Influence of Boundary Layer Structure and Low-Level Jet on PM 2.5 Pollution in Beijing: A Case Study

Yucong Miao, Shuhua Liu, Li Sheng, Shunxiang Huang and Jian Li
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Yucong Miao: State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Shuhua Liu: Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Li Sheng: Numerical Weather Prediction Center of China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China
Shunxiang Huang: Institute of Chemical Defense, Beijing 102205, China
Jian Li: State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: Beijing experiences frequent PM 2.5 pollution, which is influenced by the planetary boundary layer (PBL) structure/process. Partly due to a lack of appropriate observations, the impacts of PBL on PM 2.5 pollution are not yet fully understood. Combining wind-profiler data, radiosonde measurements, near-surface meteorological observations, aerosol measurements, and three-dimensional simulations, this study investigated the influence of PBL structure and the low-level jet (LLJ) on the pollution in Beijing from 19 to 20 September 2015. The evolution of the LLJ was generally well simulated by the model, although the wind speed within the PBL was overestimated. Being influenced by the large-scale southerly prevailing winds, the aerosols emitted from the southern polluted regions could be easily transported to Beijing, contributing to ~68% of the PM 2.5 measured in Beijing on 20 September. The relative contribution of external transport of PM 2.5 to Beijing was high in the afternoon (≥80%), which was related to the strong southerly PBL winds and the presence of thermally-induced upslope winds. On 20 September, the LLJ in Beijing demonstrated a prominent diurnal variation, which was predominant in the morning and after sunset. The occurrence of the LLJ could enhance the dilution capacity in Beijing to some extent, which favors the dilution of pollutants at a local scale. This study has important implications for better understanding the complexity of PBL structure/process associated with PM 2.5 pollution in Beijing.

Keywords: low-level jet; PM 2.5 pollution; mountain-plain breeze; planetary boundary layer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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