Emission Source Areas of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This study aims to determine emission source areas of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City, Vietnam, using a conditional bivariate probability function (CBPF) and hybrid receptor models, including three-dimensional potential source contribution function (3D-PSCF) and concentration-weighted trajectory (3D-CWT), considering latitudes, longitudes, and height of trajectory segments. Uncertainties of the CBPF and 3D-PSCF/3D-CWT were evaluated based on the 95th confidence intervals and 95% confidence levels, respectively. For the local scale, PM2.5 in HCM City was primarily emitted from shallow or common ground sources (e.g., vehicle emissions) throughout the year. Regarding non-local source areas, PM2.5 in HCM City is contributed by those originated from the East Sea (e.g., shipping emissions) and southeastern Vietnam (e.g., Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces) having several industrial zones with PM2.5 emission sources, especially in the dry season (December to April of the following year). In the rainy season (May-November), PM2.5 derived from emission sources in the Mekong Delta (e.g., biomass burning) might be transported to HCM City. However, contribution of the non-local sources to PM2.5 pollution in HCM City during the rainy season is less important because of PM2.5 deposition stemmed from the high rainfall amount in this season.

Automated summary

This study used CBPF and hybrid receptor models to determine emission source areas of PM2.5 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It found that PM2.5 mostly comes from local sources such as vehicle emissions and non-local sources including shipping emissions and industrial zones in southeastern Vietnam. In the rainy season, PM2.5 from biomass burning in the Mekong Delta may contribute to pollution in HCM City, but it is less significant due to high rainfall.