Emergency Response Measures to Alleviate a Severe Haze Pollution Event in Northern China during December 2015: Assessment of Effectiveness
Abstract Using the WRF-Chem model, we simulated the surface PM2.5 concentrations on the North China Plain (NCP) during a severe winter haze episode (December 6–10, 2015) with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of the implemented emergency response measures (ERMs) in alleviating the pollution. W...
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| Format: | Article |
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Springer
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2019.09.0442 |
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| author | Yaping Ma Tzung-May Fu Heng Tian Jian Gao Min Hu Jianping Guo Yangmei Zhang Yele Sun Lijuan Zhang Xin Yang Xiaofei Wang |
| author_facet | Yaping Ma Tzung-May Fu Heng Tian Jian Gao Min Hu Jianping Guo Yangmei Zhang Yele Sun Lijuan Zhang Xin Yang Xiaofei Wang |
| author_sort | Yaping Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Using the WRF-Chem model, we simulated the surface PM2.5 concentrations on the North China Plain (NCP) during a severe winter haze episode (December 6–10, 2015) with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of the implemented emergency response measures (ERMs) in alleviating the pollution. We estimated that the ERMs decreased the anthropogenic pollutant emissions, with the exception of NH3, by 8–48% during this event. Inputting these reduced emission estimates, our simulations reproduced the observed PM2.5 concentrations and compositions. Stagnant regional meteorological conditions increased the lifetime of the PM2.5 in the NCP boundary layer from 1 day during the clean period to 5 days during the haze episode. Additionally, local emissions accounted for approximately only 20% of the surface PM2.5 in Beijing but more than 62% over the rest of the NCP. We found that the ERMs achieved a modest reduction in the mean surface PM2.5 concentrations during the event, decreasing them by 7% and 4% in Beijing and across the rest of the NCP, respectively. The limited effect was due to the duration of the ERMs being much shorter than the lifetime of the PM2.5, which prevented the concentrations of the latter from fully reflecting the reduction in emissions. We conclude that anthropogenic emissions on the NCP during severe winter haze episodes must be reduced by a much larger percentage to substantially abate the PM2.5 concentrations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-72e899fc29354a3e91a3a83fa77dd907 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1680-8584 2071-1409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-72e899fc29354a3e91a3a83fa77dd9072025-08-20T02:15:17ZengSpringerAerosol and Air Quality Research1680-85842071-14092020-05-0120102098211610.4209/aaqr.2019.09.0442Emergency Response Measures to Alleviate a Severe Haze Pollution Event in Northern China during December 2015: Assessment of EffectivenessYaping Ma0Tzung-May Fu1Heng Tian2Jian Gao3Min Hu4Jianping Guo5Yangmei Zhang6Yele Sun7Lijuan Zhang8Xin Yang9Xiaofei Wang10Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Peking UniversityState Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental ScienceState Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesKey Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesDepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Peking UniversityState Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and TechnologyShanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan UniversityAbstract Using the WRF-Chem model, we simulated the surface PM2.5 concentrations on the North China Plain (NCP) during a severe winter haze episode (December 6–10, 2015) with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of the implemented emergency response measures (ERMs) in alleviating the pollution. We estimated that the ERMs decreased the anthropogenic pollutant emissions, with the exception of NH3, by 8–48% during this event. Inputting these reduced emission estimates, our simulations reproduced the observed PM2.5 concentrations and compositions. Stagnant regional meteorological conditions increased the lifetime of the PM2.5 in the NCP boundary layer from 1 day during the clean period to 5 days during the haze episode. Additionally, local emissions accounted for approximately only 20% of the surface PM2.5 in Beijing but more than 62% over the rest of the NCP. We found that the ERMs achieved a modest reduction in the mean surface PM2.5 concentrations during the event, decreasing them by 7% and 4% in Beijing and across the rest of the NCP, respectively. The limited effect was due to the duration of the ERMs being much shorter than the lifetime of the PM2.5, which prevented the concentrations of the latter from fully reflecting the reduction in emissions. We conclude that anthropogenic emissions on the NCP during severe winter haze episodes must be reduced by a much larger percentage to substantially abate the PM2.5 concentrations.https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2019.09.0442PM2.5Severe hazeEmission reductionNorthern ChinaWRF-Chem |
| spellingShingle | Yaping Ma Tzung-May Fu Heng Tian Jian Gao Min Hu Jianping Guo Yangmei Zhang Yele Sun Lijuan Zhang Xin Yang Xiaofei Wang Emergency Response Measures to Alleviate a Severe Haze Pollution Event in Northern China during December 2015: Assessment of Effectiveness Aerosol and Air Quality Research PM2.5 Severe haze Emission reduction Northern China WRF-Chem |
| title | Emergency Response Measures to Alleviate a Severe Haze Pollution Event in Northern China during December 2015: Assessment of Effectiveness |
| title_full | Emergency Response Measures to Alleviate a Severe Haze Pollution Event in Northern China during December 2015: Assessment of Effectiveness |
| title_fullStr | Emergency Response Measures to Alleviate a Severe Haze Pollution Event in Northern China during December 2015: Assessment of Effectiveness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emergency Response Measures to Alleviate a Severe Haze Pollution Event in Northern China during December 2015: Assessment of Effectiveness |
| title_short | Emergency Response Measures to Alleviate a Severe Haze Pollution Event in Northern China during December 2015: Assessment of Effectiveness |
| title_sort | emergency response measures to alleviate a severe haze pollution event in northern china during december 2015 assessment of effectiveness |
| topic | PM2.5 Severe haze Emission reduction Northern China WRF-Chem |
| url | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2019.09.0442 |
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