollution; Particulate Matter; Meteorological influences; Time–frequency analysis; Time-lag effects; Heat risk map analysis