scholarly journals Does the “Blue Sky Defense War Policy” Paint the Sky Blue?—A Case Study of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12397
Author(s):  
Xuan Yang ◽  
Yue Wang ◽  
Di Chen ◽  
Xue Tan ◽  
Xue Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Pollutant Emission ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
The North ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Bth Region

Improving air quality is an urgent task for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region in China. In 2018, utilizing 365 days’ daily concentration data of six air pollutants (including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO and O3) at 947 air quality grid monitoring points of 13 cities in the BTH region and controlling the meteorological factors, this paper takes the implementation of the Blue Sky Defense War (BSDW) policy as a quasi-natural experiment to examine the emission reduction effect of the policy in the BTH region by applying the difference-in-difference method. Results show that the policy leads to the significant reduction of the daily average concentration of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, O3 by −1.951 μg/m3, −3.872 μg/m3, −1.902 μg/m3, −7.882 μg/m3 and CO by −0.014 mg/m3, respectively. The results of the robustness test support the aforementioned conclusions. However, this paper finds that the concentration of NO2 increases significantly (1.865 μg/m3). In winter heating seasons, the concentration of SO2, CO and O3 decrease but PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 increase significantly. Besides, resource intensive cities, non-key environmental protection cities and cities in the north of the region have great potential for air pollutant emission reduction. Finally, policy suggestions are recommended; these include setting specific goals at the city level, incorporating more cities into the list of key environmental protection cities, refining the concrete indicators of domestic solid fuel, and encouraging and enforcing clean heating diffusion.

scholarly journals Evolution of Gaseous and Particulate Pollutants in the Air: What Changed after Five Lockdown Weeks at a Southwest Atlantic European Region (Northwest of Spain) Due to the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic?

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Jorge Moreda-Piñeiro ◽  
Joel Sánchez-Piñero ◽  
María Fernández-Amado ◽  
Paula Costa-Tomé ◽  
Nuria Gallego-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Southwest Atlantic ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring Stations ◽  
Almost All

Due to the exponential growth of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Spain (2020), the Spanish Government adopted lockdown measures as mitigating strategies to reduce the spread of the pandemic from 14 March. In this paper, we report the results of the change in air quality at two Atlantic Coastal European cities (Northwest Spain) during five lockdown weeks. The temporal evolution of gaseous (nitrogen oxides, comprising NOx, NO, and NO2; sulfur dioxide, SO2; carbon monoxide, CO; and ozone, O3) and particulate matter (PM10; PM2.5; and equivalent black carbon, eBC) pollutants were recorded before (7 February to 13 March 2020) and during the first five lockdown weeks (14 March to 20 April 2020) at seven air quality monitoring stations (urban background, traffic, and industrial) in the cities of A Coruña and Vigo. The influences of the backward trajectories and meteorological parameters on air pollutant concentrations were considered during the studied period. The temporal trends indicate that the concentrations of almost all species steadily decreased during the lockdown period with statistical significance, with respect to the pre-lockdown period. In this context, great reductions were observed for pollutants related mainly to fossil fuel combustion, road traffic, and shipping emissions (−38 to −78% for NO, −22 to −69% for NO2, −26 to −75% for NOx, −3 to −77% for SO2, −21% for CO, −25 to −49% for PM10, −10 to −38% for PM2.5, and −29 to −51% for eBC). Conversely, O3 concentrations increased from +5 to +16%. Finally, pollutant concentration data for 14 March to 20 April of 2020 were compared with those of the previous two years. The results show that the overall air pollutants levels were higher during 2018–2019 than during the lockdown period.

scholarly journals Measurement report: Evaluation of sources and mixing state of black carbon aerosol under the background of emission reduction in the North China Plain: implications for radiative effect

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiyuan Wang ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Jiamao Zhou ◽  
Jianhuai Ye ◽  
Wenting Dai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Solid Fuel ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Radiative Effect ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Fuel Source

Abstract. Accurate understanding of sources and mixing state of black carbon (BC) aerosol is essential for assessing its impacts on air quality and climatic effect. Here, a winter campaign (December 2017–January 2018) was conducted in the North China Plain (NCP) to evaluate the sources, coating composition, and radiative effect of BC under the background of emission reduction since 2013. Results show that liquid fossil fuel source (i.e., traffic emission) and solid fuel source (i.e., biomass and coal burning) contributed 69 % and 31 % to the total BC mass, respectively, using a multiwavelength optical approach combined with the source-based aerosol absorption Ångström exponent values. The air quality model indicates that local emission was the dominant contributor to BC at the measurement site on average, however, emissions in the NCP exerted a critical role for high BC episode. Six classes of BC-containing particles were identified, including (1) BC coated by organic carbon and sulphate (52 % of total BC-containing particles), (2) BC coated by Na and K (24 %), (3) BC coated by K, sulphate, and nitrate (17 %), (4) BC associated with biomass burning (6 %), (5) Pure-BC (1 %), and (6) others (1 %). Different BC sources had distinct impacts on those BC-containing particles. A radiative transfer model estimated that the amount of BC detected can produce an atmospheric forcing of +18.0 W m−2 and a heating rate of 0.5 K day−1. Results presented herein highlight that further reduction of solid fuel combustion-related BC may be a more effective way to mitigate regional warming in the NCP, although larger BC contribution was from liquid fossil fuel source.

scholarly journals Analysis of Environmental Benefits of Shore Power for Preventing and Controlling Air Pollution Caused by Vessels at Berth

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 04036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Jieling ◽  
Li Haibo
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Pollutant Emission ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Fuel Consumption Rate

When vessels are berthed at ports, the air pollutants emitted by auxiliary engines will cause severe pollution to the ports and surrounding environments. In view of this situation, the author first summarizes the Chinese policies and policies of foreign countries on emission of air pollutants from vessels at berth, and then analyses the current status of and measures for control of air pollutant emission from vessels at berth. Secondly, the author analyses the environmental benefits of using shore power for better controlling air pollutant emission from vessels at berth, compares vessels using shore power with vessels using generated power in the energy conservation and emission reduction effects based on the fuel consumption rate of different auxiliary engines and current status of pollutant emission from power generation in China etc., analyses the current status of shore power application in China, estimates the energy conserved and emission reduced when shore power is used by vessels at berth. Thirdly, the author identifies the scale of electric energy replacement by, and environmental benefits of, shore power at ports in China. This paper delivers innovative approaches to the comparison between the effects of energy conservation and emission reduction based on fuel consumption rates of different auxiliary engines and estimation of conserved energy and reduced emission.

scholarly journals Enhanced atmospheric oxidizing capacity in simulating air quality with updated emission inventories for power plants especially for haze periods over East China

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Tianliang Zhao ◽  
Sunling Gong ◽  
Shaofei Kong ◽  
Lili Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Emission Inventory ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Atmospheric Environment ◽  
Pollutant Emission ◽  
East China ◽  
Emission Inventories

Abstract. Air pollutant emissions play a determinant role in deteriorating air quality. However, an uncertainty in emission inventories is still the key problem for modeling air pollution. In this study, an updated emission inventory of coal-fired power plants (UEIPP) based on online monitoring data in Jiangsu province of East China for the year of 2012 was implemented in the widely used Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC). By employing the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem), two simulations were executed to assess the atmospheric environmental change by using the original MEIC emission inventory and the MEIC inventory with the UEIPP. A synthetic analysis shows that (1) compared to the power emissions of MEIC, PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and NOx were lower, and CO, black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and NMVOCs were higher in the UEIPP, reflecting a large discrepancy in the power emissions over East China; (2) In accordance with the changes of UEIPP, the modeled concentrations were reduced for SO2 and NO2, and increased for most areas of primary OC, BC and CO, whose concentrations in atmosphere are highly dependent on emission changes. (3) Interestingly, when the UEIPP was used, the atmospheric oxidizing capacity significantly reinforced, reflecting by increased oxidizing agents, e.g. O3 and OH, thus directly strengthened the chemical production from SO2 and NOx to sulfate and nitrate, which offset the reduction of primary PM2.5 emissions especially in the haze days. This study indicated the importance of updating air pollutant emission inventories in simulating the complex atmospheric environment changes with the implications on air quality and environmental changes.

scholarly journals A Novel Air Quality Early-Warning System Based on Artificial Intelligence

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3505
Author(s):  
Mo ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Li ◽  
Qu
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Prediction Model ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning System ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Whale Optimization ◽  
The World

The problem of air pollution is a persistent issue for mankind and becoming increasingly serious in recent years, which has drawn worldwide attention. Establishing a scientific and effective air quality early-warning system is really significant and important. Regretfully, previous research didn’t thoroughly explore not only air pollutant prediction but also air quality evaluation, and relevant research work is still scarce, especially in China. Therefore, a novel air quality early-warning system composed of prediction and evaluation was developed in this study. Firstly, the advanced data preprocessing technology Improved Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (ICEEMDAN) combined with the powerful swarm intelligence algorithm Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) and the efficient artificial neural network Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) formed the prediction model. Then the predictive results were further analyzed by the method of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, which offered intuitive air quality information and corresponding measures. The proposed system was tested in the Jing-Jin-Ji region of China, a representative research area in the world, and the daily concentration data of six main air pollutants in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang for two years were used to validate the accuracy and efficiency. The results show that the prediction model is superior to other benchmark models in pollutant concentration prediction and the evaluation model is satisfactory in air quality level reporting compared with the actual status. Therefore, the proposed system is believed to play an important role in air pollution control and smart city construction all over the world in the future.

scholarly journals Air pollutant emissions from Chinese households: A major and underappreciated ambient pollution source

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (28) ◽  
pp. 7756-7761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Liu ◽  
Denise L. Mauzerall ◽  
Qi Chen ◽  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Yu Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Bth Region

As part of the 12th Five-Year Plan, the Chinese government has developed air pollution prevention and control plans for key regions with a focus on the power, transport, and industrial sectors. Here, we investigate the contribution of residential emissions to regional air pollution in highly polluted eastern China during the heating season, and find that dramatic improvements in air quality would also result from reduction in residential emissions. We use the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry to evaluate potential residential emission controls in Beijing and in the Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei (BTH) region. In January and February 2010, relative to the base case, eliminating residential emissions in Beijing reduced daily average surface PM2.5 (particulate mater with aerodynamic diameter equal or smaller than 2.5 micrometer) concentrations by 14 ± 7 μg⋅m−3 (22 ± 6% of a baseline concentration of 67 ± 41 μg⋅m−3; mean ± SD). Eliminating residential emissions in the BTH region reduced concentrations by 28 ± 19 μg⋅m−3 (40 ± 9% of 67 ± 41 μg⋅m−3), 44 ± 27 μg⋅m−3 (43 ± 10% of 99 ± 54 μg⋅m−3), and 25 ± 14 μg⋅m−3 (35 ± 8% of 70 ± 35 μg⋅m−3) in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei provinces, respectively. Annually, elimination of residential sources in the BTH region reduced emissions of primary PM2.5 by 32%, compared with 5%, 6%, and 58% achieved by eliminating emissions from the transportation, power, and industry sectors, respectively. We also find air quality in Beijing would benefit substantially from reductions in residential emissions from regional controls in Tianjin and Hebei, indicating the value of policies at the regional level.

scholarly journals Feasibility and difficulties of China's new air quality standard compliance: PRD case of PM<sub>2.5</sub> and ozone from 2010 to 2025

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 12013-12027 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Liu ◽  
X. M. Wang ◽  
J. M. Pang ◽  
K. B. He
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Nox Reduction ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Ozone Pollution ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10

Abstract. Improving the air quality in China is a long and arduous task. Although China has made very aggressive plans for air pollutant control, the difficulties in achieving the new air quality goals are still significant. A lot of cities are developing their implementation plan (CIP) for new air quality goals. In this study, a southern city, Guangzhou, has been selected to analyze the feasibility and difficulties of new air quality standard compliance, as well as the CIP evaluation. A comprehensive study of the air quality status in Guangzhou and the surrounding area was conducted using 22 monitoring sites collection data for O3, PM2.5 and PM10. The monthly non-attainment rates for O3 vary from 7 to 25% for May to November. The city average PM2.5 concentration was 53 μg m−3 in Guangzhou in 2010, which needs to be reduced by at least 34% to achieve the target of 35 μg m−3. The PM2.5 high violation months are from November to March. A CIP was developed for Guangzhou, which focused on PM2.5. Based on the CIP, the emission amounts of NOx, PM10, PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 2025 would be controlled to 119, 61, 26 and 163 thousand tons, respectively, reduced by 51.9%, 55.9%, 61.8% and 41.3%, respectively, compared to 2010. Analysis of air quality using the model MM5-STEM suggests that the long-term control measures would achieve the PM2.5 and PM10 goals successfully by 2025. The PM2.5 annual average concentration would be reduced to 27 μg m−3 in 2025. However, such PM2.5-based emission control scenarios may enhance the ozone pollution problems. The O3 non-attainment rate would increase from 7.1% in 2010 to 12.9% in 2025, implying that ozone will likely become a major compliance issue with the new national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). This suggests that O3 control must be taken into account while designing PM2.5 control strategies, especially PM2.5 compliance under increased atmospheric oxidation, and for VOCs / NOx reduction ratios need to be further investigated, in order to eventually achieve O3–PM2.5 co-improvement in this region or other cities.

scholarly journals Evaluation of multivariate time series clustering for imputation of air pollution data

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-285
Author(s):  
Wedad Alahamade ◽  
Iain Lake ◽  
Claire E. Reeves ◽  
Beatriz De La Iglesia
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Missing Data ◽  
Multivariate Time Series ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Monitoring Site ◽  
Concentration Data

Abstract. Air pollution is one of the world's leading risk factors for death, with 6.5 million deaths per year worldwide attributed to air-pollution-related diseases. Understanding the behaviour of certain pollutants through air quality assessment can produce improvements in air quality management that will translate to health and economic benefits. However, problems with missing data and uncertainty hinder that assessment. We are motivated by the need to enhance the air pollution data available. We focus on the problem of missing air pollutant concentration data either because a limited set of pollutants is measured at a monitoring site or because an instrument is not operating, so a particular pollutant is not measured for a period of time. In our previous work, we have proposed models which can impute a whole missing time series to enhance air quality monitoring. Some of these models are based on a multivariate time series (MVTS) clustering method. Here, we apply our method to real data and show how different graphical and statistical model evaluation functions enable us to select the imputation model that produces the most plausible imputations. We then compare the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) values obtained after imputation with observed values incorporating missing data. Our results show that using an ensemble model that aggregates the spatial similarity obtained by the geographical correlation between monitoring stations and the fused temporal similarity between pollutant concentrations produces very good imputation results. Furthermore, the analysis enhances understanding of the different pollutant behaviours and of the characteristics of different stations according to their environmental type.

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