The population affected by dust in China in the springtime

Abstract

Dust events in northern China, particularly in the springtime, affect millions of people in the source and downwind regions. We investigate the population affected by various dust levels in China in the springtime from 2003 to 2020 using satellite retrievals of dust optical depth (DOD). We select three DOD thresholds, namely DOD > 0.2, DOD > 0.3, and DOD > 0.4, to estimate the population affected and find that each year the population affected can differ by one order of magnitude. The population exposed to DOD > 0.2 ranged from 16 million (2019) to over 200 million (2006). The population exposed to DOD > 0.3 ranged from 10 million (2015) to 70 million (2006). The population exposed to DOD > 0.4 ranged from 4 million (2017) to 36 million (2006). In years when dust events are frequent, people in the source and downwind regions are both affected, whereas, in years when dust events are less frequent, people affected are mainly in the source regions. Furthermore, we use the relative index of inequality to assess whether dust hazards impose unequal pollution burdens on different socioeconomic groups. We find that low-income communities have been more likely affected by dust pollution since 2013.