| Long-term trends (2006-2017) and spatial variations of four ambient gaseous air pollutants (NO2, NO, SO2, and CO) in Tabriz city, Iran were analyzed by using the nonparametric Mann-Kendall trend test and Moran’s I index. The relationships between ambient air pollutants and meteorological parameters were also investigated using Spearman's rank correlation test. The results indicated that the ambient gaseous air pollutants (NO2, NO, and CO), except for SO2, increased during the study period. The annual mean concentrations of NO2, NO, SO2, and CO were 46.3, 41.8, 29.5 μg/m³, and 3.5 mg/m³, respectively. NO2 concentrations were higher than the WHO AQG (40 μg/m³) and National Air Quality Standard (100 μg/m³) in all years. NO2, NO, SO2, and CO concentrations were higher value in winter (51.3, 91.0, 40.7 μg/m³ and 4.0 mg/m³) compared to the values in summer (34.0, 26.0, 21.0 μg/m³ and 3.2 mg/m³), presenting a U-shaped monthly pattern. Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed that all gaseous air pollutants demonstrated a significant correlation with meteorological parameters (e.g.,solar radiation and temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and precipitation) at the confidence level of 95% (P-value < 0.05). Our findings could improve the understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns of air pollutants in the study area in a developing countriy and present valuable implications for Tabriz policy-makers to tackle air pollution and adopt strategies for reducing air pollution in the future. The findings will also help pollution controllers and authorities enact policies to further analyze the benefits and cost of air pollution management programs in Tabriz. |