Spatio-Temporal Variation Characteristics of PM2.5 in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region, China, from 2013 to 2018

Abstract

Air pollution, including particulate matter (PM_2.5) pollution, is extremely harmful to the environment as well as human health. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) Region has experienced heavy PM_2.5 pollution within China. In this study, a six-year time series (January 2013-December 2018) of PM_2.5 mass concentration data from 102 air quality monitoring stations were studied to understand the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of the BTH region. The average annual PM_2.5 mass concentration in the BTH region decreased from 98.9 μg/m³ in 2013 to 64.9 μg/m³ in 2017. Therefore, China has achieved its <i>Air Pollution Prevention and Control Plan</i> goal of reducing the concentration of fine particulate matter in the BTH region by 25% by 2017. The PM_2.5 pollution in BTH plain areas showed a more significant change than mountains areas, with the highest PM_2.5 mass concentration in winter and the lowest in summer. The results of spatial autocorrelation and cluster analyses showed that the PM_2.5 mass concentration in the BTH region from 2013-2018 showed a significant spatial agglomeration, and that spatial distribution characteristics were high in the south and low in the north. Changes in PM_2.5 mass concentration in the BTH region were affected by both socio-economic factors and meteorological factors. Our results can provide a point of reference for making PM_2.5 pollution control decisions.