Hongzi Pan , Zhiyuan Hu , Taichen Feng , Zhongwei Huang , Qiantao Liu , Guolin Feng
{"title":"Distribution characteristics and air-quality effect of intercontinental transport dust: An unexpected dust storm case study in China","authors":"Hongzi Pan , Zhiyuan Hu , Taichen Feng , Zhongwei Huang , Qiantao Liu , Guolin Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An unexpected dust storm swept throughout China from April 9 to 16, 2023. Many studies have explored the characteristics of the weather system process during this case. However, the distribution characteristics and air-quality effect of this dust storm have been less discussed, especially for the sources of dust. Here, the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) model along with MODIS satellite observations, ERA5 reanalysis data and the HYSPLIT backward trajectory model was used to analyze the transport characteristics and the contributions of dust from different sources during the period of this dust storm. The results showed that dust emissions from North Africa (NA) and the Middle East (ME), aided by atmospheric circulation patterns that facilitate long-range dust transport, collectively led to an increase in dust influx into East Asia (EA). A low-pressure system's eastward journey, starting from NA, passing through ME, and eventually reaching EA, along with the prevailing westerly winds, played a crucial role in this process.</div><div>During long-range transport, dust originating from NA and ME was typically split into northern and southern branches by the Tibetan Plateau (TP), with the northern branch being predominant. The dust primarily entered EA through the upper troposphere, where the contribution of local dust from EA tended to diminish. Evenly, ME dust was increasingly becoming the dominant source in South China. Despite this, the air quality below 500 hPa in North and 700 hPa in South China was primarily influenced by EA dust. In contrast, dust transported over long distances from ME and NA tended to rise to higher altitudes, thereby impacting PM<sub>10</sub> concentrations and air quality in upper layers. This research offered novel insights into the significant role of long-range transported dust during a single dust event in EA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"350 ","pages":"Article 121177"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143679412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Teemu Lepistö , Minna Aurela , Henna Lintusaari , Ville Silvonen , Lassi Markkula , Jussi Hoivala , Roel P.F. Schins , Hilkka Timonen , Pasi Jalava , Sanna Saarikoski , Topi Rönkkö
{"title":"The regional and local sources of particle lung deposited surface area (LDSAal) and aerosol physical and chemical characteristics in a major Central European city","authors":"Teemu Lepistö , Minna Aurela , Henna Lintusaari , Ville Silvonen , Lassi Markkula , Jussi Hoivala , Roel P.F. Schins , Hilkka Timonen , Pasi Jalava , Sanna Saarikoski , Topi Rönkkö","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121181","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121181","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The physical and chemical composition of ambient fine particles is crucial to understand when assessing the adverse health effects of air pollution. Currently, particle health effect estimations as well as air quality monitoring are mainly based on the particle mass (like PM<sub>2.5</sub>). However, PM<sub>2.5</sub> cannot be used to assess the effects of ultrafine particles, nor it cannot explain why in some regions PM mass seems to be relatively more harmful. In this study, the detailed physical and chemical characteristics of urban aerosol, together with particle lung deposited surface area (LDSA<sup>al</sup>) measurement, were analysed in Düsseldorf, Germany, to understand the aerosol that people are exposed to in a typical large Central European city. Overall, LDSA<sup>al</sup>, PM<sub>2.5</sub> and chemical composition were mainly dependent on the regional aerosol, which was linked to aged aerosol as well as traffic and biomass burning within the city. Near pollution hotspots (airport, river, city centre), LDSA<sup>al</sup> increased by 14–19 %, whereas PM<sub>2.5</sub> increased by 4–13 %. However, a major fraction of particles were smaller than 10 nm, suggesting potential health effects (like brain effects) without clear contribution to LDSA<sup>al</sup>. Particle number concentrations were clearly elevated near the pollution hotspots, especially the airport, showing the importance of non-road-traffic local pollution sources in urban environments. The study highlights the need to control pollution sources both outside and within cities in Central European cities. Also, the need to understand the health-damaging potential of ultrafine particles, including the semi-volatile, non-volatile and sub-10 nm fractions, is emphasised.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"350 ","pages":"Article 121181"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143679411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paulo V.d.F. Lopes, Thomas O. Spicer, Chad T. Smith
{"title":"Wind tunnel model of the Jack Rabbit II field experiments in the mock urban array: Part 2. approach wind conditions and particle image velocimetry measurements of simulated chlorine releases","authors":"Paulo V.d.F. Lopes, Thomas O. Spicer, Chad T. Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121179","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121179","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Jack Rabbit II (JR-II) Mock Urban Environment field test was reproduced in a 1:50 scale physical model in the wind tunnel at the Chemical Hazards Research Center of the University of Arkansas. The agreement of the approaching wind characteristics between field test and model was verified using 3D Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV). 2D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) tests were conducted in the model to obtain velocity measurements in the MUE. Velocity measurements taken before and during a simulated chlorine release were compared. PIV results show the general flow complexity in the last rows of the MUE and the impact of the release in two different wind conditions from JR-II. Simulations of neutrally buoyant releases conducted in one set of wind conditions showed that the impact on the release was mostly a result of the added density of the chlorine simulant and not from the added velocity of the gas release. Changes in the dividing streamline at CONEX 11.4 and in the vorticity around the model building were also observed, especially for lower atmospheric wind speed (momentum). PIV results show the impact of the release in two different perspectives, from the side and from above the MUE. Physical (wind tunnel) modeling can supplement the information available from field tests to provide validation data sets for computational models, and such exercises can even be more valuable for computational model validation because the initial conditions in wind tunnel tests are generally better understood than in field tests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121179"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143838075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mingyu Zeng , Minghui Tao , Rong Li , Pengfei Ma , Lijuan Zhang , Jun Wang , Lunche Wang , Yi Wang , Haijun Huang , Liangfu Chen
{"title":"Tracking NO2 and CO pollution hotspots at provincial scale in China with TROPOMI observations and image segmentation method","authors":"Mingyu Zeng , Minghui Tao , Rong Li , Pengfei Ma , Lijuan Zhang , Jun Wang , Lunche Wang , Yi Wang , Haijun Huang , Liangfu Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Satellite measurements of short-lived gaseous pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>) and carbon monoxide (CO) provide an unprecedented opportunity to infer global distribution of their emission sources. However, the great differences in the magnitude of anthropogenic emissions have hampered the identification of pollution sources with satellite observations. In this study, we identified NO<sub>2</sub> and CO pollution hotspots in China with oversampled TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) concentration data by utilizing an image segmentation method at provincial scale. We also determined the major emitting sectors associated with the pollution hotspots in each province. Based on NO<sub>2</sub> pollution hotspots, we can find major emission sources, such as ports, airports, industrial and urban areas. In the hotspots of most provinces, Steel plant, Coke plant, and Power plant were identified as the main NO<sub>x</sub> emission sources. CO pollution hotspots were closely linked to Steel plant, with additional contributions from Coke plant, Chemical industry, and Non-ferrous metal smelting in certain provinces. The pollution hotspots and their corresponding concentrations yielded a relatively strong correlation with Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC) (For NO<sub>2</sub>, the R<sup>2</sup> was 0.937 in provinces with small land area and 0.654 in others, while for CO, the R<sup>2</sup> was 0.849 and 0.659, respectively). Our results can provide an observational constraint on the spatial locations of NO<sub>x</sub> and CO emission sources for emission inventories.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"351 ","pages":"Article 121176"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cuiping Ning , Yutong Tang , Shuai Sun , Dan Wang , Yuan Gao
{"title":"Molecular level characteristics and sources of rainwater water-soluble organic matter in different regions of China by FT-ICR MS","authors":"Cuiping Ning , Yutong Tang , Shuai Sun , Dan Wang , Yuan Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121175","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121175","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rainwater water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) constitutes a complex mixture that holds a pivotal role in biogeochemical cycles and climate change. Understanding its chemical composition helps better to reveal its atmospheric behavior. In this study, rainwater samples were collected from three Chinese cities to explore their WSOM molecular composition and sources. These rainwater samples contained significant amounts of both natural and anthropogenic WSOM owing to diverse environmental settings and extensive human activities. Ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was employed to analyze the molecular diversity of rainwater WSOM. A total of 1684, 2024, and 1104 molecular formulas were identified in rainwater WSOM from Anshan, Guangzhou, and Nanjing, China, respectively. The results reveled that sulfur-containing compounds (including CHOS and CHONS) dominated the rainwater WSOM in Anshan (74.9 %), with a notable presence of nitrooxy-organosulfates. In contrast, in Guangzhou, typical biogenic derivatives of CHO compounds contributed more to the rainwater WSOM (50.5 %). In Nanjing, the sulfur-containing compounds and CHO compounds were primarily composed of nitrooxy-organosulfates and saturated fatty acids, respectively, comprising 48.6 % and 43.8 % of the rainwater WSOM. On the whole, rainwater WSOM mainly originated from industrial emissions, secondary generation, biomass burning, and vehicle emissions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"350 ","pages":"Article 121175"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143679409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Direct sun total NO2 column measurements at Thessaloniki, Greece with two DOAS systems and comparisons with S5P/TROPOMI","authors":"Dimitrios Nikolis, Alkiviadis Bais, Dimitris Karagkiozidis, Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Dimitris Balis","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121161","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121161","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multiple Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instruments have been operating in the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics (LAP), Thessaloniki, Greece over a decade to monitor trace gases in the troposphere. In this work, we present methodology, applied for the first time in LAP for retrieving total NO<sub>2</sub> columns in the atmosphere by applying the Direct Sun DOAS technique (DS-DOAS) on solar direct radiance spectra acquired with a research grade MAX-DOAS system, Delta. For the retrieval of total NO<sub>2</sub> two spectral fitting methods were tested using cross sections of NO<sub>2</sub> at two different temperatures for the tropospheric and the stratospheric component. The method that is based on concurrent spectral DOAS fittings with NO<sub>2</sub> cross sections at two temperatures (294 K and 220 K) (2T method) produces results of better quality as compared to the method using NO<sub>2</sub> cross section at one 254.5 K (1T method), with latter underestimating the total NO<sub>2</sub> vertical column density by up to 15%. This was verified by the good agreement (correlation coefficient R = 0.973) against the total NO<sub>2</sub> columns measured by an independently calibrated collocated Pandora system. Finally, the total NO<sub>2</sub> columns derived from the Delta instrument were compared with collocated observations by S5P/TROPOMI, showing an underestimation of the latter by up to 40% for days with high NO<sub>2</sub> concentrations, while the agreement is better under low NO<sub>2</sub> conditions. The overall agreement between the satellite and Delta system observations is characterized by a correlation coefficient of 0.82 and a mean bias of −2.63 ± 2.75 Pmolec/cm<sup>2</sup>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"352 ","pages":"Article 121161"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143792660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Weijie Li , Yaqiang Wang , Zhaoliang Zeng , Ziwei Yi , Huizheng Che , Xiaoye Zhang
{"title":"Hourly estimation of black carbon in China based on sparse observation data and stacking model","authors":"Weijie Li , Yaqiang Wang , Zhaoliang Zeng , Ziwei Yi , Huizheng Che , Xiaoye Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121164","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121164","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Black carbon (BC) is a highly absorbent aerosol that significantly impacts regional air quality, public health, and global climate change. In this study, we develop a machine learning-based stacking model to estimate hourly BC in China, using observational data from 36 BC sites of the China Atmosphere Watch Network (CAWNET) from 2020 to 2023. The stacking model shows strong robustness and high accuracy nationwide, achieving a Pearson correlation coefficient (R) of 0.79 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.60 μg/m<sup>3</sup>. Compared to Tracking Air Pollution in China (TAP), the stacking model reduces bias by 33.8% in urban areas and 56.9% in rural areas. According to this model, the urban BC concentration is 48.5% higher than that in rural areas across China. North China Plain, Central China, and the Sichuan Basin continue to be the regions with the highest BC concentrations in China, with average concentrations of 1.73 ± 0.66 μg/m<sup>3</sup>, 1.61 ± 0.55 μg/m<sup>3</sup>, and 1.71 ± 0.58 μg/m<sup>3</sup>, respectively, from 2020 to 2023. During the COVID-19, urban areas experienced a consistent decline in BC concentrations from 2020 to 2022, followed by a rebound in 2023 (rural areas rebound in early 2022). Our research highlights that these high-quality hourly estimated BC concentrations can reveal pollution distribution patterns in both urban and rural areas, as well as during specific time periods, thereby providing crucial support for developing more accurate and effective emission reduction strategies, improving air quality, mitigating climate change, and protecting public health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"350 ","pages":"Article 121164"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Angelica Bianco , Lucas Pailler , Muriel Joly , Anne-Marie Delort , Sophie Darfeuil , Jean-Luc Jaffrezo , Laurent Deguillaume
{"title":"Sugars in clouds: Measurements and modelling investigation of their aqueous photodegradation","authors":"Angelica Bianco , Lucas Pailler , Muriel Joly , Anne-Marie Delort , Sophie Darfeuil , Jean-Luc Jaffrezo , Laurent Deguillaume","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121167","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121167","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Currently, studies show that only 10–30% at best of the organic matter dissolved in cloud water is characterized and sugars are among the compounds still unexplored. Numerous studies on the atmospheric particulate matter (PM) demonstrate their ubiquity, and their incorporation into cloud phase is therefore expected in light of their solubility.</div><div>In this work, a large array of sugars are measured at low concentration levels with an innovative LC-MSMS technique in 28 cloud water samples collected at the puy de Dôme and their environmental variability is analyzed. The total sugar concentration reaches 4.0 μmol L<sup>−1</sup>, with an average value of 0.98 ± 0.94 μmol L<sup>−1</sup>, with no clear seasonal trend. This represents on average 1.2% of dissolved organic carbon but reaches up to 3.7% for one sample. The most abundant sugars is levoglucosan (average 247.2 nmol L<sup>−1</sup>) followed by glucose (168.2 nmol L<sup>−1</sup>), mannitol (136.5 nmol L<sup>−1</sup>) and 2-methyl-tetrols (130.6 nmol L<sup>−1</sup>). Reactivity in the aqueous phase is simulated with the cloud chemistry model CLEPS to gain insights in the half-life time of four selected compounds in different meteorological and chemical scenarios. Results show a fast degradation of sugars in the aqueous phase, especially during summer, that could question the use of these tracers for long range transport in the free troposphere.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"350 ","pages":"Article 121167"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143636431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dian Ye , Shengzhen Zhou , Yuxuan Liang , Chunlei Cheng , Chenglei Pei , Yao Li , Min Gao , Xijing Sun , Siqi Chen , Jian Hang , Pingqing Fu , Shaojia Fan
{"title":"Vertical distribution and seasonal variations of dicarboxylic acids in urban PM2.5: Insights from multi-level observations on 600 m Canton tower in Guangzhou","authors":"Dian Ye , Shengzhen Zhou , Yuxuan Liang , Chunlei Cheng , Chenglei Pei , Yao Li , Min Gao , Xijing Sun , Siqi Chen , Jian Hang , Pingqing Fu , Shaojia Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121166","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dicarboxylic acids are important constituents of organic aerosols, but the lack of their seasonal and vertical distribution hinders thorough knowledge of atmospheric physicochemical behavior. This study examines dicarboxylic acids at three heights (∼3, 118, and 488 m) on the 600 m high Canton Tower in urban Guangzhou, aiming to illustrate their primary sources and formation pathways across different seasons and heights. The concentration of dicarboxylic acids (678.7 ± 351.9 ng m<sup>−3</sup>) was lower or comparable to those in domestic cities but higher than in remote aeras. Oxalic acid had the highest concentration, with malonic, succinic, glyoxylic, and azelaic acids following. Most dicarboxylic acids peaked in autumn, following by winter, spring and summer. Higher dicarboxylic acids were observed at upper layers. The C<sub>3</sub>/C<sub>4</sub> (1.5 ± 0.5) was relatively higher, and the proportion of C<sub>2</sub> in dicarboxylic acids increased with height. Our results showed that combustion and secondary conversion were primary sources of dicarboxylic acids in dry season, while biomass combustion and secondary formation processes dominated during wet season. Significant gas-phase oxidations were prevalent during summer, while aqueous-phase formations were prominent in spring. Aerosol aging process played an important role at higher atmospheric levels throughout the year, suggesting an enhanced atmospheric oxidation capacity in upper boundary layers. These vertical profiling measurements enable the identification of predominant origins and formation pathways of dicarboxylic acids across different seasons and boundary layer dynamics. The findings provide critical insights for understanding atmospheric chemical evolution processes, validating atmospheric models, and developing effective air pollution mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"350 ","pages":"Article 121166"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143620007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhaoyang Fan , Hui Tong , Naixiu Sun , Yangxin Xiong , Xuan Qu , Hongjun Mao , Jianfei Peng
{"title":"Environmental benefit assessment of vehicle electrification in the fuel cycle: A case study of Chengdu","authors":"Zhaoyang Fan , Hui Tong , Naixiu Sun , Yangxin Xiong , Xuan Qu , Hongjun Mao , Jianfei Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, vehicle emissions have emerged as one of the most significant sources of air pollutants and CO<sub>2</sub> in Chinese cities. Promoting electric vehicles (EVs) has become a critical strategy for mitigating vehicle-related pollution. While replacing conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) with EVs reduces on-road emissions, the associated increase in electricity consumption and power plant emissions may introduce negative environmental impacts. Overlooking emissions from the upstream fuel production stage can lead to overestimating the benefits of vehicle electrification policies. Therefore, it is essential to comprehensively quantify the environmental effects of electric vehicle promotion policies during the whole fuel cycle. Given that generation emissions are closely tied to the electricity mix, Chengdu (a city with over 85% hydropower) was selected as a pilot city for this study. The research follows a structured approach of ‘emission inventory establishment - air quality simulation - environmental benefit assessment - policy scenario analysis'. We systematically account for fleet emissions in Chengdu over the fuel cycle, simulate pollutant concentrations using the SMOKE-WRF-CMAQ model, estimate premature deaths through the GEMM model with Chinese population distribution data, and evaluate energy-saving and carbon-reduction potentials under various scenarios. The findings reveal that the Electricity Vehicles (EV) scenario reduces annual GHG-100 emissions by nearly 80% compared to the Business As Usual (BAU) scenario, while the Electricity Vehicles with Low-Carbon power grid (EVLC) scenario brings an additional 2.3% reduction. The EV policy significantly reduces PM<sub>2.5</sub>, NO<sub>X</sub>, and SO<sub>2</sub> concentrations in Chengdu's central urban area but leads to a notable increase in O<sub>3</sub> levels. These differences are further amplified when considering population-weighted concentrations, reflecting fluctuations in population prevalence. Finally, we monetise the impacts of pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions using the Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) and Social Cost of Carbon (SCC), estimating that the promotion of EVs avoids approximately 3913 million yuan in economic losses. These results provide a theoretical foundation and data support for the scientific promotion of vehicle electrification policies and the formulation of low-carbon green development strategies for urban transport in Chengdu.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":250,"journal":{"name":"Atmospheric Environment","volume":"350 ","pages":"Article 121148"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143592958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}