We studied the
relationship between satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) and particulate
matter (PM2.5) which is aerosol mass concentration measured on the
ground. PM2.5 data originated from four sites located near each other
within the Helsinki region, Finland. Depending on the site, the data covered
between two and seven years. We investigated how temporal PM2.5
averaging affects the correlation between PM2.5 and AOD. In addition,
we studied the seasonality of the correlation. The time-averaging increased the
correlation coefficient as compared with one-hour PM2.5 measurements.
Regarding the monthly averages of PM2.5 and AOD, the correlation
coefficients were between 0.57 and 0.91. We also studied PM2.5 and
AOD gradients between an urban and a rural site. Monthly averages at the urban
site were regularly higher than those at the rural site. However, the seasonal
behaviour was similar.