Modeling study on the roles of the deposition and transport of PM_(2.5) in air quality changes over central-eastern China

The role of PM_(2.5)(particles with aerodynamic diameters≤_(2.5)μm)deposition in air quality changes over China remains unclear.By using the three-year(2013,2015,and 2017)simulation results of the WRF/CUACE v1.0 model from a previous work(Zhang et al.,2021),a non-linear relationship between the deposition of PM_(2.5)and anthropogenic emissions over central-eastern China in cold seasons as well as in different life stages of haze events was unraveled.PM_(2.5)deposition is spatially distributed differently from PM_(2.5)concentrations and anthropogenic emissions over China.The North China Plain(NCP)is typically characterized by higher anthropogenic emissions compared to southern China,such as the middlelow reaches of Yangtze River(MLYR),which includes parts of the Yangtze River Delta and the Midwest.However,PM_(2.5)deposition in the NCP is significantly lower than that in the MLYR region,suggesting that in addition to meteorology and emissions,lower deposition is another important factor in the increase in haze levels.Regional transport of pollution in central-eastern China acts as a moderator of pollution levels in different regions,for example by bringing pollution from the NCP to the MLYR region in cold seasons.It was found that in typical haze events the deposition flux of PM_(2.5)during the removal stages is substantially higher than that in accumulation stages,with most of the PM_(2.5)being transported southward and deposited to the MLYR and Sichuan Basin region,corresponding to a latitude range of about 24°N-31°N.

Simulating Aerosol Size Distribution and Mass Concentration with Simultaneous Nucleation,Condensation/Coagulation, and Deposition with the GRAPES–CUACE

A coupled aerosol–cloud model is essential for investigating the formation of haze and fog and the interaction of aerosols with clouds and precipitation. One of the key tasks of such a model is to produce correct mass and number size distributions of aerosols. In this paper, a parameterization scheme for aerosol size distribution in initial emission,which took into account the measured mass and number size distributions of aerosols, was developed in the GRAPES–CUACE [Global/Regional Assimilation and Pr Ediction System–China Meteorological Administration（CMA） Unified Atmospheric Chemistry Environment model]—an online chemical weather forecast system that contains microphysical processes and emission, transport, and chemical conversion of sectional multi-component aerosols. In addition, the competitive mechanism between nucleation and condensation for secondary aerosol formation was improved, and the dry deposition was also modified to be in consistent with the real depositing length. Based on the above improvements, the GRAPES–CUACE simulations were verified against observational data during 1–31 January 2013, when a series of heavy regional haze–fog events occurred in eastern China. The results show that the aerosol number size distribution from the improved experiment was much closer to the observation, whereas in the old experiment the number concentration was higher in the nucleation mode and lower in the accumulation mode. Meanwhile, the errors in aerosol number size distribution as diagnosed by its sectional mass size distribution were also reduced. Moreover, simulations of organic carbon, sulfate, and other aerosol components were improved and the overestimation as well as underestimation of PM2.5 concentration in eastern China was significantly reduced,leading to increased correlation coefficient between simulated and observed PM2.5 by more than 70%. In the remote areas where bad simulation results were produced previously, the correlation coefficient grew from 0.35 to 0.61, and the mean mass concentration went up from 43% to 87.5% of the observed value. Thus, the simulation of particulate matters in these areas has been improved considerably.

Influences of Meteorological Conditions on Interannual Variations of Particulate Matter Pollution during Winter in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Area

To investigate the interannual variations of particulate matter （PM） pollution in winter, this paper examines the pollution characteristics of PM with aerodynamic diameters of less than 2.5 and 10 μm （i.e., PM2.5 and PM10）, and their relationship to meteorological conditions over the Beijing municipality, Tianjin municipality, and Hebei Province--an area called Jing-Jin-Ji （JJJ, hereinafter）-in December 2013-16. The meteorological conditions during this period are also analyzed. The regional average concentrations of PM2.5 （PM10） over the JJJ area during this period were 148.6 （236.4）, 100.1 （166.4）, 140.5 （204.5）, and 141.7 （203.1） μg m^-3, respectively. The high occurrence frequencies of cold air outbreaks, a strong Siberian high, high wind speeds and boundary layer height, and low temperature and relative humidity, were direct meteorological causes of the low PM concentration in December 2014. A combined analysis of PM pollution and meteorological conditions implied that control measures have resulted in an effective improvement in air quality. Using the same emissions inventory in December 2013-16, a modeling analysis showed emissions of PM2.5 to decrease by 12.7%, 8.6%, and 8.3% in December 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively, each compared with the previous year, over the JJJ area.