air quality in beijing, china; analysis of tom cahill, uc davis (before and during the olympics )...

Air Quality in Beijing, China;Analysis of Tom Cahill, UC Davis

(Before and during the Olympics )

NASA MODIS real color images, NOAA HYSPLIT trajectories, local weather, BBC noon PM10 (until 8/25), Chaoyang 24 hr PM10, July -

August, 2008;Google Earth at approximately the same scale

The UC Davis DELTA* Group, http://[email protected]

*Detection and Evaluation of Long-range Transport of Aerosols

Note: I posted an incomplete weather/PM10 caption to the MODIS photos August 12, covering August 9 - 11. If you downloaded, please replace with the current corrected data.

http://delta.ucdavis.edu/

mailto:[email protected]

Coal deposits in China, sites of most of the coal fired power plants

Beijing

Summary: July, 2008; in about ½ of all days, winds were from south of Beijing with the highest pollution level; average =

202.2 g/m3 (max = 351 g/m3)

• Trajectories from Mongolia, relatively high wind velocities – avg 23.0 g/m3 4 days

• Mongolia plus slow SW loop – 69.0 g/m3 1 day• Trajectories south of Beijing, relatively low wind

velocities – avg 202.2 g/m3 12 days• Trajectories south and east of Beijing, relatively low wind

velocities – avg 96.7 g/m3 4 days• Trajectory SW of Beijing – 105.0 g/m3 1 day• Trajectory NE of Beijing – fast wind velocities 32.0 g/m3 1 day

12

34

56

78

910

1112

1314

1516

1718

1920

2122

2324

2526

2728

2930

311

23

45

67

8910

1112

1314

1516

1718

1920

2122

2324

2526

2728

29

July August

0

100

200

300

400

Mic

rogr

ams/

m3

Noontime PM10 Readings in Beijing, 2008James Reynolds, BBC

UN WHO interim goal for developing countries

WHO goal

Institution of Chinese controls

Pre-controls 124.2 ug/m3 Post-controls 129.3 ug/m3 Olympics 78.4 g/m3

PM10 – BBC noon versus Chaoyang (stadium) 24 hr

• Since my goal is to explain daytime visibility, I choose the BBC noon readings, usually at minimum RH, so as to avoid nighttime fogs and accelerated particle removal. These ended on August 26. The Chaoyang readings at the stadium are 24 hr. Other readings throughout Beijing are similar to Chaoyang, at the stadium, affirming the regional nature of the haze sulfates (see analysis at end). This also predicts that most of the mass is actually PM2.5, and because these particles are inhalable, subject to a more

strict with a US EPA 24 hour value at 35 g/m3.

78

910

1112

1314

1516

1718

1920

2122

2324

2526

2728

29

August

0

50

100

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Mic

rog

ram

s/m

3

James Reynolds, BBC noon PR China, Stadium, 24 hr

PM10 Readings in Beijing, 2008

August 8, 2008; T avg =29.7 C, RH avg = 72%, rain = 0.0 cm, Vw = 8.3 km/hr, Visibility = 3.6 km, PM10 = 156 g/m3

Beijing

Trajectories from the NOAA HYSPLIT model trace where the air arriving in Beijing midday August 8 came from for the past 48 hours. The height of the trajectories are red 200, blue 500, and 1000 m

On Friday, trajectories arrived to Beijing from the south, a highly polluted sector, and at low wind velocities.


Beijing

On Saturday, trajectories arrived to Beijing from the south, a highly polluted sector, and at low wind velocities.

Trajectories from the NOAA HYSPLIT model trace where the air arriving in Beijing midday August 9 came from for the past 48 hours for trajectories heights of 200, 500, and 1000 m above the ground


Beijing

Trajectories from the NOAA HYSPLIT model trace where the air arriving in Beijing midday came from for the past 48 hours for trajectories heights of 200, 500, and 1000 m above the ground

On Sunday trajectories arrived to Beijing from the southeast, a highly polluted sector, and at low wind velocities.

August 11, 2008; T avg =23.1 C, RH avg = 88%, rain = 2.7 cm, Vw = 8.0. km/hr, Visibility = 9.6 km, PM10 = 54 g/m3

Beijing

On Monday, trajectories arrived to Beijing from the east, an oceanic sector with heavy rain

Trajectories from the NOAA HYSPLIT model trace where the air arriving in Beijing midday came from for the past 48 hours for trajectories heights of 200, 500, and 1000 m above the ground


Beijing

On Tuesday, trajectories arrived to Beijing from the east, an oceanic sector with continuing rain

Trajectories from the NOAA HYSPLIT model trace where the air arriving in Beijing midday August 12 came from for the past 48 hours. The height of the trajectories shown in the lower panel are red 200, blue 500, and 1000 m


Beijing

On Wednesday trajectories arrived to Beijing from the southeast, with some oceanic influence, and at low wind velocities.

Trajectories from the NOAA HYSPLIT model trace where the air arriving in Beijing midday August 13 came from for the past 48 hours. The height of the trajectories are red 200, blue 500, and green 1000 m AGL


Beijing


On Thursday trajectories arrived to Beijing from the east, with some oceanic influence, and at low wind velocities.


Beijing


On Friday trajectories arrived to Beijing from the northeast, with moderate wind velocities.


Beijing

Technical note: Trajectories from the NOAA HYSPLIT model trace where the air arriving in Beijing midday August 16 came from for the past 48 hours. The height of the trajectories are red 200, blue 500, and green 1000 m AGL

On Saturday trajectories arrived to Beijing from the northeast, a clean sector, with high wind velocities.


Beijing


On Sunday trajectories arrived to Beijing from the northeast, a clean sector, at moderate wind velocities.

August 18, 2008; T avg =23.1 C, RH avg = 73%, rain = 0.0 cm, Vw = 8.0, km/hr, Visibility = 22.4 km, PM10 = 18 g/m3

Beijing


On Monday trajectories arrived to Beijing from the east, a clean sector, with oceanic influence, and at moderate wind velocities.


Beijing


On Tuesday winds arrived at Beijing from the northeast, with a local gyre and low wind velocities.


Beijing

On Wednesday winds arrived to Beijing from the south and southeast, a polluted sector, with a local gyre and low wind velocities. PM10 values are rising and visibility decreasing.



Beijing

On Thursday winds arrived to Beijing from the southeast, a moderately polluted sector with oceanic influences, with wind velocities. PM10 values are rising.



Beijing

On Friday winds arrived to Beijing from the northwest, the cleanest sector, with moderately high wind velocities. PM10 values are low and visibility excellent.



Beijing

On Saturday, winds arrived to Beijing from the west-northwest, the cleanest sector, with moderately high wind velocities. PM10 values are low and visibility excellent.



Beijing

On Sunday winds arrived to Beijing from the west, a moderately polluted sector, with average wind velocities. PM10 values are rising and visibility excellent.



Beijing

On Monday, the first day after the Olympics, winds arrived to Beijing from the south, a highly polluted sector, with average wind velocities. PM10 values are rising and visibility degrading.



Beijing

On Tuesday, after the Olympics, winds arrived to Beijing from the southeast, a moderately polluted sector, with average wind velocities. PM10 values are high and visibility degrading.


August 27, 2008; T avg =23.1 C, RH avg = 79%, rain = 0.0 cm, Vw = 4.8, km/hr, Visibility = 6.1 km, PM10 = 55 g/m3 PRC

Beijing

On Wednesday, after the Olympics, winds arrived to Beijing from the southeast, a moderately polluted sector, with average wind velocities. PM10 values are moderate and visibility degrading.


August 28, 2008; T avg =24.8 C, RH avg = 79%, rain = 0.0 cm, Vw = 4.8, km/hr, Visibility = 4.5 km, PM10 = na g/m3 PRC

Beijing

On Thursdasy, after the Olympics, winds arrived to Beijing from the southeast, a polluted sector, with low wind velocities. PM10 values are high and visibility degrading.


August 29, 2008; T avg =23.7 C, RH avg = 88%, rain = 0.9 cm, Vw = 6.4, km/hr, Visibility = 3.5 km, PM10 = 122 g/m3 PRC

Beijing


On Friday, after the Olympics, winds arrived to Beijing from the south, a polluted sector, with low wind velocities. PM10 values are very high and visibility degraded.

BEIJING OLYMPICS: Pollution-cutting measures yield best air quality in decade -- government (08/19/2008)

Air quality in Beijing this month has been at its best level in 10 years after the government took extreme measures to reduce pollution, according to the environmental protection bureau.

Beijing has had 18 "full-compliance" days in August, including nine grade-one days, said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau. The government shut down production at polluting factories, halted construction work and took more than half the vehicles off the road in preparation for the Olympic Games.

The city has spent $17 billion in improving air quality for the Olympics.

Compared with previous host cities, Beijing has made the most intense efforts to cut emissions," Du said.

Du said monitoring data prove the air quality has improved despite the continued presence of hazy skies.

"As long as the figures are up to standard, compliant, we will say that the air quality is good," Du said. "There is still a gap between meteorological conditions, temperature and humidity with visibility and people's feeling of comfort" (Tian Ying, Bloomberg, Aug. 19). -- KJH

Commentary on Beijing’s claims (below)

My commentary on Beijing claims…TA Cahill

• In the period July 1 to July 20, when China instituted strict controls, the noontime PM10 from BBC averaged 124.2 g/m3 , with the 50% of the trajectories from the south averaging 202.2 g/m3 .

• In the period from July 20 through August 7, with strict controls in place, noontime PM10 from BBC averaged 129.3 g/m3 with about 2/3 of the trajectories from the south of Beijing.

• During the Olympics, – from August 8 through August 10, winds were from the south and PM10

averaged 181.3 g/m3 (120.0 official 24 hr at stadium)– From August 11 through August 19, all trajectories have come from the

north and east of Beijing, average 44.3 g/m3 . – Thus during the Olympics, only ¼ of the trajectories came from the

polluted sectors and the PM10 averages 78.6 g/m3 .– In August 2007, from August 8 through August 19, for example, 45% of

all trajectories came from the south.

• Thus, the low levels of pollution August 12 through 19 are a function of anomalously good weather, with frequent rains and winds from the ocean and northeast China. Maybe 8-08-08 was indeed lucky!

Tentative analysis of the PollutionTom Cahill, DELTA Group, UC Davis

• While Dr. Cliff of the UC Davis DELTA Group has an 8 stage DRUM sampler in Beijing, we will have no current compositional data on the aerosols for a few weeks. When we do, we will compare these with summer samples we took in ACE- Asia for NSF in Beijing, 2001.

• However, with coal fired power plants as the major SO2 source, and observing the color of the haze (grey), and the RH, we can draw an analogy to the eastern US in summer 1992 -1995 when US sulfate pollution was at its peak before the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 dictated improvement.

• In that period, the daytime aerosols were mostly highly hydrated sulfuric acid for particles in the most optically efficient range, 0.3 to 0.7 m, reverting to ammonium sulfate each night.

– See references next slide, plus …– T.A. Cahill, P, Wakabayashi, T. James. Chemical State of Sulfate at Shenandoah

National Park During Summer 1991 Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 109/110 (1996) 542-547.

– Cahill, Thomas A., K.D. Perry, Dutcher, D.D, R.A. Eldred, D.E. Day. 1997 Size/compositional profiles of aerosols at Great Smoky Mountains National Park during SEAVS. Proceedings of a Specialty Conference sponsored by Air & Waste Management Association and the American Geophysical Union. Visual Air Quality: Aerosol and Global Radiation Balance, Vol. II, pp. 1049-1056.

References

BBC’s PM 10 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7506925.stm

IMPROVE

Malm, W.C., Sisler, J.F., Huffman, D., Eldred, R.A. and Cahill, T.A.. Spatial and seasonal trends in particle concentration and optical extinction in the United States. 1994 Journal of Geophysical Research, VOL. 99, No. D1, 1347-1370, January 20, 1994

Eldred, Robert A. and Thomas A. Cahill. Trends in elemental concentrations of fine particles at remote sites in the United States. 1994 Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 1009-1019.

– Note: 1992 was about the peak of the US regional sulfate haze prior to improvements from the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1991.

NSF ACE-Asia– Seinfeld, J.H., Carmichael, G.R., Arimoto, R, Conant, W. C., Brechtel, F. J., Bates, T. S.,

Cahill, T. A., Clarke, A.D., Flatau, B.J., Huebert, B.J., Kim, J., Markowicx, K.M., Masonis, S.J., Quinn, P.K., Russell, L.M., Russell, P.B., Shimizu, A., Shinozuka, Y., Song, C.H., Tang, Y., Uno, I., Vogelmann, A.M., Weber, R.J., Woo, J-H., Zhang, Y. ACE-Asia: Regional Climatic and Atmospheric Chemical Effects of Asian Dust and Pollution, Bulletin American Meteorological Society 85 (3): 367+ MARCH 2004

• HYSPLIT Citation Draxler, R.R. and Rolph, G.D., 2003. HYSPLIT (HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated

Trajectory) Model access via NOAA ARL READY Website (http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready/hysplit4.html). NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, Silver Spring, MD.; Rolph, G.D., 2003. Real-time Environmental Applications and Display sYstem (READY) Website (http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready/hysplit4.html). NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, Silver Spring, MD.

Acknowledgment The authors gratefully acknowledge the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) for the provision

of the HYSPLIT transport and dispersion model and/or READY website (http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready.html) used in this publication

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7506925.stm

air quality in beijing, china; analysis of tom cahill, uc davis (before and during the olympics )...

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