Meteorological influences on PM2.5 and O3 trends and associated health burden since China's clean air actions

Lei Chen; Jia Zhu; Hong Liao; Yang Yang; Xu Yue

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140837

Meteorological influences on PM_2.5 and O₃ trends and associated health burden since China's clean air actions

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Nov 20:744:140837. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140837. Epub 2020 Jul 13.

Authors

Lei Chen¹, Jia Zhu², Hong Liao³, Yang Yang², Xu Yue²

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME), Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
² Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
³ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 32693282
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140837

Abstract

Stringent clean air actions have been implemented to improve air quality in China since 2013. In addition to anthropogenic emission abatements, the changes in air quality may be modulated also by meteorology. In this study, we developed multiple linear regression models to quantify meteorological influences on the trends in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and ozone (O₃) concentrations and associated health burden over three polluted regions of China, i.e., North China Plain, Yangtze River Delta, and Fen-wei Plain during 2014-2018, with a novel focus on the contributions of the most influential meteorological factors to PM_2.5 and O₃ trends as well as the meteorological contributions to PM_2.5- and O₃-related mortality trends. The meteorology-driven PM_2.5 (O₃) trends for the three regions were -0.5~-2.0 (+0.7~+0.8) μg m^-3 yr^-1, contributing 10- 26% (12- 18%) of the observed five-year decreasing PM_2.5 (increasing O₃) trends. The decreased relative humidity (increased daytime planetary boundary layer height) was identified to be the most influential meteorological factor and explained 55% (42%) of the largest meteorology-driven PM_2.5 (O₃) trend among all regions and seasons. The meteorology-driven decreases in PM_2.5 (increases in O₃) concentrations led to overall decreases in PM_2.5-related (increases in O₃-related) mortalities with trends of -2.2~-7.4 (+0.5~+0.9) thousand yr^-1 for the three regions, accounting for 10- 26% (15- 31%) of the total decreasing (increasing) trends in PM_2.5-related (O₃-related) mortalities. The results emphasize the important role of meteorology in PM_2.5 and O₃ air quality and associated health burden over China, and have important implications for China's air quality planning. In particular, more efforts in emission control should be taken to offset the adverse effects on ozone caused by meteorology.

Keywords: Health impact; Meteorological influence; Ozone; PM(2.5).