Influence of atmospheric circulation patterns on urban air quality during the winter

Grundström, Maria; Tang, Lin; Hallquist, Mattias; Nguyen, Hung N.; Chen, Deliang; Pleijel, Håkan

doi:10.5094/apr.2015.032

Cited by 43 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Russo et al (2014) presented an objective classification scheme for the atmospheric circulation affecting Portugal between 2002 and 2010 and revealed that higher concentrations of PM 10 , O 3 , and NO 2 are predominantly associated with synoptic circulation that is characterized by an eastern component and the advection of dry air masses. Previous studies have confirmed that different levels of air pollution are closely related with weather patterns, and they ascribed its great spatial variability to the fact that the dominant weather pattern differs between different regions (Flocas et al, 2009;Grundstrom et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…However, these emissions are normally quasistable within a certain period of time (Kurokawa et al, 2013). Thus, the pollution level in a certain region generally depends on the regional weather conditions (namely, weather patterns), which are strongly correlated with synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation (Buchanan et al, 2002;Chuang et al, 2008;Flocas et al, 2009;Zhang et al, 2012;Zhao et al, 2013;Russo et al, 2014;Grundstrom et al, 2015;Zheng et al, 2015a, b;Li et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regional severe particle pollution and its association with synoptic weather patterns in the Yangtze River Delta region, China

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Regional air pollution is significantly associated with dominant weather systems. In this study, the relationship between the particle pollution over the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region and weather patterns is investigated. First, the pollution characteristics of particles in the YRD are studied using in situ monitoring data (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) in 16 cities and Terra/MODIS AOD (aerosol optical depth) products collected from December 2013 to November 2014. The results show that the regional mean value of AOD is high in the YRD, with an annual mean value of 0.71 ± 0.57. The annual mean particle concentrations in the cities of Jiangsu Province all exceed the national air quality standard. The pollution level is higher in inland areas, and the highest concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 10 are 79 and 130 µg m −3 , respectively, in Nanjing. The PM 2.5 : PM 10 ratios are typically high, thus indicating that PM 2.5 is the overwhelmingly dominant particle pollutant in the YRD. The wintertime peak of particle concentrations is tightly linked to the increased emissions during the heating season as well as adverse meteorological conditions. Second, based on NCEP (National Center for Environmental Prediction) reanalysis data, synoptic weather classification is conducted and five typical synoptic patterns are objectively identified. Finally, the synthetic analysis of meteorological fields and backward trajectories are applied to further clarify how these patterns impact particle concentrations. It is demonstrated that air pollution is more or less influenced by high-pressure systems. The relative position of the YRD to the anti-cyclonic circulation exerts significant effects on the air quality of the YRD. The YRD is largely influenced by polluted air masses from the northern and the southern inland areas when it is located at the rear of the East Asian major trough. The significant downward motion of air masses results in stable weather conditions, thereby hindering the diffusion of air pollutants. Thus, this pattern is quite favorable for the accumulation of pollutants in the YRD, resulting in higher regional mean PM 10 (116.5 ± 66.9 µg m −3 ), PM 2.5 (75.9 ± 49.9 µg m −3 ), and AOD (0.74) values. Moreover, this pattern is also responsible for the occurrence of most large-scale regional PM 2.5 (70.4 %) and PM 10 (78.3 %) pollution episodes. High wind speed and clean marine air masses may also play important roles in the mitigation of pollution in the YRD. Especially when the clean marine air masses account for a large proportion of all trajectories (i.e., when the YRD is affected by the cyclonic system or oceanic circulation), the air in the YRD has a lesser chance of being polluted. The observed correlation between weather patterns and particle pollution can provide valuable insight into making decisions about pollution control and mitigation strategies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional severe particle pollution and its association with synoptic weather patterns in the Yangtze River Delta region, China

et al. 2017

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“…In summer and autumn, on the other hand, while the well-mixed nights were characterised by the highest wind speeds (!1.5 m s (1 ), there was little distinction between wind speeds from moderately mixed to stable atmospheric conditions. Grundstrom et al (2015) found that up to 93% of pollutant concentration variability can be attributed to conditions for which wind speed B1.5 m s These results indicate that changes in mechanical mixing represent the dominant influence on the nocturnal mixing state in winter and spring (Fig. 10), whereas changes in the thermal stratification of the lower atmosphere are the dominant influence on the nocturnal mixing state in summer and autumn ( Fig.…”

Section: Meteorological Characterisation Of Radon-derived Stability Cmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Thermally stable atmospheric conditions and their associated shallow mixing depths are renowned for impeding the dispersion of urban pollution (e.g. Duenas et al, 1996;Perrino et al, 2008;Belusˇic´et al, 2015;Grundstrom et al, 2015;Chambers et al, 2015a). They are also very problematic conditions for numerical models to accurately simulate, in large part due to limitations in model vertical resolution and the ability of parameterisations to accurately represent near-surface mixing processes (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radon as a tracer of atmospheric influences on traffic-related air pollution in a small inland city

Williams¹,

Chambers²,

Conen³

et al. 2016

Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology

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A B S T R A C T One year of radon, benzene and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations were analysed to characterise the combined influences of variations in traffic density and meteorological conditions on urban air quality in Bern, Switzerland. A recently developed radon-based stability categorisation technique was adapted to account for seasonal changes in day length and reduction in the local radon flux due to snow/ice cover and high soil moisture. Diurnal pollutant cycles were shown to result from an interplay between variations in surface emissions (traffic density), the depth of the nocturnal atmospheric mixing layer (dilution) and local horizontal advection of cleaner air from outside the central urban/industrial area of this small compact inland city. Substantial seasonal differences in the timing and duration of peak pollutant concentrations in the diurnal cycle were attributable to changes in day length and the switching to/from daylight-savings time in relation to traffic patterns. In summer, average peak benzene concentrations (0.62 ppb) occurred in the morning and remained above 0.5 ppb for 2 hours, whereas in winter average peak concentrations (0.85 ppb) occurred in the evening and remained above 0.5 ppb for 9 hours. Under stable conditions in winter, average peak benzene concentrations (1.1 ppb) were 120% higher than for well-mixed conditions (0.5 ppb). By comparison, summertime peak benzene concentrations increased by 53% from well-mixed (0.45 ppb) to stable nocturnal conditions (0.7 ppb). An idealised box model incorporating a simple advection term was used to derive a nocturnal mixing length scale based on radon, and then inverted to simulate diurnal benzene and CO emission variations at the city centre. This method effectively removes the influences of local horizontal advection and stability-related vertical dilution from the emissions signal, enabling a direct comparison with hourly traffic density. With the advection term calibrated appropriately, excellent results were obtained, with high regression coefficients in spring and summer for both benzene (r 2 Â0.90Á0.96) and CO (r 2 Â0.88Á0.98) in the two highest stability categories. Weaker regressions in winter likely indicate additional contributions from combustion sources unrelated to vehicular emissions. Average vehicular emissions during daylight hours were estimated to be around 0.503 (542) kg km (2 h (1 for benzene (CO) in the Bern city centre.

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“…In fact, thermally stable atmospheric conditions and their associated shallow mixing depths are known for inhibiting the dispersion of urban pollution (e.g. Perrino et al, 2008;Belušić et al, 2015;Grundstrom et al, 2015;Chambers et al, 2015a). This has made it necessary to discover and understand the links between emission sources, the atmospheric stability conditions and air quality deterioration that results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersion and Modeling of Gaseous Pollutants Released From 12 Hp Diesel Engines at Some Selected Sites in North Central Nigeria

Tyovenda¹,

Ugwuanyi²,

Sombo³

et al. 2017

IOSR JESTFT

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Influence of atmospheric circulation patterns on urban air quality during the winter

Cited by 43 publications

References 28 publications

Regional severe particle pollution and its association with synoptic weather patterns in the Yangtze River Delta region, China

Regional severe particle pollution and its association with synoptic weather patterns in the Yangtze River Delta region, China

Radon as a tracer of atmospheric influences on traffic-related air pollution in a small inland city

Dispersion and Modeling of Gaseous Pollutants Released From 12 Hp Diesel Engines at Some Selected Sites in North Central Nigeria

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