New Insights in Air Quality Assessment: Forecasting and Monitoring

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 June 2025 | Viewed by 6498

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai 200233, China
Interests: atmospheric environment monitoring; forecast of ambient air quality; information construction of environmental monitoring, emission inventory and simulation of air pollutants, emission verification of industrial areas; emission monitoring of pollution sources and research on composite air pollution

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing 100012, China
Interests: air quality monitoring; air quality forecast; environmental monitoring

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Air quality monitoring is an important means with which to evaluate ambient air status and human health exposure, while air quality forecasting is used to predict the change trend in air quality in the future. Air quality forecasting is usually based on historical data and monitoring data, using statistical methods, numerical models, artificial intelligence algorithms, expert experience comprehensive judgment, etc., which can be divided into short- and medium-/long-term prediction. Short-term forecasts are usually based on weather forecasts and air quality models, while medium-/long-term forecasts take into account more factors, such as seasonal changes, economic development, changes in pollutant emissions, and even climate change uncertainties. In addition, according to the results of air quality forecasting, different countries and regions set up different air pollution warnings. Early warnings can help the public or government departments to take appropriate measures to protect themselves or reduce the impact of pollution, such as reducing outdoor activities and limiting traffic emissions, etc. In recent years, with the rapid development of air quality monitoring and forecasting technology, the guarantee of major activities and the continuous improvement of air quality have gradually embarked on the road of fine management and regulation.

However, different from air quality monitoring and evaluation, different countries and regions in the world have different forecasting methods, time cycles, and evaluation methods. Being complex and important work, information exchange and standard rules of air quality forecasting are particularly important. The purpose of this Special Issue is to promote the continuous improvement of ambient air quality and the protection of human health in countries around the world by sharing and exchanging the latest ambient air quality monitoring technology, analyses of pollution causes, and practices of forecasting and warning.

Dr. Qingyan Fu
Dr. Jianjun Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • air monitoring
  • forecasting
  • emission inventory
  • numerical model
  • pollution warnings
  • O3
  • PM2.5

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 10498 KiB  
Article
Nocturnal Ozone Enhancement Induced by Sea-Land Breezes During Summertime in Northern Coastal City Qingdao, China
by He Meng, Jiahong Liu, Lu Wang, Laiyuan Shi and Jianjun Li
Atmosphere 2024, 15(11), 1350; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15111350 - 10 Nov 2024
Viewed by 442
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of sea–land breezes on nocturnal spatial and temporal distribution of ozone (O3) and its potential effects on particulate nitrate formation in Qingdao, a coastal city in northern China. Observation campaigns were conducted to measure surface air [...] Read more.
This study investigated the influence of sea–land breezes on nocturnal spatial and temporal distribution of ozone (O3) and its potential effects on particulate nitrate formation in Qingdao, a coastal city in northern China. Observation campaigns were conducted to measure surface air pollutants and meteorological factors during a typical sea–land breezes event from 22 to 23 July 2022. A coherent Doppler lidar (CDL) system was employed to continuously detect three-dimensional wind fields. The results revealed that nocturnal ozone levels were enhanced by a conversion of sea–land breezes. Initially, the prevailing northerly land breeze transported high concentrations of O3 and other air pollutants from downtown to the Yellow Sea. As the sea breeze developed in the afternoon, the sea breeze front advanced northward, resulting in a flow of high O3 concentrations back into inland areas. This penetration of the sea breeze front led to a notable spike in O3 concentrations between 16:00 on 22 July and 02:00 on 23 July across downtown areas, with an average increase of over 70 μg/m3 within 10 min. Notably, a time lag in peak O3 concentration was observed with southern downtown areas peaking before northern rural areas. During this period, combined pollution of O3 and PM2.5 was also observed. These findings indicated that the nighttime increase in O3 concentrations, coupled with enhanced atmospheric oxidation, would likely promote the secondary conversion of gaseous precursors into PM2.5. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Air Quality Assessment: Forecasting and Monitoring)
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17 pages, 5572 KiB  
Article
An Ozone Episode in the Urban Agglomerations along the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province: Pollution Characteristics and Source Apportionment
by Zhe Cai, Derong Zhou, Jianqiao Yu, Sheng Zhong, Longfei Zheng, Zijun Luo, Zhiwei Tang and Fei Jiang
Atmosphere 2024, 15(8), 942; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15080942 - 6 Aug 2024
Viewed by 701
Abstract
A severe ozone episode occurred in cities along the Yangtze River of Jiangsu Province (UAYRJS) from 6 to 8 September 2022, with daily maximum 8-h average ozone concentrations in the range of 65.8–119 ppb, peaking in Nanjing on 7 September. We used the [...] Read more.
A severe ozone episode occurred in cities along the Yangtze River of Jiangsu Province (UAYRJS) from 6 to 8 September 2022, with daily maximum 8-h average ozone concentrations in the range of 65.8–119 ppb, peaking in Nanjing on 7 September. We used the air quality model WRF-CMAQ-ISAM and the Lagrange trajectory model HYSPLIT to quantify the ozone contribution of each region and analyze the causes and regional transmission pathways of ozone pollution in the UAYRJS. Based on simulated emissions, we also estimated the contribution of biogenic volatile organic compounds. We found that weather has a negative impact on pollution, and ozone pollution tracks the movement of the Western Pacific Subtropical High. UAYRJS was affected by oceanic pollution, and there was a mutual influence among the area’s cities. On 6 September, the ozone in UAYRJS was mostly locally generated (50–98%); on 7 September, it was dominated by extra-regional transport (50–80%). Isoprene concentrations in UAYRJS increased by 0.03–0.1 ppb on 6 and 7 September compared with 5 September. Sensitivity testing showed that the hourly ozone concentration increased by 0.1–27.8 ppb (7.6–19.1%) under the influence of biogenic emissions. The results provide a scientific basis for future ozone control measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Air Quality Assessment: Forecasting and Monitoring)
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23 pages, 6024 KiB  
Article
Air Quality Class Prediction Using Machine Learning Methods Based on Monitoring Data and Secondary Modeling
by Qian Liu, Bingyan Cui and Zhen Liu
Atmosphere 2024, 15(5), 553; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15050553 - 30 Apr 2024
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2835
Abstract
Addressing the constraints inherent in traditional primary Air Quality Index (AQI) forecasting models and the shortcomings in the exploitation of meteorological data, this research introduces a novel air quality prediction methodology leveraging machine learning and the enhanced modeling of secondary data. The dataset [...] Read more.
Addressing the constraints inherent in traditional primary Air Quality Index (AQI) forecasting models and the shortcomings in the exploitation of meteorological data, this research introduces a novel air quality prediction methodology leveraging machine learning and the enhanced modeling of secondary data. The dataset employed encompasses forecast data on primary pollutant concentrations and primary meteorological conditions, alongside actual meteorological observations and pollutant concentration measurements, spanning from 23 July 2020 to 13 July 2021, sourced from long-term air quality projections at various monitoring stations within Jinan, China. Initially, through a rigorous correlation analysis, ten meteorological factors were selected, comprising both measured and forecasted data across five categories each. Subsequently, the significance of these ten factors was assessed and ranked based on their impact on different pollutant concentrations, utilizing a combination of univariate and multivariate significance analyses alongside a random forest approach. Seasonal characteristic analysis highlighted the distinct seasonal impacts of temperature, humidity, air pressure, and general atmospheric conditions on the concentrations of six key air pollutants. The performance evaluation of various machine learning-based classification prediction models revealed the Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) classifier as the most effective, achieving an accuracy rate of 97.5% and an F1 score of 93.3%. Furthermore, experimental results for AQI prediction indicated the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model as superior, demonstrating a goodness-of-fit of 91.37% for AQI predictions, 90.46% for O3 predictions, and a perfect fit for the primary pollutant test set. Collectively, these findings affirm the reliability and efficacy of the employed machine learning models in air quality forecasting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Air Quality Assessment: Forecasting and Monitoring)
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28 pages, 13221 KiB  
Article
Machine Learning Forecast of Dust Storm Frequency in Saudi Arabia Using Multiple Features
by Reem K. Alshammari, Omer Alrwais and Mehmet Sabih Aksoy
Atmosphere 2024, 15(5), 520; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15050520 - 24 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1732
Abstract
Dust storms are significant atmospheric events that impact air quality, public health, and visibility, especially in arid Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to develop dust storm frequency predictions for Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam by integrating meteorological and environmental variables. Our models include multiple [...] Read more.
Dust storms are significant atmospheric events that impact air quality, public health, and visibility, especially in arid Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to develop dust storm frequency predictions for Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam by integrating meteorological and environmental variables. Our models include multiple linear regression, support vector machine, gradient boosting regression tree, long short-term memory (LSTM), and temporal convolutional network (TCN). This study highlights the effectiveness of LSTM and TCN models in capturing the complex temporal dynamics of dust storms and demonstrates that they outperform traditional methods, as evidenced by their lower mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) values and higher R2 score. In Riyadh, the TCN model demonstrates its remarkable performance, with an R2 score of 0.51, an MAE of 2.80, and an RMSE of 3.48, highlighting its precision, adaptability, and responsiveness to changes in dust storm frequency. Conversely, in Dammam, the LSTM model proved to be the most accurate, achieving an MAE of 3.02, RMSE of 3.64, and R2 score of 0.64. In Jeddah, the LSTM model also exhibited an MAE of 2.48 and an RMSE of 2.96. This research shows the potential of using deep learning models to improve the accuracy and reliability of dust storm frequency forecasts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Air Quality Assessment: Forecasting and Monitoring)
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