Spatiotemporal Variations and Regional Transport of Air Pollutants in Two Urban Agglomerations in Northeast China Plain

Characteristics of air pollution in Northeast China(NEC) received less research attention in the past comparing to other heavily polluted regions in China.Spatiotemporal variations of six criteria air pollutants(PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, O3 and CO) in Central Liaoning Urban Agglomeration(CLUA) and Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration(HCUA) in NEC Plain were analyzed in this study based on three-year hourly observations of air pollutants and meteorological variables from 2015 to 2017.The results indicated that the annual mean concentrations of air pollutants are generally higher in the middle and southern regions in NEC Plain and lower in the northern region.Megacities such as Shenyang, Harbin and Changchun experience severe air pollution, with a three-year averaged air quality index(AQI) larger than 80, far exceeding the daily AQI standard at the first-level of 50 in China.The annual mean PM and SO2 concentrations decrease most significantly in NEC urban agglomerations from 2015 to 2017, followed by CO and NO2, while O3 shows a slight increasing trend.All the six pollutants exhibit obvious seasonal and diurnal variations, and these variations are dictated by local emission and meteorological conditions.PM2.5 and O3 concentrations in NEC urban agglomerations strongly depend on wind conditions.High O3 concentrations at different cities usually occur in presence of strong winds but are independent on wind direction(WD), while high PM2.5 is usually accompanied by weak winds and poor dispersion condition, and sometimes also occur when the northerly or southerly winds are strong.Regional transport of air pollutants between NEC urban agglomerations is common.A severe haze event on November 1–4, 2017 is examined to demonstrate the role of regional transport on pollution.

Study on the Variation Characteristic of Precipitation in Liaoning Province in Recent 48 Years

[Objective] The aim was to study the variation characteristic of precipitation in Liaoning Province in recent 48 years. [Method] According to monthly precipitation data from meteorological observation station in Liaoning Province from 1961 to 2008, the variation characteristic of precipitation in Liaoning was analyzed by means of one-dimensional linear estimation, 5-year moving average and wavelet transform method in our paper. [Result] Annual mean precipitation in Liaoning from 1961 to 2008 showed decrease trend on the whole, and there was great difference in variation in each season; there was more rainfall in 1960s, 1970s and 1990s and less rainfall in 1980s; spring precipitation showed increase trend on the whole, with great annual variation, while precipitation in other seasons reduced; the main fluctuation period of precipitation was 7-9 years which included the shorter variation period of 2-3 years. [Conclusion] The study could provide scientific references for the rational utilization of water resources, disaster prevention and reduction in Liaoning Province.

Characteristics of Boundary Layer Structure during a Persistent Haze Event in the Central Liaoning City Cluster, Northeast China

The characteristics of boundary layer structure during a persistent regional haze event over the central Liaoning city cluster of Northeast China from 16 to 21 December 2016 were investigated based on the measurements of particulate matter（PM） concentration and the meteorological data within the atmospheric boundary layer（ABL）. During the observational period, the maximum hourly mean PM_（2.5） and PM10 concentrations in Shenyang, Anshan, Fushun, and Benxi ranged from 276 to 355 μg m–3 and from 378 to 442 μg m–3, respectively, and the lowest hourly mean atmospheric visibility（VIS） in different cities ranged from 0.14 to 0.64 km. The central Liaoning city cluster was located in the front of a slowly moving high pressure and was mainly controlled by southerly winds. Wind speed（WS） within the ABL（〈 2 km） decreased significantly and WS at 10-m height mostly remained below 2 m s–1 during the hazy episodes, which was favorable for the accumulation of air pollutants. A potential temperature inversion layer existed throughout the entire ABL during the earlier hazy episode [from 0500 Local Time（LT） 18 December to 1100 LT 19 December], and then a potential temperature inversion layer developed with the bottom gradually decreased from 900 m to 300 m. Such a stable atmospheric stratification further weakened pollutant dispersion. The atmospheric boundary layer height（ABLH） estimated based on potential temperature profiles was mostly lower than 400 m and varied oppositely with PM_（2.5） in Shenyang. In summary, weak winds due to calm synoptic conditions, strong thermal inversion layer, and shallow atmospheric boundary layer contributed to the formation and development of this haze event.The backward trajectory analysis revealed the sources of air masses and explained the different characteristics of the haze episodes in the four cities.

Climate Characteristics of Abnormal Double-Blocking Activities over the Ural Mountains and Sea of Okhotsk

By using NCEP–NCAR daily reanalysis data for June–August of 1948–2009, the synoptic situation of the doubleblocking high pressure process over the Ural Mountains–Sea of Okhotsk region was identified objectively, and the climatic characteristics and dynamic mechanism during the double blockings were also investigated. The results suggest that the Urals–Okhotsk double-blocking high experienced obviously an abrupt change around 1977. After the change, the occurrence frequency and number of sustained days of the blocking high reduced significantly.Moreover, the zonal spacing between the Urals blocking and the Okhotsk blocking also decreased, while their meridional locations did not change much. The double blockings became strengthened in general, and the blocking high over the Sea of Okhotsk extended northward evidently. However, during the process without double-blocking activities, the intensity and location of the double-blocking high showed no noticeable variation before and after the abrupt change. In addition, dynamic diagnosis shows that after the abrupt change, the energy of the double-blocking high mainly propagated vertically from low to high levels, and transferred horizontally from low to high latitudes; whereas, previously, before the abrupt change, this occurred from high to low latitudes. Meanwhile, the development of a low pressure system was fueled between the double blockings, which meant that the double-blocking activity was beneficial to the maintenance and development of the Northeast China cold vortex. In short, diagnosis of the wave energy has provided us with a better explanation of the life cycle characteristics of this double-blocking phenomenon before and after 1977.

Bias Analysis and Correction of Ground Surface Temperature Observations across China

Based on the ground surface temperature(GST)and snow surface temperature(SST)measurements during the period of adjustment from manual to automatic observation systems in China,the influence of observation methods on GST and its relationship with snow cover is analyzed.GST is corrected by SST,and the correction effect is evaluated.The results show that,during the parallel observation period,the winter GSTs from automatic observations are generally higher than those from manual observations,with the automatically observed national daily GST 1.18°C higher.The adjustment has a greater impact on GSTs at 0200,0800,and 2000 Beijing Time(BT)than at 1400 BT,and it has the greatest impact in Northeast and Northwest China,with deviations of 5.24 and 2.09°C,respectively.The GST deviation is closely related to the snow depth and annual snow totals.The average daily GST deviation increases at the rate of 0.66°C per 1-cm increase of snow depth when it is<15 cm,while it tends to be stable at around 10°C for snow depth over 15 cm.The GST deviation at a station is affected by its winter snow totals in Northeast and Northwest China,where the largest deviations are found where snow totals are all above 1000 cm.After the correction with SST,the mean deviation between the automatic and manual observations as well as the false trend can be effectively reduced.Following the correction,the mean deviation of daily GST decreases by 5.8°C,and its trend decreases from 1.87 to 0.65°C decade-1.