The relationship between climate classes and particulate matters over Europe

Abstract Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate maps and time series of particulate matter (PM10) at continental scale were used to investigate the relationship between spatial patterns of PM10 and climate zones. Five main patterns (spatial clusters) of PM10 were found over the European continent, which show a good spatial overlap with the main Köppen-Geiger climate zones. The map of future climate, which shows a poleward movement of the warmer climate zones, an expansion of the (semi-)arid zones and a shrinking of the polar and tundra zones, indicates a higher PM10 concentration, especially in the northern part of Europe. The results also show that there is a temporal shift (later/earlier) of PM10 extremes in the period 2013–2022. This insight into the relationship between climate zones and clustered PM10 time series and the use of high-quality future climate maps based on different scenarios can be used to estimate possible changes, such as annual averages or seasonal cycles, in PM10 concentrations.