Impact of the Popocatepetl’s volcanic activity on the air quality of Puebla City, México

Abstract

In this work we report measurements of atmospheric pollutants in Puebla City, including those registered during the period characterized by intense volcanic activity from Popocatépetl volcano between December 2000 and January 2001. We used a gaussian air dispersion model to calculate the impact of sulfur compounds from volcanic emissions on the measurements of these compounds in the stations belonging to Puebla City Atmospheric Monitoring Network. The data show that during the analyzed period, this volcanic emissions affected the air quality, increasing the indexes of PM10, CO and sulfur compounds. Also, the results of applying a gaussian air dispersion model to these sulfur compounds explains the measurements from Tecnológico station for days with intense volcanic activity and wind coming from the volcano to Puebla City.