Seasonal changes in the recent decline of combined high PM2.5 and O3 pollution and associated chemical and meteorological drivers in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, China

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2022-09, Vol.838, p.156312-156312, Article 156312
• Main Authors: Luo, Yuehan, Zhao, Tianliang, Yang, Yuanjian, Zong, Lian, Kumar, Kanike Raghavendra, Wang, Hong, Meng, Kai, Zhang, Lei, Lu, Shuo, Xin, Yushan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Combined air pollution; Interaction of O3 and PM2.5; Meteorological factor; Seasonal change; Secondary aerosols; Synoptic circulation
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156312

China suffers from combined air pollution (CAP) comprising dual high O3 and PM2.5, particularly in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region, which is an urban agglomeration in the North China Plain. To characterize the seasonal changes in regional CAP, 82 CAP days were identified during the study period from 2015 to 2019 with the co-occurring pollution of O3 and PM2.5 in the BTH. It is found that CAP seasonality has undergone distinct changes with a declining trend in the interannual variations in CAP over recent years. It is also revealed that the monthly CAP peaks have recently shifted from summer to early spring (March and April), indicating seasonal changes in CAP in the BTH. Furthermore, the of chemical and meteorological roles in CAP changes was investigated using environmental and meteorological observation data. The recent reduction in PM2.5 and O3 concentrations had enhanced O3 production and atmospheric oxidizability, thereby causing increments in secondary PM2.5 proportion. The interaction between O3 and PM2.5 was responsible for changing the CAP of dual high O3 and PM2.5 to the transition/spring season in the context of mitigation of air pollutant emissions. Furthermore, principal component analysis in the T-mode (T-PCA) was applied to identify four synoptic circulation patterns that regulate CAP occurrence. The results show that the CAP occurrence was regulated by the dominant patterns of synoptic circulation in the BTH. Warm temperature and strong downward ultraviolet radiation anomalies were observed in the BTH, indicating the importance of meteorological drivers in O3 photochemical production on the CAP. The frequency of key synoptic circulation patterns during the spring season increased annually, thereby inducing seasonal changes in the atmospheric environment with CAP in the BTH in recent years. [Display omitted] •The month with peaking CAP frequency moved forward from summer to spring over the recent 5 years.•Interaction of O3 and PM2.5 causes CAP in spring by enhancing oxidation in emission mitigation.•Frequent key synoptic circulation occurrences induce to increase CAP event in early spring.