Comparison of transport pathways and potential sources of PM10 in two cities around a large Chinese lake using the modified trajectory analysis

► The two-stage cluster method was modified to further investigate the long trajectory clusters. ► The one-stage clustering method based on Mahalanobis metrics gives the best performance. ► Local PM10 emission was higher in Hefei than in Chaohu. ► Henan and Shanxi Provinces and the YRD were important PM10 source regions for Chaohu and Hefei. ► Higher contribution from traffic emissions to the PM10 pollution in Lake Chaohu was speculated.