Investigating the regional contributions to air pollution in Beijing: a dispersion modelling study using CO as a tracer
<p>The rapid urbanization and industrialization of northern China in recent decades has resulted in poor air quality in major cities like Beijing. Transport of air pollution plays a key role in determining the relative influence of local emissions and regional contributions to observed air pol...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/20/2825/2020/acp-20-2825-2020.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>The rapid urbanization and industrialization of northern China in recent decades has resulted in poor air quality in major cities like
Beijing. Transport of air pollution plays a key role in determining the relative influence of local emissions and regional contributions to observed
air pollution. In this paper, dispersion modelling (Numerical Atmospheric Modelling Environment, NAME model) is used with emission inventories and
in situ ground measurement data to track the pathways of air masses arriving in Beijing. The percentage of time the air masses spent over specific
regions during their travel to Beijing is used to assess the effects of regional meteorology on carbon monoxide (<span class="inline-formula">CO</span>), a good tracer of
anthropogenic emissions. The NAME model is used with the MEIC (Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China) emission inventories to determine the
amount of pollution that is transported to Beijing from the immediate surrounding areas and regions further away. This approach captures the
magnitude and variability of <span class="inline-formula">CO</span> over Beijing and reveals that <span class="inline-formula">CO</span> is strongly driven by transport processes. This study provides a more
detailed understanding of relative contributions to air pollution in Beijing under different regional airflow conditions. Approximately 45 %
over a 4-year average (2013–2016) of the total <span class="inline-formula">CO</span> pollution that affects Beijing is transported from other regions, and about half of this
contribution comes from beyond the Hebei and Tianjin regions that immediately surround Beijing. The industrial sector is the dominant emission
source from the surrounding regions and contributes over 20 % of the total <span class="inline-formula">CO</span> in Beijing. Finally, using <span class="inline-formula">PM<sub>2.5</sub></span> to determine
high-pollution days, three pollution classification types of pollution were identified and used to analyse the APHH winter campaign and the 4-year
period. The results can inform targeted control measures to be implemented by Beijing and the surrounding provinces to tackle air quality problems
that affect Beijing and China.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |