Journal article
Contribution of Fire Emissions to PM2.5 and Its Transport Mechanism Over the Yungui Plateau, China During 2015–2019
Journal of geophysical research. Atmospheres, Vol.127(12), e2022JD036734
06/27/2022
DOI: 10.1029/2022JD036734
Abstract
Air pollution over the Yungui Plateau (YGP) in southwestern China can be caused by the transport of biomass burning aerosols from Southeast Asia; however, the magnitude and mechanisms of such long‐range transport have not been fully investigated. Here, we studied the impacts of fire emissions on vertical PM2.5 over the YGP and the transport mechanisms of PM2.5 during the fire seasons (March–April) of the neighboring Indo‐China Peninsula (ICP) region in 2015–2019 using ground‐based monitoring data, reanalysis of meteorology, and GEOS‐Chem model simulations. Average daily PM2.5 concentrations of 36.06 ± 14.86 μg m−3 were measured at 16 ground stations in the YGP with the highest value of 53.77 μg m−3 at Xishuangbanna, the nearest station to the ICP. Model simulations showed that fire emissions contributed approximately 50%–60% of the vertical PM2.5 over the YGP at a height of 3–4 km, with larger contributions in meridional than zonal cross‐sections. Four weather patterns with low pressure over the YGP were identified as favorable conditions for smoke transport. The pattern with the lowest pressure over the northern YGP and the strongest vertical wind disturbance was the most favorable for the eastward transport of fire air pollution to the YGP. Another pattern, which had the strongest southerly wind, promoted smoke aerosols to climb from eastern Myanmar and northern Laos/Vietnam to the YGP. Through these typical pathways, ICP biomass burning significantly impacted PM2.5 pollution in southwestern China.
Plain Language Summary
Based on the ground atmospheric monitoring data, reanalysis of meteorological data, and simulations of chemical transport model, we studied the impacts of fire emissions on vertical PM2.5 over the Yungui Plateau (YGP) and the transport mechanisms of PM2.5 during the fire season of the neighboring Indo‐China Peninsula (ICP) region in 2015–2019. We find that fire emissions contributed approximately 50%{plus minus}20% of the vertical PM2.5 over the YGP at a height of 3–4 km, with larger contributions in meridional than zonal cross‐sections. Four weather patterns with low pressure over the YGP were identified as favorable conditions for smoke transport and the weather pattern showed two typical pathways of smoke transport from the ICP to the YGP. This study reveals the large impacts of trans‐boundary air pollution from the ICP on the air quality in the YGP during biomass burning seasons.
Key Points
Average PM2.5 concentrations at Yungui Plateau (YGP) stations were 36.06 ± 14.86 μg m−3 with the highest value at the nearest station to the Indo‐China Peninsula
Fire emissions contributed 50% ± 20% of the vertical PM2.5 at a height of 3–4 km over the YGP
Four weather patterns with low air pressure were favorable for the transport of PM2.5 to the YGP through two typical pathways
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Contribution of Fire Emissions to PM2.5 and Its Transport Mechanism Over the Yungui Plateau, China During 2015–2019
- Creators
- Jun Zhu - Nanjing UniversityXu Yue - Nanjing UniversityHuizheng Che - CMAXiangao Xia - University of Chinese Academy of SciencesYadong Lei - CMAJun Wang - University of IowaTianliang Zhao - Nanjing University of Information Science and TechnologyXingna Yu - Nanjing University of Information Science and TechnologyHao Zhou - Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)Hong Liao - Nanjing University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of geophysical research. Atmospheres, Vol.127(12), e2022JD036734
- DOI
- 10.1029/2022JD036734
- ISSN
- 2169-897X
- eISSN
- 2169-8996
- Number of pages
- 15
- Grant note
- University of Iowa National Natural Science Foundation of China (41975161; 42030608; 42030612) Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20170943) National Key Research and Development Program of China (2019YFC0214604; 41825011)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/27/2022
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984269259602771
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