TY - JOUR
T1 - Severe haze episodes in Beijing may be influenced by emissions in far western China
AU - Foreback, Benjamin
AU - Clusius, Petri Sebastian
AU - Baykara, Metin
AU - Mahura, Alexander
AU - Pichelstorfer, Lukas
AU - Xavier, Carlton
AU - Zhou, Putian
AU - Kokkonen, Tom
AU - Kerminen, Veli-Matti
AU - Liu, Yongchun
AU - Xia, Men
AU - Chen, Xin
AU - Hua, Chenjie
AU - Wang, Zongcheng
AU - Nuterman, Roman
AU - Baklanov, Alexander
AU - Ciarelli, Giancarlo
AU - Sinclair, Victoria
AU - Liu, Zhi-Song
AU - Ashu, Taiwo Adewumi
AU - Ashu, Valery Ntui
AU - Kulmala, Markku
AU - Paasonen, Pauli
AU - Boy, Michael
PY - 2024/12/31
Y1 - 2024/12/31
N2 - We applied the FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model) and SOSAA (the model to Simulate the concentration of Organic vapors, Sulfuric Acid, and Aerosols) modelling system to simulate a severe pollution episode in Beijing in November 2018. SOSAA conducts model calculations using a Lagrangian approach, moving with the transported air masses. The model includes detailed chemical and aerosol mechanisms, incorporating aerosol size distribution in addition to simple mass concentrations. This is particularly valuable from a health perspective because particles in the Aitken mode size range significantly impact health. In this study, SOSAA was run along 7-day backward trajectories to investigate the origins and processes of a severe haze episode in Beijing during November 2018. Our findings indicate that approximately 75% of the particles in Beijing originated from outside the city, resulting from regional rather than local emission sources. The highest pollutant concentrations during the peak of the haze episode were observed when trajectories passed through the high-emission region of southern Hebei province. Some of the particle mass during the haze was traced back to Xinjiang, a region with substantial industry and coal use. After evaluating the results, we created several reduced-emission scenarios and conducted sensitivity tests, which we applied to this haze episode. We discovered that comprehensive emission control across multiple emission sectors was more effective than addressing only one individual sector. Furthermore, we found that large-scale emission control at a regional or national level would be significantly more effective than merely restricting emissions within the city limits of Beijing.
AB - We applied the FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model) and SOSAA (the model to Simulate the concentration of Organic vapors, Sulfuric Acid, and Aerosols) modelling system to simulate a severe pollution episode in Beijing in November 2018. SOSAA conducts model calculations using a Lagrangian approach, moving with the transported air masses. The model includes detailed chemical and aerosol mechanisms, incorporating aerosol size distribution in addition to simple mass concentrations. This is particularly valuable from a health perspective because particles in the Aitken mode size range significantly impact health. In this study, SOSAA was run along 7-day backward trajectories to investigate the origins and processes of a severe haze episode in Beijing during November 2018. Our findings indicate that approximately 75% of the particles in Beijing originated from outside the city, resulting from regional rather than local emission sources. The highest pollutant concentrations during the peak of the haze episode were observed when trajectories passed through the high-emission region of southern Hebei province. Some of the particle mass during the haze was traced back to Xinjiang, a region with substantial industry and coal use. After evaluating the results, we created several reduced-emission scenarios and conducted sensitivity tests, which we applied to this haze episode. We discovered that comprehensive emission control across multiple emission sectors was more effective than addressing only one individual sector. Furthermore, we found that large-scale emission control at a regional or national level would be significantly more effective than merely restricting emissions within the city limits of Beijing.
M3 - Article
SN - 1873-9318
JO - Air quality, atmosphere & health
JF - Air quality, atmosphere & health
ER -