Investigate the important role of 3-D meteorological patterns in haze formation in the context of pollution reduction

Abstract

Since 2013, heavy pollution episodes have occurred frequently over the North China Plain after unprecedented efforts to reduce primary pollutants. In this study, a pollution process in Tianjin, a typical city in North China, was selected to investigate the impact of 3-D meteorological patterns on PM2.5 and meteorological element profiles obtained by tethered balloons and meteorological towers. The pollution episode lasted 4 days with hourly PM2.5 concentrations exceeding 150 μg·m−3 for 81 h and a peak concentration of 377 μg·m−3. In the early stages of the first pollution period, wind speed with height showed an almost opposite trend to PM2.5 concentrations. In the vertical direction, weak winds were frequently accompanied by PM2.5 peaks, whereas strong winds were favourable for the diffusion of pollutants. In the later stage, a stable boundary layer with a height of approximately 600–700 m, thermal inversion layer capping the boundary layer, uniformly high-humidity atmosphere (>80 %), and relatively uniform distribution of wind speed across heights contributed to the high PM2.5, which remained within the boundary layer, and the continuous growth of surface PM2.5 concentrations. In the secondary pollution period, the successive regional transport of particles from Beijing and Baoding was the main reason for the two surface PM2.5 peaks in Tianjin. Different regional sources elevate PM2.5 levels, further extending the duration of haze pollution. The results reveal that 3-D meteorological conditions are the key reason for heavy pollution occurrence in the context of pollution reduction.