Representativity of Air Quality Control in Limited Number of Grid Points

In this study, we point to loss of accuracy in representing a field of air pollution concentration due to reduction of number of monitoring points or changes in their location. Using a Gaussian-type diffusion model, a high resolution concentration field was generated from 17 points representing the actual distribution of possible pollution sources. The starting grid consisted of 90 601 points. Then we reduced number of points by two orders of magnitude, forming the grid of 961 points. After that, the second reduction to 36 points was performed, still forming a regular grid. Finally, we had 16 points whose positions are in a qualitative agreement with the actual distribution of sampling stations in the area.