Characteristics and Control Strategies on Summertime Peak Ozone Concentration in Shanghai

Abstract

With the continuous development of air pollution control measures, the concentration of PM2.5 in Shanghai has shown a conspicuous downward trend in recent years. However, frequent O3 pollution events have highlighted the urgent need to explore the occurrence patterns of O3 pollution and develop scientific strategies for reducing O3 peaks. This study examines data from July 2017, when the cumulative number of O3 pollution days in 17 cities in the Yangtze River Delta was 165 days, of which Shanghai was the most serious, with an exceedance rate of 64.5%. During this period, the average concentration of NO2 in Shanghai was 27.1 μg·m-3 and volatile organic copunds (VOCs) mixing ratio was 22.5×10-9. By analyzing ozone precursor concentrations and meteorological factors, we determined that these events mainly resulted from a combination of unfavorable meteorological conditions such as high temperature, low humidity, low wind speed, and high precursor emissions. WRF-CMAQ scenario simulations showed that a reduction in precursor emissions in Shanghai alone would have a limited controlling effect on regional O3 pollution. Thus, regional joint control is recommended when widespread pollution events occur. Our analysis shows that if VOCs in Shanghai and nine neighboring cities can be reduced by 30%, the maximum 8-h O3 concentration in Shanghai could be reduced by 7.2%. If the reduction number of these cities rises to 17, the maximum 8-h O3 concentration reduction rate in Shanghai will increase to 7.8%. It is also recommended that the VOCs:NOx reduction ratio should be strictly controlled at more than 3:1, or else the O3 concentration in some areas will increase.