Influence of Mountain Valley Breeze and Sea Land Breeze in Winter on Distribution of Air Pollutants in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region

Abstract

To reveal the effect of Mountain Valley Breeze (MVB) and Sea Land Breeze (SLB) in winter on the spatial-temporal distribution of air pollutants in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, hourly data from Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and hourly air pollutant concentration data in December 2016 from the China National Environmental Monitoring Center were used to calculate the average wind vector fields and PM2.5 concentration fields. The change rule of MVB and SLB and its influence on the distribution of PM2.5 concentration were analyzed. The prevailing factor for the MVB days was the southerly wind (valley wind) in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from noon to afternoon, this valley wind transports air pollutants from the eastern areas of the Taihang Mountains and southwestern areas of Beijing northward. In the evening, "herringbone" convergence lines formed between the emerging mountain breeze in the western and northern parts of Beijing, as well as in the piedmont areas of the Taihang Mountains, and the southerly wind. The PM2.5 concentration increased in Beijing, Langfang, Baoding, Shijiazhuang, and Xingtai according to the concentration of the convergence lines. For the SLB days, the PM2.5 concentration increased in the piedmont areas of the Taihang Mountains due to the influence of valley wind from noon to afternoon. For the MVB days, from noon until midnight, the sea breeze appeared in the eastern coastal areas and reached the southeastern part of Tianjin, the PM2.5 concentration increased towards the front of the sea breeze. The influence of MVB and SLB on the distribution of air pollutants in the heavy pollutions process were surveyed by analyzing the temporal variation relationship between the vertical distribution of wind over 0-325 m tower (at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics) and PM2.5 concentration of urban area, and by using the Cressman method to interpolate the 10 m wind data and PM2.5 concentration data to 2D grid field. From noon to afternoon, the air pollutants were blown to Beijing by valley wind. In the evening, the air pollutants converged near the convergence lines, which were formed by the mountain breeze and southerly wind. The severe pollution zone formed in the plains of Beijing and south of Beijing. From midnight to early morning, the air pollutants in Beijing were gradually blown away by the mountain breeze and stayed south of Beijing and northwest of Tianjin. In the winter, the effect of MVB on the recycling and accumulation of air pollutants plays an important role in severe atmospheric pollution incidents in Beijing, south of Beijing, and the eastern areas of the Taihang Mountains.