scholarly journals Impact of crop field burning and mountains on heavy haze in the North China Plain: A case study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Long ◽  
X. X. Tie ◽  
J. J. Cao ◽  
R. J. Huang ◽  
T. Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Wind Condition ◽  
Beijing City ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Crop Field ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Field Burning

Abstract. Crop field burning (CFB) has important effects on air pollution in China, but it is seldom quantified and reported in a regional scale, which is of great importance for the control strategies of CFB in China, especially in the North China Plain (NCP). With the provincial statistical data and open crop fires captured by satellite (MODIS), we extracted a detailed emission inventory of CFB during a heavy haze event from 6th to 12th October 2014. A regional dynamical and chemical model (WRF-Chem) was applied to investigate the impact of CFB on air pollution in NCP. The model simulations were compared with the in situ measurements of PM2.5 (particular matter with radius less than 2.5 μm) concentrations. The model evaluation shows that the correlation coefficients (R) between measured and calculated values exceeds 0.80 and absolute normalized mean bias (NMB) is no more than 14 %. In addition, the simulated meteorological parameters such as winds and planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) are also in good agreement with observations. The model was intensive used to study (1) the impacts of CFB and (2) the effect of mountains on regional air quality. The results show that the CFB occurred in southern NCP (SNCP) had significant effect on PM2.5 concentrations locally, causing a maximum of 35 % PM2.5 increase in SNCP. Because of south wind condition, the CFB pollution plume is subjective a long transport to northern NCP (NNCP-with several mega cities, including Beijing of the capital city in China), where there are no significant CFB occurrences, causing a maximum of 32 % PM2.5 increase in NNCP. As a result, the heavy haze in Beijing is enhanced by the CFB occurred in SNCP. Further more, there are two major mountains located in the western and northern NCP. Under the south wind condition, these mountains play important roles in enhancing the PM2.5 pollution in NNCP through the blocking and guiding effects. This study suggests that the PM2.5 emissions in SNCP region should be significantly limited in order to reduce the occurrences of heavy haze events in NNCP region, including the Beijing City.

scholarly journals Impact of crop field burning and mountains on heavy haze in the North China Plain: a case study

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (15) ◽  
pp. 9675-9691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Long ◽  
Xuexi Tie ◽  
Junji Cao ◽  
Rujin Huang ◽  
Tian Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Boundary Layer Height ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Crop Field ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Field Burning

Abstract. With the provincial statistical data and crop field burning (CFB) activities captured by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), we extracted a detailed CFB emission inventory in the North China Plain (NCP). The WRF-CHEM model was applied to investigate the impact of CFB on air pollution during the period from 6 to 12 October 2014, corresponding to a heavy haze incident with high concentrations of PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm). The WRF-CHEM model generally performed well in simulating the surface species concentrations of PM2.5, O3 and NO2 compared to the observations; in addition, it reasonably reproduced the observed temporal variations of wind speed, wind direction and planetary boundary layer height (PBLH). It was found that the CFB that occurred in southern NCP (SNCP) had a significant effect on PM2.5 concentrations locally, causing a maximum of 34 % PM2.5 increase. Under continuous southerly wind conditions, the CFB pollution plume went through a long-range transport to northern NCP (NNCP; with several mega cities, including Beijing, the capital city of China), where few CFBs occurred, resulting in a maximum of 32 % PM2.5 increase. As a result, the heavy haze in Beijing was enhanced by the CFB, which occurred in SNCP. Mountains also play significant roles in enhancing the PM2.5 pollution in NNCP through the blocking effect. The mountains blocked and redirected the airflows, causing the pollutant accumulations along the foothills of mountains. This study suggests that the prohibition of CFB should be strict not only in or around Beijing, but also on the ulterior crop growth areas of SNCP. PM2.5 emissions in SNCP should be significantly limited in order to reduce the occurrences of heavy haze events in the NNCP region.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Air Pollution on Grain Yield of Winter Wheat - A Case Study in the North China Plain

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e0162655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuwei Liu ◽  
Hongyong Sun ◽  
Til Feike ◽  
Xiying Zhang ◽  
Liwei Shao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Relationships between the planetary boundary layer height and surface pollutants derived from lidar observations over China

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianning Su ◽  
Zhanqing Li ◽  
Ralph Kahn
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Planetary Boundary Layer Height ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Boundary Layer Height ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain

Abstract. The frequent occurrence of severe air pollution episodes in China has raised great concerns with the public and scientific communities. Planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) is a key factor in the vertical mixing and dilution of near-surface pollutants. However, the relationship between PBLH and surface pollutants, especially particulate matter (PM) concentration, across the whole of China, is not yet well understood. We investigate this issue at ~ 1500 surface stations using PBLH derived from space-borne and ground-based lidar, and discuss the influence of topography and meteorological variables on the PBLH-PM relationship. A generally negative correlation is observed between PM and the PBLH, albeit varying greatly in magnitude with location and season. Correlations are much weaker over the highlands than plains regions, which may be associated with lower pollution levels and mountain breezes. The influence of horizontal transport on surface PM is considered as well, manifested as a negative correlation between surface PM and wind speed over the whole nation. Strong wind with clean upwind sources plays a dominant role in removing pollutants, and leads to weak PBLH-PM correlation. A ventilation rate is introduced to jointly consider horizontal and vertical dispersion, which has the largest impact on surface pollutant accumulation over the North China Plain. Aerosol absorption feedbacks also appear to affect the PBLH-PM relationship, as revealed via comparing air pollution in Beijing and Hong Kong. Absorbing aerosols in high concentrations likely contribute to the significant PBLH-PM correlation over the North China Plain (e.g., during winter). As major precursor emissions for secondary aerosols, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide have similar negative responses to increased PBLH, whereas ozone is positively correlated with PBLH over most regions, which may be caused by heterogeneous reactions and photolysis rates.

scholarly journals Characteristics and formation mechanism of continuous hazes in China: a case study during the autumn of 2014 in the North China Plain

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (14) ◽  
pp. 8165-8178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. R. Yang ◽  
X. G. Liu ◽  
Y. Qu ◽  
J. L. An ◽  
R. Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Formation Mechanism ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Beijing City ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Haze Episode

Abstract. Four extreme haze episodes occurred in October 2014 in the North China Plain (NCP). To clarify the formation mechanism of hazes in autumn, strengthened observations were conducted in Beijing from 5 October to 2 November. The meteorological parameters, satellite data, chemical compositions and optical properties of aerosols were obtained. The hazes originated from the NCP, developing in the southwest and northeast directions, with the highest concentration of PM2.5 of 469 μg m−3 in Beijing. The NCP was dominated by a weak high pressure system during the haze episode, which resulted in low surface wind speed and relatively stagnant weather. Moreover, the wind slowed down around Beijing city. The secondary aerosols NO3− was always higher than that of SO42−, which indicated the motor vehicles played a more important part in the hazes in October 2014, even though the oxidation rate from SO2 to SO42− was faster than that of NOx to NO3−. Sudden increases of the concentrations of organic matter, Cl− and BC (black carbon) before each haze episode implied that regional transport of pollutants by biomass burning was important for haze formation during autumn. A satellite map of fire points and the backward trajectories of the air masses also indicated this pollution source. The distinct decrease in the PBL (planetary boundary layer) height during four haze episodes restrained the vertical dispersion of the air pollutants. Water vapor also played a vital role in the formation of hazes by accelerating the chemical transformation of secondary pollutants, leading to hygroscopic growth of aerosols and altering the thermal balance of the atmosphere.

Aerosol chemical compositions in the North China Plain and the impact on the visibility in Beijing and Tianjin

2018 ◽  
Vol 201 ◽  
pp. 235-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianan Zou ◽  
Zirui Liu ◽  
Bo Hu ◽  
Xiaojuan Huang ◽  
Tianxue Wen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
The Impact

Impact of the methods of groundwater access on irrigation and crop yield in the North China Plain

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Zhang ◽  
Jinxia Wang ◽  
Guangsheng Zhang ◽  
Qiuqiong Huang
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yield ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Climate Factors ◽  
Groundwater Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Groundwater Markets ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is: to track the methods by which farmers access groundwater for irrigation in the North China Plain (NCP); to explore whether climate factors influence farmers’ decisions on the methods of groundwater access for irrigation; and to examine whether the amount of groundwater use for irrigation and crop yield systematically differ across groups of farmers using various methods of groundwater access, and how climate factors affect them. Design/methodology/approach Descriptive statistical analysis and econometric models are used on household survey data collected over several years and county-level climate data. Findings Over the past few decades, a significant share of farmers have switched the methods of groundwater access from collective tubewells to own tubewells or groundwater markets. Farmers who bought water from groundwater markets applied less water to wheat plots than those who had their own tubewells. However, wheat yield was not negatively affected. Both average climate conditions and long-term variations were found to be related to farmers’ choice of methods of groundwater access for irrigation. More frequent droughts and increasingly volatile temperatures both increased the likelihood of farmers gaining groundwater irrigation from markets. Originality/value The analysis results suggest farmers are using groundwater markets to help them adapt to climate change. Applying empirical analysis to identify the impact of the methods by which farmers access groundwater for irrigation on the amount of groundwater use and crop yield will help policy makers design reasonable adaptation policies for the NCP.

scholarly journals Study on the Change Characteristics of and Population Exposure to Heatwave Events on the North China Plain

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Long-Fei Zhan ◽  
Yanjun Wang ◽  
Hemin Sun ◽  
Jianqing Zhai ◽  
Mingjin Zhan
Keyword(s):  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Central Position ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
The Impact

In accordance with the China Meteorological Administration definition, this study considered a weather process with a maximum surface temperature of ≥35°C for more than three consecutive days as a heatwave event. Based on a dataset of daily maximum temperatures from meteorological stations on the North China Plain, including ordinary and national basic/reference surface stations, the intensity-area-duration method was used to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of heatwave events on the North China Plain (1961–2017). Moreover, based on demographic data from the Statistical Yearbook and Greenhouse Gas Initiative (GGI) Population Scenario Database of the Austrian Institute for International Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), population exposure to heatwave events was also studied. The results showed that the frequency, intensity, and area of impact of heatwave events on the North China Plain initially decreased (becoming weaker and less extensive) and then increased (becoming stronger and more extensive). Similarly, the trend of population exposure to heatwave events initially decreased and then increased, and the central position of exposure initially moved southward and then returned northward. Population exposure in the eastern Taihang Mountains was found significantly higher than in the western Taihang Mountains. In relation to the change of population exposure to heatwave events on the North China Plain, the influence of climatic factors was found dominant with an absolute contribution rate of >75%. Except for 2011–2017, increase in population also increased the exposure to heatwaves, particularly in the first half of the study period. Interaction between climatic and population factors generally had less impact on population exposure than either climatic factors or population factors alone. This study demonstrated a method for assessing the impact of heatwave events on population exposure, which could form a scientific basis for the development of government policy regarding adaption to climate change.

Different roles of nitrate and sulfate in air pollution episodes in the North China Plain

2020 ◽  
Vol 224 ◽  
pp. 117325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinghong Wang ◽  
Guiqian Tang ◽  
Wei Zhao ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Lili Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Air Pollution Episodes ◽  
Pollution Episodes

scholarly journals Observation of atmospheric peroxides during Wangdu Campaign 2014 at a rural site in the North China Plain

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (17) ◽  
pp. 10985-11000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yin Wang ◽  
Zhongming Chen ◽  
Qinqin Wu ◽  
Hao Liang ◽  
Liubin Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Rural Site ◽  
Direct Production ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Haze Days

Abstract. Measurements of atmospheric peroxides were made during Wangdu Campaign 2014 at Wangdu, a rural site in the North China Plain (NCP) in summer 2014. The predominant peroxides were detected to be hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), methyl hydroperoxide (MHP) and peroxyacetic acid (PAA). The observed H2O2 reached up to 11.3 ppbv, which was the highest value compared with previous observations in China at summer time. A box model simulation based on the Master Chemical Mechanism and constrained by the simultaneous observations of physical parameters and chemical species was performed to explore the chemical budget of atmospheric peroxides. Photochemical oxidation of alkenes was found to be the major secondary formation pathway of atmospheric peroxides, while contributions from alkanes and aromatics were of minor importance. The comparison of modeled and measured peroxide concentrations revealed an underestimation during biomass burning events and an overestimation on haze days, which were ascribed to the direct production of peroxides from biomass burning and the heterogeneous uptake of peroxides by aerosols, respectively. The strengths of the primary emissions from biomass burning were on the same order of the known secondary production rates of atmospheric peroxides during the biomass burning events. The heterogeneous process on aerosol particles was suggested to be the predominant sink for atmospheric peroxides. The atmospheric lifetime of peroxides on haze days in summer in the NCP was about 2–3 h, which is in good agreement with the laboratory studies. Further comprehensive investigations are necessary to better understand the impact of biomass burning and heterogeneous uptake on the concentration of peroxides in the atmosphere.

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