SPATIAL AND SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN PARTICULATE MATTER (PM2.5 AND PM10) AND METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN SARAWAK, THE NORTHWEST OF BORNEO ISLAND: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS FROM 2017 TO 2021

The study assessed pollutants during distinct monsoonal seasons and examined PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations for the period of five years, from 2017-2021 at the tropical island of Borneo. The air pollutant concentrations and surface meteorological data was obtained from the Department of Environment (DOE) and the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB), Malaysia. Analyses such as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis, and Kernel Density (KD) estimation were employed to explore the characteristics of the air pollutants. During the Southwest Monsoon (June-August) and Inter-monsoon 2 (September-November), elevated PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were detected. Northeast Monsoon (NEM), Inter-monsoon 1 (Inter1), Southwest Monsoon (SWM), and Inter-monsoon 2 (Inter2) had the highest mean PM10 values and the mean PM2.5 readings also followed a similar pattern. Some PM2.5 levels were marginally over standard during SWM and Inter2, although they stayed within other stipulated limits. Sri Aman and Lawas had the highest and lowest PM2.5 values, respectively. The highest pollution concentrations were likely attributable to biomass burning and other sources in 2019. The study also looked at meteorological characteristics and discovered strong links between hotspots and pollution in Borneo.