Persistent ozone pollution episodes in North China exacerbated by regional transport

Cheng Gong; Hong Liao; Lin Zhang; Xu Yue; Ruijun Dang; Yang Yang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115056

Persistent ozone pollution episodes in North China exacerbated by regional transport

Environ Pollut. 2020 Oct;265(Pt A):115056. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115056. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Authors

Cheng Gong¹, Hong Liao², Lin Zhang³, Xu Yue⁴, Ruijun Dang¹, Yang Yang⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry (LAPC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
² Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: hongliao@nuist.edu.cn.
³ Laboratory for Climate and Ocean-Atmosphere Studies, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
⁴ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, Jiangsu, China.

PMID: 32593927
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115056

Abstract

Summertime ozone (O₃) concentrations over China continue to increase although the governmental Clear Air Actions have been carried out since 2013. The worst O₃ pollution is confronted over North China Plain. Ozone polluted days (with observed regionally-averaged maximum daily 8-h average (MDA8) O₃ concentrations exceeding 80 ppbv) in May-July in North China increased from 35 days in year 2014 to 56 days in year 2018, and persistent O₃ pollution episodes that lasted for 5 days or longer (OPEs5) contributed 14.3% and 66.1% to those O₃ polluted days in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Model simulations suggest that O₃ transport from central eastern China (including Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu and Anhui Provinces) contributes 36% of the enhanced O₃ concentrations in North China during OPEs5 relative to the seasonal mean. We find that emission control of volatile organic compounds in central eastern China is most effective to alleviate intensity of OPEs5 in North China.

Keywords: Cooperative emission reductions; North China; Ozone pollution episode; Regional transport.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants / analysis*
Air Pollution*
China
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollution
Ozone / analysis*
Seasons

Substances

Air Pollutants
Ozone