Source Attribution and Process Analysis of Summertime Ozone Pollution in Guanzhong Basin, Northwestern China

Abstract

The adverse effects of the transportation of O3 and its precursors on local air quality under certain meteorological conditions has long been recognized. Previous studies covered the effects of their transport without distinguishing specific forms (direct transport, via air pollutants originating from emissions outside the target regions; indirect transport, via air pollutants generated from chemical reactions between local and outside precursors) and processes (chemical and physical). This study aimed to figure out the effects of different scales of emissions on O3 pollution in the Guanzhong basin (GZB) by quantifying the forms and processes of transport using the CAMx model. The results showed that the emissions on different scales had various pathways for influencing O3 formation under two polluted, synoptic circulation types (southeast high and northeast ridge). Under the southeast high type, the meteorological conditions favored the chemical production of O3, which led to the highest local O3 contributions from the GZB. The prominent cross-regional transport was positive for indirect transport from south Shaanxi, implying the synergistic impacts of biogenic VOCs and urban pollutants in the GZB. With the southerly winds in the GZB, the downwind cities of Xi’an were impacted by positive direct and indirect transport from the emissions of Xi’an. These impacts occurred through the processes of gas-phase chemistry (especially O3P + O2 and O3 + NO) and vertical advection. For the northeast ridge type, positive direct transport from the emissions of Henan Province was important for O3 pollution in the GZB, as there were remarkable easterly airflows. From the east to the west of the GZB, the impacts from the emissions from Henan Province on cities in the GZB were reduced, which occurred through the processes of horizontal advection and vertical dispersion. This work highlights significant differences in the forms and processes of O3 formation in downwind areas impacted by the emissions from different-scale emissions, and advances our knowledge of atmospheric pollutant transport and its impact on O3 pollution.