Relationship Between Fine-Particle Pollution and the Urban Heat Island in Beijing, China: Observational Evidence

Abstract

Urbanization has led to a significant urban heat island (UHI) effect in Beijing in recent years. At the same time, air pollution caused by a large number of fine particles significantly influences the atmospheric environment, urban climate, and human health. The distribution of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration and its relationship with the UHI effect in the Beijing area are analyzed based on station-observed hourly data from 2012 to 2016. We conclude that, (1) in the last five years, the surface concentrations of PM2.5 averaged for urban and rural sites in and around Beijing are 63.2 and 40.7 µg m−3, respectively, with significant differences between urban and rural sites (ΔPM2.5) at the seasonal, monthly and daily scales observed; (2) there is a large correlation between ΔPM2.5 and the UHI intensity defined as the differences in the mean (ΔTave), minimum (ΔTmin), and maximum (ΔTmax) temperatures between urban and rural sites. The correlation between ΔPM2.5 and ΔTmin (ΔTmax) is the highest (lowest); (3) a Granger causality analysis further shows that ΔPM2.5 and ΔTmin are most correlated for a lag of 1–2 days, while the correlation between ΔPM2.5 and ΔTave is lower; there is no causal relationship between ΔPM2.5 and ΔTmax; (4) a case analysis shows that downwards shortwave radiation at the surface decreases with an increase in PM2.5 concentration, leading to a weaker UHI intensity during the daytime. During the night, the outgoing longwave radiation from the surface decreases due to the presence of daytime pollutants, the net effect of which is a slower cooling rate during the night in cities than in the suburbs, leading to a larger ΔTmin.