Logo image
Circulation-regulated impacts of aerosol pollution on urban heat island in Beijing
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Circulation-regulated impacts of aerosol pollution on urban heat island in Beijing

Fan Wang, Gregory R. Carmichael, Jing Wang, Bin Chen, Bo Huang, Yuguo Li, Yuanjian Yang and Meng Gao
Atmospheric chemistry and physics, Vol.22(20), pp.13341-13353
10/18/2022
DOI: 10.5194/acp-22-13341-2022
url
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13341-2022View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Unprecedented urbanization in China has led to serious urban heat island (UHI) issues, exerting intense heat stress on urban residents. Based on the observed temperature and PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing over 2016-2020, we find diverse influences of aerosol pollution on urban heat island intensity (UHII) under different circulations. When northerly winds are prevalent in urban Beijing, UHII tends to be much higher in both daytime and nighttime and it is less affected by aerosol concentrations. However, when southerly and westerly winds are dominant in rural Beijing, UHII is significantly reduced by aerosol pollution. Using coupled aerosol-radiation weather simulations, we demonstrate the underlying physical mechanism which is associated with local circulation and resulting spatial distribution of aerosols. Our results also highlight the role of black carbon in aggravating UHI, especially during nighttime. It could thus be targeted for cooperative management of heat islands and aerosol pollution.
Physical Sciences Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences Science & Technology

Details

Metrics

Logo image