Classification of Urban Pollution Levels Based on Clustering and Spatial Statistics

Abstract

In recent years, the occurrence and frequency of haze are constantly increasing, severely threatening people’s daily lives and health and bringing enormous losses to the economy. To this end, we used cluster analysis and spatial autocorrelation methods to discuss the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of severe haze in China and to classify regions of China. Furthermore, we analyzed the interaction between haze pollution and the influence of economy and energy structure in 31 provinces in China, providing references for the prevention and treatment of haze pollution. The processed data mainly include API, meteorological station data, and PM 2.5 concentration distribution vector graph. The results show the yearly haze pattern from 2008 to 2012, and present a strong pattern of pollution concentrated around Beijing–Tianjin, the Yangtze River Delta, southwest China, and central China. The overall spatial pattern of decreasing from north to south is relatively constant over the study period.