Impact of short-term control measures on air quality: A case study during the 7th Military World Games in central China

Yao Mao; Weijie Liu; Tianpeng Hu; Mingming Shi; Cheng Cheng; Changlin Zhan; Li Zhang; Jiaquan Zhang; Andrew J Sweetman; Kevin C Jones; Xinli Xing; Shihua Qi

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119998

Impact of short-term control measures on air quality: A case study during the 7th Military World Games in central China

Environ Pollut. 2022 Oct 15:311:119998. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119998. Epub 2022 Aug 23.

Authors

Yao Mao¹, Weijie Liu², Tianpeng Hu¹, Mingming Shi², Cheng Cheng³, Changlin Zhan⁴, Li Zhang⁴, Jiaquan Zhang⁴, Andrew J Sweetman⁵, Kevin C Jones⁵, Xinli Xing⁶, Shihua Qi²

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430078, China; School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430078, China; Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
² State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430078, China; School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430078, China.
³ Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
⁴ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hubei Key Laboratory of Mine Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China.
⁵ Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430078, China; School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430078, China. Electronic address: xlxing@cug.edu.cn.

PMID: 36007790
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119998

Abstract

The 7th Military World Games held in Wuhan (WH) in Oct 2019 provided an opportunity to clarify the impact of short-term control measures on air quality. Fine particulate matters (PM_2.5) were collected in WH, Huangshi (HS), and Huanggang (HG) during the control (Oct 13-28, 2019) and non-control periods (Oct 29- Nov 5, 2019). The results showed that air quality was good during the control period, with the concentrations of PM_2.5 and gaseous pollutants being below the Grade Ⅱ of China Ambient Air Quality Standard. Concentrations of PM_2.5 and its major chemical components in the control period were significantly lower than those in the non-control period, with reductions ranging from 17% (trace elements) to 46% (elemental carbon). However, higher contributions of secondary components such as SO₄^2-, NO₃^-, NH₄⁺ and secondary organic carbon (SOC) to PM_2.5 were observed during the control period, suggesting the important role of secondary transformation. Potential source contribution function (PSCF) of PM_2.5 showed that the main source regions were potentially located in surrounding cities Hubei Province, but regional transport can't be ignored. Six sources were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF) for both control and non-control period. The contributions of combustion emissions and vehicle emissions were amplified in the control period, while the contribution of construction dust increased significantly when the control measures ended. Emission reductions contributed more to PM_2.5 concentration decrease in WH (55%) than that in HS (51%) and HG (49%), which was consistent with the stricter control measures implemented in WH. These results indicated that short-term controls were effective at lowering PM_2.5 concentration. However, the elevated contributions of secondary aerosols and the influence of regional transport on the study areas also need to be paid attention for air quality improvement in the future.

Keywords: 7(th) military world games; Chemical components; Emission control; Fine particulate matters.

MeSH terms

Aerosols / analysis
Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
Air Pollution* / prevention & control
Carbon / analysis
China
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Military Personnel*
Particulate Matter / analysis
Seasons
Vehicle Emissions / analysis

Substances

Aerosols
Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Vehicle Emissions
Carbon