Spatial oscillation of the particle pollution in eastern China during winter: Implications for regional air quality and climate

Abstract We provided a large-scale observational insight into spatial variations of the particle pollution in eastern China during winter based on recently extended air quality monitoring networks. Severe particle pollution with PM2.5 >150 μg/m3 prevailed in most areas of eastern China during December 2015, when red alert of haze pollution was released in many places. It was found that two distinct pollution processes existed in eastern China during winter. In the fringe areas such as Beijing and Shanghai in eastern China, most of air pollution events were characterized by abrupt peak values and short duration. By comparison, particle pollution in the interior exhibited obvious accumulation and decline processes with much higher PM2.5 concentration. Regional observations in ground networks show notable spatial oscillation of particle pollutants in eastern China, which is the main driver of the abrupt particle pollution in fringe areas. Despite common alternation of northerly and southerly airflows within planetary boundary layer (PBL), particle pollution in central part of eastern China was under the influence of regional accumulated pollutants due to lack of persistent strong winds. In addition, spatial oscillation of particle pollutants weakened with low PBL (

[1]  陶明辉.  Formation process of the widespread extreme haze pollution over northern China in January 2013: Implications for regional air quality and climate , 2014 .

[2]  Yuan Cheng,et al.  Exploring the severe winter haze in Beijing: the impact of synoptic weather, regional transport and heterogeneous reactions , 2015 .

[3]  Y. Q. Wang,et al.  Atmospheric aerosol compositions in China: Spatial/temporal variability, chemical signature, regional haze distribution and comparisons with global aerosols , 2011 .

[4]  Liangfu Chen,et al.  Satellite observation of abnormal yellow haze clouds over East China during summer agricultural burning season , 2013 .

[5]  H. Liao,et al.  Increases in aerosol concentrations over eastern China due to the decadal‐scale weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon , 2012 .

[6]  Jun Wang,et al.  Effect of cold wave on winter visibility over eastern China , 2015 .

[7]  Nan Zhang,et al.  The Influence of Climate Factors, Meteorological Conditions, and Boundary-Layer Structure on Severe Haze Pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region during January 2013 , 2014 .

[8]  D. Christiani,et al.  Satellite and Ground Observations of Severe Air Pollution Episodes in the Winter of 2013 in Beijing, China , 2016 .

[9]  Liangfu Chen,et al.  Satellite observation of regional haze pollution over the North China Plain , 2012 .

[10]  Qi Zhang,et al.  Long-term real-time measurements of aerosol particle composition in Beijing, China: seasonal variations, meteorological effects, and source analysis , 2015 .

[11]  Yuk L. Yung,et al.  Three-dimensional structure of aerosol in China: A perspective from multi-satellite observations , 2016 .

[12]  Min Min,et al.  Multi-sensor quantification of aerosol-induced variability in warm clouds over eastern China , 2015 .

[13]  Tao Song,et al.  Mixing layer height and its implications for air pollution over Beijing, China , 2016 .

[14]  Meigen Zhang,et al.  Modeling analysis of the seasonal characteristics of haze formation in Beijing , 2013 .

[15]  A. Ding,et al.  Enhanced air pollution via aerosol-boundary layer feedback in China , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[16]  H. Che,et al.  Spatio-temporal variation trends of satellite-based aerosol optical depth in China during 1980-2008 , 2011 .

[17]  Zifa Wang,et al.  Assessing the effects of trans-boundary aerosol transport between various city clusters on regional haze episodes in spring over East China , 2013 .

[18]  Meigen Zhang,et al.  Modeling the feedback between aerosol and meteorological variables in the atmospheric boundary layer during a severe fog–haze event over the North China Plain , 2015 .

[19]  Lorraine A. Remer,et al.  Suomi‐NPP VIIRS aerosol algorithms and data products , 2013 .

[20]  Zhanqing Li,et al.  Delaying precipitation and lightning by air pollution over the Pearl River Delta. Part I: Observational analyses , 2016 .

[21]  Qiang Zhang,et al.  Sulfur dioxide and primary carbonaceous aerosol emissions in China and India, 1996-2010 , 2011 .

[22]  M. Brauer,et al.  Global Estimates of Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations from Satellite-Based Aerosol Optical Depth: Development and Application , 2010, Environmental health perspectives.

[23]  Y. H. Zhang,et al.  Characteristics and formation mechanism of continuous hazes in China: a case study during the autumn of 2014 in the North China Plain , 2015 .

[24]  M. Molina,et al.  Elucidating severe urban haze formation in China , 2014, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[25]  R. Burnett,et al.  Lung cancer, cardiopulmonary mortality, and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution. , 2002, JAMA.

[26]  Liangfu Chen,et al.  Did the widespread haze pollution over China increase during the last decade? A satellite view from space , 2016 .

[27]  R. Reynolds,et al.  The NCEP/NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis Project , 1996, Renewable Energy.