Time series analysis of air pollutants in Beirut, Lebanon.

This study reports for the first time a time series analysis of daily urban air pollutant levels (CO, NO, NO2, O3, PM10, and SO2) in Beirut, Lebanon. The study examines data obtained between September 2005 and July 2006, and their descriptive analysis shows long-term variations of daily levels of air pollution concentrations. Strong persistence of these daily levels is identified in the time series using an autocorrelation function, except for SO2. Time series of standardized residual values (SRVs) are also calculated to compare fluctuations of the time series with different levels. Time series plots of the SRVs indicate that NO and NO2 had similar temporal fluctuations. However, NO2 and O3 had opposite temporal fluctuations, attributable to weather conditions and the accumulation of vehicular emissions. The effects of both desert dust storms and airborne particulate matter resulting from the Lebanon War in July 2006 are also discernible in the SRV plots.