Response surface model based emission source contribution and meteorological pattern analysis in ozone polluted days

Ying Chen; Yun Zhu; Che-Jen Lin; Saravanan Arunachalam; Shuxiao Wang; Jia Xing; Duohong Chen; Shaojia Fan; Tingting Fang; Anqi Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119459

Response surface model based emission source contribution and meteorological pattern analysis in ozone polluted days

Environ Pollut. 2022 Aug 15:307:119459. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119459. Epub 2022 May 11.

Authors

Ying Chen¹, Yun Zhu², Che-Jen Lin³, Saravanan Arunachalam⁴, Shuxiao Wang⁵, Jia Xing⁵, Duohong Chen⁶, Shaojia Fan⁷, Tingting Fang¹, Anqi Jiang¹

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, College of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
² Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, College of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China. Electronic address: zhuyun@scut.edu.cn.
³ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, 77710, USA.
⁴ Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
⁵ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
⁶ Guangdong Environmental Monitoring Center, Guangzhou, 510308, China.
⁷ Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China.

PMID: 35568288
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119459

Abstract

Urban and regional ozone (O₃) pollution is a public health concern and causes damage to ecosystems. Due to the diverse emission sources of O₃ precursors and the complex interactions of air dispersion and chemistry, identifying the contributing sources of O₃ pollution requires integrated analysis to guide emission reduction plans. In this study, the meteorological characteristics leading to O₃ polluted days (in which the maximum daily 8-h average O₃ concentration is higher than the China Class II National O₃ Standard (160 μg/m³)) in Guangzhou (GZ, China) were analyzed based on data from 2019. The O₃ formation regimes and source apportionments under various prevailing wind directions were evaluated using a Response Surface Modeling (RSM) approach. The results showed that O₃ polluted days in 2019 could be classified into four types of synoptic patterns (i.e., cyclone, anticyclone, trough, and high pressure approaching to sea) and were strongly correlated with high ambient temperature, low relative humidity, low wind speed, variable prevailing wind directions. Additionally, the cyclone pattern strongly promoted O₃ formation due to its peripheral subsidence. The O₃ formation was nitrogen oxides (NO_x)-limited under the northerly wind, while volatile organic compounds (VOC)-limited under other prevailing wind directions. Anthropogenic emissions contributed largely to the O₃ formation (54-78%) under the westerly, southwesterly, easterly, southeasterly, or southerly wind, but only moderately (35-47%) under the northerly or northeasterly wind. Furthermore, as for anthropogenic contributions, local emission contributions were the largest (39-60%) regardless of prevailing wind directions, especially the local NO_x contributions (19-43%); the dominant upwind regional emissions contributed 12-46% (e.g., contributions from Dongguan were 12-20% under the southeasterly wind). The emission control strategies for O₃ polluted days should focus on local emission sources in conjunction with the emission reduction of upwind regional sources.

Keywords: Emission source contribution; Meteorology; O(3) pollution; Response surface model.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
China
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Meteorology
Ozone* / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Ozone