scholarly journals Classification of summertime synoptic patterns in Beijing and their association with boundary layer structure affecting aerosol pollution

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucong Miao ◽  
Jianping Guo ◽  
Shuhua Liu ◽  
Huan Liu ◽  
Zhanqing Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Inversion Layer ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Synoptic Patterns ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
Aerosol Pollution ◽  
Fine Resolution

Abstract. Meteorological conditions within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) are closely governed by large-scale synoptic patterns and play important roles in air quality by directly and indirectly affecting the emission, transport, formation, and deposition of air pollutants. Partly due to the lack of long-term fine-resolution observations of the PBL, the relationships between synoptic patterns, PBL structure, and aerosol pollution in Beijing have not been well understood. This study applied the obliquely rotated principal component analysis in T-mode to classify the summertime synoptic conditions over Beijing using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis from 2011 to 2014, and investigated their relationships with PBL structure and aerosol pollution by combining measurements of surface meteorological variables, fine-resolution soundings, the concentration of particles with diameters less than or equal to 2.5 μm, total cloud cover (CLD), and reanalysis data. Among the seven identified synoptic patterns, three types accounted for 67 % of the total number of cases studied and were associated with heavy aerosol pollution events. These particular synoptic patterns were characterized by high-pressure systems located to the east or southeast of Beijing at the 925-hPa level, which blocked the air flow seaward, and southerly PBL winds that brought in polluted air from the southern industrial zone. In the vertical dimension, these three synoptic patterns featured a relatively low boundary layer height (BLH) in the afternoon, accompanied by high CLD and southerly cold advection from the seas within the PBL. The cold advection induced by the large-scale synoptic forcing may have cooled the PBL, leading to an increase in near-surface stability and a decrease in the BLH in the afternoon. Moreover, when warm advection appeared simultaneously above the top level of the PBL, the thermal inversion layer capping the PBL may have been strengthened, resulting in further suppression of the PBL and deteriorating aerosol pollution levels. This study has important implications for understanding the crucial roles that meteorological factors (at both synoptic and local scales) play in modulating and forecasting aerosol pollution in Beijing and its surrounding area.

scholarly journals Classification of summertime synoptic patterns in Beijing and their associations with boundary layer structure affecting aerosol pollution

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 3097-3110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucong Miao ◽  
Jianping Guo ◽  
Shuhua Liu ◽  
Huan Liu ◽  
Zhanqing Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Inversion Layer ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Synoptic Patterns ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
Aerosol Pollution ◽  
Fine Resolution

Abstract. Meteorological conditions within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) are closely governed by large-scale synoptic patterns and play important roles in air quality by directly and indirectly affecting the emission, transport, formation, and deposition of air pollutants. Partly due to the lack of long-term fine-resolution observations of the PBL, the relationships between synoptic patterns, PBL structure, and aerosol pollution in Beijing have not been well understood. This study applied the obliquely rotated principal component analysis in T-mode to classify the summertime synoptic conditions over Beijing using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis from 2011 to 2014, and investigated their relationships with PBL structure and aerosol pollution by combining numerical simulations, measurements of surface meteorological variables, fine-resolution soundings, the concentration of particles with diameters less than or equal to 2.5 µm, total cloud cover (CLD), and reanalysis data. Among the seven identified synoptic patterns, three types accounted for 67 % of the total number of cases studied and were associated with heavy aerosol pollution events. These particular synoptic patterns were characterized by high-pressure systems located to the east or southeast of Beijing at the 925 hPa level, which blocked the air flow seaward, and southerly PBL winds that brought in polluted air from the southern industrial zone. The horizontal transport of pollutants induced by the synoptic forcings may be the most important factor affecting the air quality of Beijing in summer. In the vertical dimension, these three synoptic patterns featured a relatively low boundary layer height (BLH) in the afternoon, accompanied by high CLD and southerly cold advection from the seas within the PBL. The high CLD reduced the solar radiation reaching the surface, and suppressed the thermal turbulence, leading to lower BLH. Besides, the numerical sensitive experiments show that cold advection induced by the large-scale synoptic forcing may have cooled the PBL, leading to an increase in near-surface stability and a decrease in the BLH in the afternoon. Moreover, when warm advection appeared simultaneously above the top level of the PBL, the thermal inversion layer capping the PBL may have been strengthened, resulting in the further suppression of PBL and thus the deterioration of aerosol pollution levels. This study has important implications for understanding the crucial roles that meteorological factors (at both synoptic and local scales) play in modulating and forecasting aerosol pollution in Beijing and its surrounding area.

scholarly journals Simulations of a cold-air pool associated with elevated wintertime ozone in the Uintah Basin, Utah

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 15953-16000 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Neemann ◽  
E. T. Crosman ◽  
J. D. Horel ◽  
L. Avey
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Inversion Layer ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Photochemical Reactions ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Uintah Basin

Abstract. Numerical simulations are used to investigate the meteorological characteristics of the 1–6 February 2013 cold-air pool in the Uintah Basin, Utah, and the resulting high ozone concentrations. Flow features affecting cold-air pools and air quality in the Uintah Basin are studied, including: penetration of clean air into the basin from across the surrounding mountains, elevated easterlies within the inversion layer, and thermally-driven slope and valley flows. The sensitivity of the boundary layer structure to cloud microphysics and snow cover variations are also examined. Ice-dominant clouds enhance cold-air pool strength compared to liquid-dominant clouds by increasing nocturnal cooling and decreasing longwave cloud forcing. Snow cover increases boundary layer stability by enhancing the surface albedo, reducing the absorbed solar insolation at the surface, and lowering near-surface air temperatures. Snow cover also increases ozone levels by enhancing solar radiation available for photochemical reactions.

scholarly journals Integrated impacts of synoptic forcing and aerosol radiative effect on boundary layer and pollution in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 5899-5909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucong Miao ◽  
Huizheng Che ◽  
Xiaoye Zhang ◽  
Shuhua Liu
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Radiative Effect ◽  
Synoptic Pattern ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
Aerosol Pollution ◽  
Aerosol Radiative

Abstract. Rapid urbanization and industrialization have led to deterioration of air quality in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region due to high loadings of PM2.5. Heavy aerosol pollution frequently occurs in winter, in close relation to the planetary boundary layer (PBL) meteorology. To unravel the physical processes that influence PBL structure and aerosol pollution in BTH, this study combined long-term observational data analyses, synoptic pattern classification, and meteorology–chemistry coupled simulations. During the winter of 2017 and 2018, Beijing and Tangshan often experienced heavy PM2.5 pollution simultaneously, accompanied by strong thermal inversion aloft. These concurrences of pollution in different cities were primarily regulated by the large-scale synoptic conditions. Using principal component analysis with geopotential height fields at the 850 hPa level during winter, two typical synoptic patterns associated with heavy pollution in BTH were identified. One pattern is characterized by a southeast-to-north pressure gradient across BTH, and the other is associated with high pressure in eastern China. Both synoptic types feature warmer air temperature at 1000 m a.g.l., which could suppress the development of the PBL. Under these unfavorable synoptic conditions, aerosols can modulate PBL structure through the radiative effect, which was examined using numerical simulations. The aerosol radiative effect can significantly lower the daytime boundary layer height through cooling the surface layer and heating the upper part of the PBL, leading to the deterioration of air quality. This PBL–aerosol feedback is sensitive to the aerosol vertical structure, which is more effective when the synoptic pattern can distribute more aerosols to the upper PBL.

scholarly journals Simulations of a cold-air pool associated with elevated wintertime ozone in the Uintah Basin, Utah

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Neemann ◽  
E. T. Crosman ◽  
J. D. Horel ◽  
L. Avey
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Inversion Layer ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Photochemical Reactions ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Uintah Basin

Abstract. Numerical simulations are used to investigate the meteorological characteristics of the 31 January–6 February 2013 cold-air pool in the Uintah Basin, Utah, and the resulting high ozone concentrations. Flow features affecting cold-air pools and air quality in the Uintah Basin are studied, including the following: penetration of clean air into the basin from across the surrounding mountains, elevated easterlies within the inversion layer, and thermally driven slope and valley flows. The sensitivity of the boundary layer structure to snow cover variations and cloud microphysics are also examined. Snow cover increases boundary layer stability by enhancing the surface albedo, reducing the absorbed solar insolation at the surface, and lowering near-surface air temperatures. Snow cover also increases ozone levels by enhancing solar radiation available for photochemical reactions. Ice-dominant clouds enhance cold-air pool strength compared to liquid-dominant clouds by increasing nocturnal cooling and decreasing longwave cloud forcing.

scholarly journals Influence of Boundary Layer Structure and Low-Level Jet on PM2.5 Pollution in Beijing: A Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucong Miao ◽  
Shuhua Liu ◽  
Li Sheng ◽  
Shunxiang Huang ◽  
Jian Li
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Thermally Induced ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Low Level Jet ◽  
Meteorological Observations

Beijing experiences frequent PM2.5 pollution, which is influenced by the planetary boundary layer (PBL) structure/process. Partly due to a lack of appropriate observations, the impacts of PBL on PM2.5 pollution are not yet fully understood. Combining wind-profiler data, radiosonde measurements, near-surface meteorological observations, aerosol measurements, and three-dimensional simulations, this study investigated the influence of PBL structure and the low-level jet (LLJ) on the pollution in Beijing from 19 to 20 September 2015. The evolution of the LLJ was generally well simulated by the model, although the wind speed within the PBL was overestimated. Being influenced by the large-scale southerly prevailing winds, the aerosols emitted from the southern polluted regions could be easily transported to Beijing, contributing to ~68% of the PM2.5 measured in Beijing on 20 September. The relative contribution of external transport of PM2.5 to Beijing was high in the afternoon (≥80%), which was related to the strong southerly PBL winds and the presence of thermally-induced upslope winds. On 20 September, the LLJ in Beijing demonstrated a prominent diurnal variation, which was predominant in the morning and after sunset. The occurrence of the LLJ could enhance the dilution capacity in Beijing to some extent, which favors the dilution of pollutants at a local scale. This study has important implications for better understanding the complexity of PBL structure/process associated with PM2.5 pollution in Beijing.

Boundary Layer, Cloud, and Drizzle Variability in the Southeast Pacific Stratocumulus Regime

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 6191-6214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthymios Serpetzoglou ◽  
Bruce A. Albrecht ◽  
Pavlos Kollias ◽  
Christopher W. Fairall
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
Southeast Pacific ◽  
Boundary Layer Cloud ◽  
Similar Area ◽  
Earth’S Climate ◽  
Layer Cloud

Abstract The southeast Pacific stratocumulus regime is an important component of the earth’s climate system because of its substantial impact on albedo. Observational studies of this cloud regime have been limited, but during the past 5 yr, a series of cruises with research vessels equipped with in situ and remote sensing systems have provided unprecedented observations of boundary layer cloud and drizzle structures. These cruises started with the East Pacific Investigation of Climate (EPIC) 2001 field experiment, followed by cruises in a similar area in 2003 and 2004 [Pan-American Climate Studies (PACS) Stratus cruises]. The sampling from these three cruises provides a sufficient dataset to study the variability occurring over this region. This study compares observations from the 2004 cruise with those obtained during the previous two cruises. Observations from the ship provide information about boundary layer structure, fractional cloudiness, cloud depth, and drizzle characteristics. This study indicates more strongly decoupled boundary layers during the 2004 cruise than the well-mixed conditions that dominated the cloud and boundary layer structures during the EPIC cruise, and the highly variable conditions—sharp transitions from a solid stratus deck to broken-cloud and clear-sky periods—encountered during PACS Stratus 2003. Diurnal forcing and synoptic conditions are considered to be factors affecting these variations. A statistical evaluation of the macrophysical boundary layer, cloud, and drizzle properties is performed using the 5–6-day periods for which the research vessels remained stationed at the location of 20°S, 85°W during each cruise.

scholarly journals Integrated System for Atmospheric Boundary Layer Height Estimation (ISABLE) using a ceilometer and microwave radiometer

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6965-6987
Author(s):  
Jae-Sik Min ◽  
Moon-Soo Park ◽  
Jung-Hoon Chae ◽  
Minsoo Kang
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Microwave Radiometer ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Boundary Layer Structure

Abstract. Accurate boundary layer structure and height are critical in the analysis of the features of air pollutants and local circulation. Although surface-based remote sensing instruments provide a high temporal resolution of the boundary layer structure, there are numerous uncertainties in terms of the accurate determination of the atmospheric boundary layer heights (ABLHs). In this study, an algorithm for an integrated system for ABLH estimation (ISABLE) was developed and applied to the vertical profile data obtained using a ceilometer and a microwave radiometer in Seoul city, Korea. A maximum of 19 ABLHs were estimated via the conventional time-variance, gradient, wavelet, and clustering methods using the backscatter coefficient from the ceilometer. Meanwhile, several stable boundary layer heights were extracted through near-surface inversion and environmental lapse rate methods using the potential temperature from the microwave radiometer. The ISABLE algorithm can find an optimal ABLH from post-processing, such as k-means clustering and density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) techniques. It was found that the ABLH determined using ISABLE exhibited more significant correlation coefficients and smaller mean bias and root mean square error between the radiosonde-derived ABLHs than those obtained using the most conventional methods. Clear skies exhibited higher daytime ABLH than cloudy skies, and the daily maximum ABLH was recorded in summer because of the more intense radiation. The ABLHs estimated by ISABLE are expected to contribute to the parameterization of vertical diffusion in the atmospheric boundary layer.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document