The seasonal variation of urban air quality in northern European conditions

Meteorological conditions in northern Europe vary widely with the seasons. Consequently, the seasonal variation of urban air pollution is, to a large extent, determined by those meteorological variables which are important for air quality. We present first results on the yearly variation of atmospheric stability (and the occurrence of inversion layers), wind velocity, ambient temperature, solar radiation, precipitation and snow cover. The seasonal variations of the guideline exceedences for CO, NO2, SO2, TSP and PM10 in urban areas in Finland are then interpreted in the light of the meteorological variation.