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Frontiers of Earth Science

ISSN 2095-0195

ISSN 2095-0209(Online)

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Front. Earth Sci.    2018, Vol. 12 Issue (2) : 361-372    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-017-0673-9
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Exploring the heavy air pollution in Beijing in the fourth quarter of 2015: assessment of environmental benefits for red alerts
Teng NIE1, Lei NIE1, Zhen ZHOU1, Zhanshan WANG2(), Yifeng XUE1(), Jiajia GAO3, Xiaoqing WU1, Shoubin FAN1, Linglong CHENG1
1. National Engineering Research Center of Urban Environmental Pollution Control, Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing 100037, China
2. Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing 100048, China
3. Department of Air Pollution Control, Beijing Municipal Institute of Labour Protection, Beijing 100054, China
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Abstract

In recent years, Beijing has experienced severe air pollution which has caused widespread public concern. Compared to the same period in 2014, the first three quarters of 2015 exhibited significantly improved air quality. However, the air quality sharply declined in the fourth quarter of 2015, especially in November and December. During that time, Beijing issued the first red alert for severe air pollution in history. In total, 2 red alerts, 3 orange alerts, 3 yellow alerts, and 3 blue alerts were issued based on the adoption of relatively temporary emergency control measures to mitigate air pollution. This study explored the reasons for these variations in air quality and assessed the effectiveness of emergency alerts in addressing severe air pollution. A synthetic analysis of emission variations and meteorological conditions was performed to better understand these extreme air pollution episodes in the fourth quarter of 2015. The results showed that compared to those in the same period in 2014, the daily average emissions of air pollutants decreased in the fourth quarter of 2015. However, the emission levels of primary pollutants were still relatively high, which was the main intrinsic cause of haze episodes, and unfavorable meteorological conditions represented important external factors. Emergency control measures for heavy air pollution were implemented during this red alert period, decreasing the emissions of primary air pollutants by approximately 36% and the PM2.5 concentration by 11%?21%.
Keywords heavy air pollution      red alert      emissions variation      meteorological conditions      emergency control measures     
Corresponding Author(s): Zhanshan WANG,Yifeng XUE   
Just Accepted Date: 13 September 2017   Online First Date: 31 October 2017    Issue Date: 09 May 2018
 Cite this article:   
Teng NIE,Lei NIE,Zhen ZHOU, et al. Exploring the heavy air pollution in Beijing in the fourth quarter of 2015: assessment of environmental benefits for red alerts[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2018, 12(2): 361-372.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-017-0673-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2018/V12/I2/361
Fig.1  Monitoring sites in this study.
VariableMBMAGERMSEIOA
Temperature0.51 K1.15 K-0.79
Humidity?2.50 g/kg1.50 g/kg-0.68
Wind speed0.22 m/s-0.39 m/s0.81
Wind direction2.66 deg20.61 deg--
Tab.1  Performance of the WRF-simulated meteorological fields
Fig.2  Comparison of simulated (SIM) and observed (OBS) daily average concentrations of PM2.5 in Beijing.
Fig.3  Comparison of variations in air pollutant emission from October to December of 2014 and 2015 in Beijing.
Fig.4  Meteorological conditions from October to December of 2014 and 2015.
MonthAir quality grades (concentration range/mg·m?3)
Grade I (0?35)Grade II
(35?75)		Grade III
(75?115)		Grade IV
(115?150)		Grade V
(150?250)		Grade VI
(>250)
October1583023
November4104354
December563476
Tab.2  Days of different air quality grades from October to December 2015
Fig.5  Daily average concentrations of PM2.5 at national control sites in Beijing during the fourth quarter of 2015.
Fig.6  Average cumulative PM2.5 concentrations and their variations in 2014 and 2015.
Fig.7  Average concentrations of PM2.5 on HAP days and NHAP days during the fourth quarter of 2015.
Fig.8  Spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentrations on HAP days (a) and NHAP days (b) during the fourth quarter of 2015.
Fig.9  Variations in the PM2.5 concentrations with and without the emergency control measures that were implemented during the two red alerts.
Fig.10  Spatial distribution of the PM2.5 concentration averaged from December 7 to 10 in SIM2 (a) and SIM1 (b), as well as the difference between SIM2 and SIM1 (c).
Fig.11  Spatial distribution of the PM2.5 concentration averaged from December 19 to 22 in SIM2 (a) and SIM1 (b), as well as the difference between SIM2 and SIM1 (c).
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