Multi-Year Variation of Ozone and Particulate Matter in Northeast China Based on the Tracking Air Pollution in China (TAP) Data

Abstract

With the rapid development of economy and urbanization acceleration, ozone (O3) pollution has become the main factor of urban air pollution in China after particulate matter. In this study, 90th percentile of maximum daily average (MDA) 8 h O3 (O3-8h-90per) and PM2.5 data from the Tracking Air Pollution in China (TAP) dataset were used to determine the mean annual, seasonal, monthly, and interannual distribution of O3-8h-90per and PM2.5 concentrations in Northeast China (NEC). The O3-8h-90per concentration was highest in Liaoning (>100 μg/m3), whereas the highest PM2.5 concentration was observed mainly in urban areas of central Liaoning and the Harbin–Changchun urban agglomeration (approximately 60 μg/m3). The O3-8h-90per concentrations were highest in spring and summer due to more intense solar radiation. On the contrary, the PM2.5 concentration increased considerably in winter influenced by anthropogenic activities. In May and June, the highest monthly mean O3-8h-90per concentrations were observed in central and western Liaoning, about 170–180 μg/m3, while the PM2.5 concentrations were the highest in January, February, and December, approximately 100 μg/m3. The annual mean O3-8h-90per concentration in NEC showed an increasing trend, while the PM2.5 concentration exhibited an annual decline. By 2020, the annual mean O3-8h-90per concentration in southern Liaoning had increased considerably, reaching 120–130 μg/m3. From the perspective of city levels, PM2.5 and O3-8h-90per also showed an opposite variation trend in the 35 cities of NEC. The reduced tropospheric NO2 column is consistent with the decreasing trend of the interannual PM2.5, while the increased surface temperature could be the main meteorological factor affecting the O3-8h-90per concentration in NEC. The results of this study enable a comprehensive understanding of the regional and climatological O3-8h-90per and PM2.5 distribution at distinct spatial and temporal scales in NEC.