IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/envmet/v37y2026i1ne70065.html

A Bayesian Multisource Fusion Model for Spatiotemporal PM2.5$$ {\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5} $$ in an Urban Setting

Author

Listed:
  • Abi I. Riley
  • Marta Blangiardo
  • Frédéric B. Piel
  • Andrew Beddows
  • Sean Beevers
  • Gary W. Fuller
  • Paul Agnew
  • Monica Pirani

Abstract

Airborne particulate matter (PM2.5$$ {\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5} $$) is a major public health concern in urban environments, where population density and emission sources exacerbate exposure risks. We present a novel Bayesian spatiotemporal fusion model to estimate monthly PM2.5$$ {\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5} $$ concentrations over Greater London (2014–2019) at 1 km resolution. The model integrates multiple PM2.5$$ {\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5} $$ data sources, including outputs from two atmospheric air quality dispersion models, and predictive variables, such as vegetation and satellite aerosol optical depth, while explicitly modeling a latent spatiotemporal field. Spatial misalignment of the data is addressed through a hierarchical fusion and spatial interpolation approach to predict across the entire area. Building on stochastic partial differential equations (SPDE) within the integrated nested Laplace approximations (INLA) framework, our method introduces spatially‐ and temporally‐varying coefficients to flexibly calibrate datasets and capture fine‐scale variability. Model performance and complexity are balanced using predictive metrics such as the predictive model choice criterion and thorough cross‐validation. The best performing model shows excellent fit and robust predictive performance, enabling reliable high‐resolution spatiotemporal mapping of PM2.5$$ {\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5} $$ concentrations with the associated uncertainty. Furthermore, the model outputs, including full posterior predictive distributions, can be used to map exceedance probabilities of regulatory thresholds, supporting air quality management and targeted interventions in vulnerable urban areas, as well as providing refined exposure estimates of PM2.5$$ {\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5} $$ for epidemiological applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Abi I. Riley & Marta Blangiardo & Frédéric B. Piel & Andrew Beddows & Sean Beevers & Gary W. Fuller & Paul Agnew & Monica Pirani, 2026. "A Bayesian Multisource Fusion Model for Spatiotemporal PM2.5$$ {\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5} $$ in an Urban Setting," Environmetrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(1), January.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:envmet:v:37:y:2026:i:1:n:e70065
    DOI: 10.1002/env.70065
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/env.70065
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/env.70065?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. W. K. Hastings, 1970. "Monte Carlo sampling methods using Markov chains and their applications," Biometrika, Biometrika Trust, vol. 57(1), pages 97-109.
    2. Arnab Kumar Maity & Sanjib Basu & Santu Ghosh, 2021. "Bayesian criterion‐based variable selection," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 70(4), pages 835-857, August.
    3. Naresh Kumar, 2016. "The Exposure Uncertainty Analysis: The Association between Birth Weight and Trimester Specific Exposure to Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 vs. PM 10 )," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-15, September.
    4. Ruiman Zhong & Paula Moraga, 2024. "Bayesian Hierarchical Models for the Combination of Spatially Misaligned Data: A Comparison of Melding and Downscaler Approaches Using INLA and SPDE," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 29(1), pages 110-129, March.
    5. Alan Gelfand & Alexandra Schmidt & Sudipto Banerjee & C. Sirmans, 2004. "Nonstationary multivariate process modeling through spatially varying coregionalization," TEST: An Official Journal of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research, Springer;Sociedad de Estadística e Investigación Operativa, vol. 13(2), pages 263-312, December.
    6. Håvard Rue & Sara Martino & Nicolas Chopin, 2009. "Approximate Bayesian inference for latent Gaussian models by using integrated nested Laplace approximations," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 71(2), pages 319-392, April.
    7. Lindgren, Finn & Rue, Håvard, 2015. "Bayesian Spatial Modelling with R-INLA," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 63(i19).
    8. Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay & Sujit K. Sahu, 2018. "A Bayesian spatiotemporal model to estimate long‐term exposure to outdoor air pollution at coarser administrative geographies in England and Wales," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 181(2), pages 465-486, February.
    9. Finn Lindgren & Håvard Rue & Johan Lindström, 2011. "An explicit link between Gaussian fields and Gaussian Markov random fields: the stochastic partial differential equation approach," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 73(4), pages 423-498, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andre Python & Andreas Bender & Marta Blangiardo & Janine B. Illian & Ying Lin & Baoli Liu & Tim C.D. Lucas & Siwei Tan & Yingying Wen & Davit Svanidze & Jianwei Yin, 2022. "A downscaling approach to compare COVID‐19 count data from databases aggregated at different spatial scales," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 185(1), pages 202-218, January.
    2. Ruiman Zhong & Paula Moraga, 2024. "Bayesian Hierarchical Models for the Combination of Spatially Misaligned Data: A Comparison of Melding and Downscaler Approaches Using INLA and SPDE," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 29(1), pages 110-129, March.
    3. Juan Francisco Mandujano Reyes & Ian P. McGahan & Ting Fung Ma & Anne E. Ballmann & Daniel P. Walsh & Jun Zhu, 2025. "Non-stationary Extensions of the Diffusion-Based Gaussian Matérn Field for Ecological Applications," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 30(4), pages 966-982, December.
    4. Jacqueline D. Seufert & Andre Python & Christoph Weisser & Elías Cisneros & Krisztina Kis‐Katos & Thomas Kneib, 2022. "Mapping ex ante risks of COVID‐19 in Indonesia using a Bayesian geostatistical model on airport network data," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 185(4), pages 2121-2155, October.
    5. Zhang, Shen & Liu, Xin & Tang, Jinjun & Cheng, Shaowu & Qi, Yong & Wang, Yinhai, 2018. "Spatio-temporal modeling of destination choice behavior through the Bayesian hierarchical approach," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 512(C), pages 537-551.
    6. Tzu‐Han Peng & Cheng‐Ching Lin & Nan‐Jung Hsu & Chun‐Shu Chen, 2025. "A Spatial Hierarchical PGEV Model With Temporal Effects for Enhancing Extreme Value Analysis," Environmetrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(6), September.
    7. Paige, John & Fuglstad, Geir-Arne & Riebler, Andrea & Wakefield, Jon, 2022. "Bayesian multiresolution modeling of georeferenced data: An extension of ‘LatticeKrig’," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    8. Aaron Osgood‐Zimmerman & Jon Wakefield, 2023. "A Statistical Review of Template Model Builder: A Flexible Tool for Spatial Modelling," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 91(2), pages 318-342, August.
    9. Sameh Abdulah & Yuxiao Li & Jian Cao & Hatem Ltaief & David E. Keyes & Marc G. Genton & Ying Sun, 2023. "Large‐scale environmental data science with ExaGeoStatR," Environmetrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), February.
    10. André Victor Ribeiro Amaral & Elias Teixeira Krainski & Ruiman Zhong & Paula Moraga, 2024. "Model-Based Geostatistics Under Spatially Varying Preferential Sampling," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 29(4), pages 766-792, December.
    11. John M. Humphreys & Robert B. Srygley & David H. Branson, 2022. "Geographic Variation in Migratory Grasshopper Recruitment under Projected Climate Change," Geographies, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-19, January.
    12. Jeffrey W. Doser & Andrew O. Finley & Sarah P. Saunders & Marc Kéry & Aaron S. Weed & Elise F. Zipkin, 2025. "Modeling Complex Species-Environment Relationships Through Spatially-Varying Coefficient Occupancy Models," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 30(1), pages 146-171, March.
    13. Sylvia A. Shawky & Abdelnasser Saad & Amira Elayouty, 2025. "A Spatial and Spatiotemporal Statistical Downscaling Model for Combining Spatially Misaligned Maximum Temperature Data Using R‐INLA," Environmetrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(8), December.
    14. Dong Liang & Genevieve Nesslage & Michael Wilberg & Thomas Miller, 2017. "Bayesian Calibration of Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Abundance Indices Based on Probability Surveys," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 22(4), pages 481-497, December.
    15. Silius M. Vandeskog & Sara Martino & Daniela Castro-Camilo & Håvard Rue, 2022. "Modelling Sub-daily Precipitation Extremes with the Blended Generalised Extreme Value Distribution," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 27(4), pages 598-621, December.
    16. Humphreys, John M. & Srygley, Robert B. & Lawton, Douglas & Hudson, Amy R. & Branson, David H., 2022. "Grasshoppers exhibit asynchrony and spatial non-stationarity in response to the El Niño/Southern and Pacific Decadal Oscillations," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 471(C).
    17. Carlos Díaz-Avalos & Pablo Juan & Somnath Chaudhuri & Marc Sáez & Laura Serra, 2020. "Association between the New COVID-19 Cases and Air Pollution with Meteorological Elements in Nine Counties of New York State," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-18, December.
    18. Prince M Amegbor & Rikke Dalgaard & Doan Nainggolan & Anne Jensen & Clive E Sabel & Toke E Panduro & Mira SR Jensen & Amanda E Dybdal & Marianne Puig, 2025. "Spatial modelling of psychosocial benefits of favourite places in Denmark: A tale of two cities," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 52(1), pages 186-213, January.
    19. Man Ho Suen & Mark Naylor & Finn Lindgren, 2026. "Coherent Disaggregation and Uncertainty Quantification for Spatially Misaligned Data," Environmetrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(2), March.
    20. Chen, Yewen & Chang, Xiaohui & Luo, Fangzhi & Huang, Hui, 2023. "Additive dynamic models for correcting numerical model outputs," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:envmet:v:37:y:2026:i:1:n:e70065. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/1180-4009/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.