Mechanism of haze pollution in summer and its difference with winter in the North China Plain

Abstract

Heavy haze pollution usually occurs in winter. However, according to the enhanced atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) field experiments conducted in the North China Plain (NCP) from 17 June to 6 July 2019, heavy haze pollution may also occur in summer, although with a lower probability. Winter haze pollution is significantly affected by adverse boundary layer meteorological conditions, whereas our study shows different mechanisms of summer haze pollution from that of winter. In summer, PM_2.5 is distributed uniformly as a thick layer at a lighter pollution level; however, the PM_2.5 column content in summer exceeds that in winter, suggesting that the better air quality in summer is mainly due to improved diffusion conditions. In summer, even under haze conditions, the ABL can develop over 1000 m and has a large ventilation similar to clean periods, which indicates both favourable vertical diffusion conditions and advection capability of the summer ABL. Unlike in winter, the heavy haze pollution in summer is often caused by regional transport which is related to local circulation. To explore the influence of different scale systems on summer haze pollution, we applied the spectral analysis method to surface PM_2.5 concentrations. Strong periodicity of PM_2.5 concentrations is found in 4-9 d and 1 d, corresponding to the impacts of large-scale synoptic system changes and the ABL evolution, respectively. The influence of weather change is much stronger than that of the ABL evolution on PM_2.5 concentrations in summer. The resulting changes in PM_2.5 concentrations are approximately 45 μg/m³ and 15 μg/m³, respectively. There has been a consensus on the importance of emission control in winter. And this study shows that heavy haze pollution can also occur in summer and regional joint emission control should also be emphasized in summer.