Abstract
High concentrations of PM2.5 are a primary cause of haze in the lower atmosphere. A better understanding of the spatial heterogeneity and driving factors of PM2.5 concentrations is important for effective regional prevention and control. In this study, we carried out remote sensing inversion of PM2.5 concentration data over a long time series and used spatial statistical analyses and a geographical detector model to reveal the spatial distribution and variation characteristics of PM2.5 and the main influencing factors in the Yangtze River Delta from 2005 to 2015. Our results show that (1) The average annual PM2.5 concentration in the Yangtze River Delta prior to 2007 displayed an increasing trend, followed by a decreasing trend after 2007 which eventually stabilized; and (2) climate regionalization and geomorphology were the dominant natural factors driving PM2.5 concentration diffusion, while total carbon dioxide emissions and population density were the dominant socioeconomic factors affecting the formation of PM2.5. Natural factors and socioeconomic factors together lead to PM2.5 pollution. These findings provide an interpretation of PM2.5 spatial distribution and the mechanisms influencing PM2.5 pollution, which can help the Chinese government develop effective abatement strategies.
Highlights
Burgeoning industrialization and urbanization have brought sharp rises in industrial exhaust, construction dust and automobile exhaust
The raster calculation method for spatial statistical analysis showed that the trend increased from 2005 to 2007, decreased from 2007 to 2010 and fluctuated around 50.22 μg/m3 between 2010 and
The proportion of highly polluted areas (PM2.5 greater than 70 μg/m3 ) gradually increased between 2005 and 2015 andwere mainly located in the northern regions of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), especially Yangzhou, Taizhou and Zhenjiang
Summary
Burgeoning industrialization and urbanization have brought sharp rises in industrial exhaust, construction dust and automobile exhaust. Fine-particulate air pollution has manifold effects on people’s daily lives and health and on ecosystems, national heritage and the global atmosphere [1,2,3,4]. Air pollution causes an estimated 2.0–4.0 million premature deaths per year [5,6]. 2015 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) report, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, fine-particulate air pollution (PM2.5 ) caused 916,000 premature deaths in China in 2013 [7]. River Delta (YRD) is the region of eastern China with the most developed economy, the greatest degree of urbanization and high coal consumption [8]. The region has suffered frequent extreme haze episodes in recent years [9]. Understanding the characteristics and its driving factors of PM2.5 concentrations will be of benefit in the task of regional pollution prevention and control
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