Comparison of the polluted dust plume and natural dust air mass in a spring dust event in Beijing 2023

Abstract

The occurrence of extreme weather events is becoming more frequent due to global climate change. A long-lasting dust outbreak in the spring of 2023 was triggered by Mongolia cyclones and cold fronts in the dust source areas. In this study, we illustrate the spatial distribution, the transport path of the dust and its influence on the air quality of downstream cities utilizing ground-based and space-borne measurements. Results indicate a more complicated pollution, coexisting of polluted dust stage S1 and pure dust stage S2. In S1, the aerosol was characterized by a dual-layer vertical structure—high extinction coefficient of nearly 1.0 km−1 with a low particle depolarized ratio (PDR) of < 0.1 under 500 m, and a small extinction coefficient of 0.3 km−1 with a high PDR of 0.15 above 500 m. Then the intrusion of the Mongolian cyclone carried new dust plumes on 10 March, suggesting the onset of pure dust period S2. The source transition was also confirmed by the MODIS, CALIPSO and Hysplit observations. The pure Asian dust evolved rapidly with one thickening layer and distributed homogeneously in the boundary layer. The PDR increased significantly to the peak of 0.35 and resulted in the peak PM10 value of > 1300 µg/m3. PM10 positively correlated with trace gases in S1 while varying inversely with the pollution gases in S2. The results help to shed light on the classification of different types of dust and also be useful in developing an effective strategy to forecast air pollution in downstream areas.