Tracing the sources of air pollutant emissions embodied in exports in the Yangtze River Delta, China: A four-level perspective

The contrasting trends of surface particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and their relationships with meteorological parameters from 2015 to 2019 were investigated in the coastal city of Shanghai (SH) and the inland city of Hefei (HF), located in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). In both cities, PM2.5 declined substantially, while O3 and NO2 showed peak values during 2017 when the most frequent extreme high-temperature events occurred. Wind speed was correlated most negatively with PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations, while surface temperature and relative humidity were most closely related to O3. All of the studied pollutants were reduced by rainfall scavenging, with the greatest reduction seen in PM2.5, followed by NO2 and O3. By contrast, air pollutants in the two cities were moderately strongly correlated, although PM2.5 concentrations were much lower and Ox (O3 + NO2) concentrations were higher in SH. Additionally, complex air pollution hours occurred more frequently in SH. Air pollutant concentrations changed more with wind direction in SH. A more effective washout effect was observed in HF, likely due to the more frequent strong convection and thunderstorms in inland areas. This research suggests pertinent air quality control measures should be designed accordingly for specific geographical locations.

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Spatial-Temporal Patterns of Air Pollutant Emissions From Landing and Take-Off Cycles in the Yangtze River Delta of China During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.673666 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Danwen Bao ◽

Shijia Tian ◽

Ziqian Zhang ◽

Hao Cheng ◽

Ting Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollutants ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Ground Level ◽

Yangtze River Delta ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

River Delta ◽

The Yangtze River ◽

Aircraft Emissions ◽

Variation Pattern ◽

The Yangtze River Delta

The global aviation industry has been experiencing catastrophic disruption since the beginning of 2020 due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air traffic. Although the decline in regular commercial air travel has caused tremendous economic loss to aviation stakeholders, it has also led to the reduction in the amount of recorded air pollutants. Most of the aircraft emissions are released during the cruise phase of flight, however they have relatively small impact on humans due to the fact that those emissions are released directly into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Therefore, the scope of this study is to investigate the ground-level aircraft emissions from landing and take-off (LTO) cycles, as they have a greater influence on the ambient environment of the airports in a specific region. In this paper, we study the variation of typical air pollutant concentrations (i.e., HC, CO, and NOx) from the LTO cycles during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in both temporal and spatial scales. These ground-level emissions are estimated for the 22 airports in the Yangtze River Delta, China. The results indicate that the variation pattern of the three air pollutants were significantly influenced by the dramatic onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the pertinent policies to suppress the spread of the virus. The results also reveal non-uniform distribution of the emission quantified at different airports. It is noticeable that the emission quantity generally declined from the east coast to the central and western part of the research region. Furthermore, discrepancies in the target markets also create disparities in the variation pattern of the emissions at different airports under the context of COVID-19.

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Evaluating the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment plants in the Yangtze River Delta: Perspectives on regional discrepancies

Applied Energy ◽

10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117087 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 297 ◽

pp. 117087

Author(s):

Runyao Huang ◽

Ziheng Shen ◽

Hongtao Wang ◽

Jin Xu ◽

Zisheng Ai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Yangtze River Delta ◽

River Delta ◽

The Yangtze River ◽

The Yangtze River Delta

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Current Status and Temporal Trend of Potentially Toxic Elements Pollution in Agricultural Soil in the Yangtze River Delta Region: A Meta-Analysis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18031033 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 1033

Author(s):

Shufeng She ◽

Bifeng Hu ◽

Xianglin Zhang ◽

Shuai Shao ◽

Yefeng Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Yangtze River ◽

Agricultural Soil ◽

Toxic Elements ◽

Temporal Trend ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Yangtze River Delta ◽

Potentially Toxic Elements ◽

River Delta ◽

The Yangtze River ◽

The Yangtze River Delta

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pollution in the agricultural soil of China, especially in developed regions such as the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in eastern China, has received increasing attention. However, there are few studies on the long-term assessment of soil pollution by PTEs over large regions. Therefore, in this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the current state and temporal trend of PTEs pollution in the agricultural land of the Yangtze River Delta. Based on a review of 118 studies published between 1993 and 2020, the average concentrations of Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Ni were found to be 0.25 mg kg−1, 0.14 mg kg−1, 8.14 mg kg−1, 32.32 mg kg−1, 68.84 mg kg−1, 32.58 mg kg−1, 92.35 mg kg−1, and 29.30 mg kg−1, respectively. Among these elements, only Cd and Hg showed significant accumulation compared with their background values. The eastern Yangtze River Delta showed a relatively high ecological risk due to intensive industrial activities. The contents of Cd, Pb, and Zn in soil showed an increasing trend from 1993 to 2000 and then showed a decreasing trend. The results obtained from this study will provide guidance for the prevention and control of soil pollution in the Yangtze River Delta.

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The Evolution of the Interactive Relationship between Urbanization and Land-Use Transition: A Case Study of the Yangtze River Delta

Land ◽

10.3390/land10080804 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 804

Author(s):

Bo Niu ◽

Dazhuan Ge ◽

Rui Yan ◽

Yingyi Ma ◽

Dongqi Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Yangtze River Delta ◽

River Delta ◽

Socioeconomic Factor ◽

The Yangtze River ◽

Land Use Transition ◽

The Yangtze River Delta ◽

Interaction Relationship

In recent years, the impact of land-use systems on global climate change has become increasingly significant, and land-use change has become a hot issue of concern to academics, both within China and abroad. Urbanization, as an important socioeconomic factor, plays a vital role in promoting land-use transition, which also shows a significant spatial dependence on urbanization. This paper constructs a theoretical framework for the interaction relationship between urbanization and land-use transition, taking the Yangtze River Delta as an example, and measures the level of urbanization from the perspective of population urbanization, economic urbanization and social urbanization, while also evaluating the level of land-use morphologies from the perspective of dominant and recessive morphologies of land-use. We construct a PVAR model and coupled coordination model based on the calculated indexes for empirical analysis. The results show that the relationship between urbanization and land-use transition is not a simple linear relationship, but tends to be complex with the process of urbanization, and reasonable urbanization and land-use morphologies will promote further benign coupling in the system. By analyzing the interaction relationship between urbanization and land-use transition, this study enriches the study of land-use change and provides new pathways for thinking about how to promote high-quality urbanization.

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