Abstract
Abstract. 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 (CO), 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 CO over Beijing and reveals that CO 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 CO 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 CO in Beijing. Finally, using PM2.5 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.
Highlights
Beijing has suffered from poor air quality during recent decades owing to rapid urbanization and industrialization
Between 2010 and 2017, it is estimated that China reduced its anthropogenic emissions by 62 % for sulfur dioxide (SO2), 17 % for nitrogen oxides (NOx), 27 % for carbon monoxide (CO), 38 % for PM10 and 35 % for PM2.5
The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of regional meteorology and transport on the air pollution in Beijing, and to understand the influence of regional air pollution on Beijing under differing meteorological conditions
Summary
Beijing has suffered from poor air quality during recent decades owing to rapid urbanization and industrialization. M. Panagi et al.: Investigating the regional contributions to air pollution in Beijing. While air pollution is still at very high levels for human health and the environment (Shi et al, 2019), policy measures implemented over recent years have helped to reduce emissions (Jin et al, 2016; Zheng et al, 2018). Zheng et al (2018) conducted an extensive analysis of reductions in anthropogenic emissions of key species in China. Between 2010 and 2017, it is estimated that China reduced its anthropogenic emissions by 62 % for sulfur dioxide (SO2), 17 % for nitrogen oxides (NOx), 27 % for carbon monoxide (CO), 38 % for PM10 (particulate matter smaller than 10 μm in diameter) and 35 % for PM2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter)
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