ASSESSMENT ON THE AEROSOLS VARIATION DURING THE INTENSE HAZE EVENT OF JUNE 2013 OVER MALAYSIA BY UTILIZING THE SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING AND GROUND-BASED MEASUREMENT

The rapid occurrence of forest fires in Southeast Asia and associated biomass burning, has contributed obviously to the problem of trans-boundary haze and the dispersion of pollutants in the region. Atmospheric pollutants, such as particulate matter in the atmosphere, have received extensive attention, mainly because of their adverse effect on people’s health. In 2013, Malaysia experienced an intense haze episodes with a high concentration of aerosols were recorded and degrading the local air quality and reduce the visibility. This paper aim is to analyze the spatio-temporal variation of aerosols concentration during intense haze event in 2013 over Malaysia by using remote sensing data and ground-based measurement. The air quality data across Malaysia was assessed based on PM10 concentration which provided by Malaysia Department of Environment (MDOE) and the spatial view of aerosols optical depth (AOD) data from satellites (Terra Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The environmental parameters including temperature, rainfall, and wind speed were obtained from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) while an additional information about the occurrence of active fires in surrounding region was retrieved from MODIS Active Fire Data was retrieved from NASA/LANCE – FIRMS. In June 2013, the PM10 value was recorded high in few stations over the Peninsular Malaysia with the highest PM10 was recorded in the Bukit Rambai Station from 21st until 23rd of June with more than 400 μg/mɜ. Low wind speed and low mixing depth, together with the absence of rainfall persisted during this hazy condition. The PM10 was began cleared with the increase of wind speed starting 26th of June with the rainfall also contributed to disperse the haze from the atmosphere. The sources and destination of aerosols are identified via the HYSPLT trajectory model, revealing that aerosols during June 2013 are mainly originated from the west and southwest area (Sumatera, Indonesia).