Abstract
North China has become one of the worst air quality regions in China and the world. Based on the daily air quality index (AQI) monitoring data in 96 cities from 2014–2016, the spatiotemporal patterns of AQI in North China were investigated, then the influence of meteorological and socio-economic factors on AQI was discussed by statistical analysis and ESDA-GWR (exploratory spatial data analysis-geographically weighted regression) model. The principal results are as follows: (1) The average annual AQI from 2014–2016 exceeded or were close to the Grade II standard of Chinese Ambient Air Quality (CAAQ), although the area experiencing heavy pollution decreased. Meanwhile, the positive spatial autocorrelation of AQI was enhanced in the sample period. (2) The occurrence of a distinct seasonal cycle in air pollution which exhibit a sinusoidal pattern of fluctuations and can be described as “heavy winter and light summer.” Although the AQI generally decreased in other seasons, the air pollution intensity increased in winter with the rapid expansion of higher AQI value in the southern of Hebei and Shanxi. (3) The correlation analysis of daily meteorological factors and AQI shows that air quality can be significantly improved when daily precipitation exceeds 10 mm. In addition, except for O3, wind speed has a negative correlation with AQI and major pollutants, which was most significant in winter. Meanwhile, pollutants are transmitted dynamically under the influence of the prevailing wind direction, which can result in the relocation of AQI. (4) According to ESDA-GWR analysis, on an annual scale, car ownership and industrial production are positively correlated with air pollution; whereas increase of wind speed, per capita gross domestic product (GDP), and forest coverage are conducive to reducing pollution. Local coefficients show spatial differences in the effects of different factors on the AQI. Empirical results of this study are helpful for the government departments to formulate regionally differentiated governance policies regarding air pollution.
Highlights
Air pollution, which spreads rapidly and has a strong diffusive capacity, is of increasing concern worldwide because of its adverse effects on the environment, climate, and public health [1]
Pollutants are transmitted dynamically under the influence of the prevailing wind direction, which can result in the relocation of air quality index (AQI). (4) According to Exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA)-geographically weighted regression (GWR) analysis, on an annual scale, car ownership and industrial production are positively correlated with air pollution; whereas increase of wind speed, per capita gross domestic product (GDP), and forest coverage are conducive to reducing pollution
It can be seen that the air quality in North China improved substantially from 2014–2016; the proportion of grids with annual mean AQI < 100 increased from 35.8% in 2014 to 51.9% in 2016
Summary
Air pollution, which spreads rapidly and has a strong diffusive capacity, is of increasing concern worldwide because of its adverse effects on the environment, climate, and public health [1]. Because of the expansion of urban populations, the rapid development of the regional economy, and associated urbanization, North China has become one of the most polluted regions in the world [2,3]. The most extreme levels of PM2.5 in Beijing exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO). Health standards 40 times in 2013 [4]. To characterize air quality more accurately and align with the. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 2820; doi:10.3390/ijerph16162820 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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