Statistical characterisation of bio-aerosol background in an urban environment

In this paper we statistically characterise the bio-aerosol background in an urban environment. To do this we measure concentration levels of naturally occurring microbiological material in the atmosphere over several days. Naturally occurring bio-aerosols can be considered as noise, as they mask the presence of signals coming from biological material of interest (such as an intentionally released biological agent). Analysis of this ‘biobackground’ was undertaken in the 1–10 μm size range and a 3–9% contribution was found to be biological in origin – values which are in good agreement with other studies reported in the literature. A model based on the physics of turbulent mixing and dispersion was developed and validated against this analysis. The Gamma distribution (the basis of our model) is shown to comply with the scaling laws of the concentration moments of our data, which enables us to universally characterise both biological and non-biological material in the atmosphere. An application of this model is proposed to build a framework for the development of novel algorithms for bio-aerosol detection and rapid characterisation.

► We measured and characterised bio-aerosol background in an urban environment.
► Biological aerosol of size 1–10 micron contributed 3–9% to total number concentration.
► We developed statistical model based on the physics of turbulent mixing & dispersion.
► The Gamma distribution complies with the scaling laws of the concentration moments.
► The model can be used for development of rapid algorithms for bio-aerosols detection.