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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Air".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 22379

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Prof. Dr. Jianhui Bai

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LAGEO, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Interests: solar radiation; trace gases; ozone; BVOCs; atmospheric chemistry; carbon balance; climate and climate change; interactions between solar radiation and atmospheric substances
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution, solar radiation and regional climate interact with each other and should be studied together. Anthropogenic and biogenic activities, e.g., the emissions of chemical compounds, anthropogenic and biogenic volatile organic compounds (AVOCs, BVOCs), nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂), influence the physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere. These chemical compounds take part in chemical and photochemical reactions/pollution and produce new compounds in gases, liquids and particles, e.g., ozone, particulate matter (PM), secondary organic aerosol (SOA). BVOC emissions from vegetation play important roles in ozone and aerosol formation, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is a key driving factor in BVOC emissions. During the physical, chemical and biological processes, solar UV radiation and visible radiation are absorbed and used. This Special Issue aims to provide a platform to share space- and ground-based observations and modeling in understanding the above issues and their interactions, including ozone chemistry and photochemistry, associated with AVOCs and BVOCs, NOx, SO₂, particulate matter and solar radiation (UV, visible and global solar radiation). Studies related to the interactions and their potential effects on atmospheric constituents, solar radiation, air movements and regional climate are encouraged.

The scope of the Special Issue focuses on emissions of gases (polluted and non-polluted) and particles, chemical and photochemical formation of ozone and particulate matter (e.g., secondary organic aerosols), solar radiation (UV, visible/PAR and global solar radiation) and the processes and mechanisms in chemical constituents, solar radiation, the atmosphere and the biosphere, including the interactions in regional air pollution and climate change.

Prof. Dr. Jianhui Bai
Guest Editor

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Keywords

anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (AVOCs)
biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs)
nitrogen oxides
sulfur dioxide
particulate matter
O3 chemistry and photochemistry
solar radiation (UV, visible, global solar radiation, etc.)
air movement
regional climate and climate change

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2618 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Benefits of Energy Structure Transformation and Pollution Control for Air Quality and Public Health until 2050 in Guangdong, China

by Haihua Mo, Kejun Jiang, Peng Wang, Min Shao and Xuemei Wang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14965; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214965 - 14 Nov 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2268

Abstract

In order to mitigate global warming and improve air quality, the transformation of regional energy structures is the most important development pathway. China, as a major global consumer of fossil fuels, will face great pressure in this regard. Aiming toward achieving the global 2 °C warming target in China, this study takes one of the most developed regions of China, Guangdong Province, as the research area in order to explore a future development pathway and potential air quality attainment until 2050, by developing two energy structure scenarios (BAU_Energy and 2Deg_Energy) and three end-of-pipe scenarios (NFC, CLE, and MTFR), and simulating future air quality and related health impacts for the different scenarios using the WRF-Chem model. The results show that under the energy transformation scenario, total energy consumption in Guangdong rises from 296 Mtce (million tons of coal equivalent) in 2015 to 329 Mtce in 2050, with electricity and clean energy accounting for 45% and 35%. In 2050, the transformation of the energy structure leads to 64%, 75%, and 46% reductions in the emissions of CO₂, NOx, and SO₂ compared with those in 2015. Together with the most stringent end-of-pipe control measures, the emissions of VOCs and primary PM_2.5 are effectively reduced by 66% and 78%. The annual average PM_2.5 and MDA8 (daily maximum 8 h O₃) concentrations in Guangdong are 33.8 and 85.9 μg/m³ in 2015, with 63.4 thousand premature deaths (95% CI: 57.1–70.8) due to environmental exposure. Under the baseline scenario, no improvement is gained in air quality or public health by 2050. In contrast, the PM_2.5 and MDA8 concentrations decline to 21.7 and 75.5 μg/m³ under the scenario with energy structure transformation, and total premature deaths are reduced to 35.5 thousand (31.9–39.5). When further combined with the most stringent end-of-pipe control measures, the PM_2.5 concentrations decrease to 16.5 μg/m³, but there is no significant improvement for ozone, with premature deaths declining to 20.6 thousand (18.5–23.0). This study demonstrates that the transformation of energy structure toward climate goals could be effective in mitigating air pollution in Guangdong and would bring significant health benefits. Compared with the end-of-pipe control policies, transformation of the energy structure is a more effective way to improve regional air quality in the long term, and synergistic promotion of both is crucial for regional development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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13 pages, 2215 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Drought and Rehydration Cycles on Isoprene Emissions in Populus nigra Seedlings

by Zhiyu Han, Yisheng Zhang, Houyong Zhang, Xuan Ge, Dasa Gu, Xiaohuan Liu, Jianhui Bai, Zizhen Ma, Yan Tan, Feng Zhu, Shiyong Xia, Jinhua Du, Yuran Tan, Xiao Shu, Jingchao Tang and Yingjie Sun

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14528; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114528 - 5 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1874

Abstract

The volatile organic compounds emitted by plants significantly impact the atmospheric environment. The impacts of drought stress on the biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions of plants are still under debate. In this study, the effects of two drought–rehydration cycle groups with different durations on isoprene emissions from Populus nigra (black poplar) seedlings were studied. The P. nigra seedlings were placed in a chamber that controlled the soil water content, radiation, and temperature. The daily emissions of isoprene and physiological parameters were measured. The emission rates of isoprene (F_iso) reached the maximum on the third day (D3), increasing by 58.0% and 64.2% compared with the controlled groups, respectively, and then F_iso significantly decreased. Photosynthesis decreased by 34.2% and 21.6% in D3 in the first and second groups, respectively. After rehydration, F_iso and photosynthesis recovered fully in two groups. However, F_iso showed distinct inconsistencies in two groups, and the recovery rates of F_iso in the second drought group were slower than the recovery rates of F_iso in the first groups. The response of BVOC emissions during the drought-rehydration cycle was classified into three phases, including stimulated, inhibited, and restored after rehydration. The emission pattern of isoprene indicated that isoprene played an important role in the response of plants to drought stress. A drought–rehydration model was constructed, which indicated the regularity of BVOC emissions in the drought–rehydration cycle. BVOC emissions were extremely sensitive to drought, especially during droughts of short duration. Parameters in computational models related to BVOC emissions of plants under drought stress should be continuously improved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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13 pages, 3654 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensitivity Analysis of Biome-BGC for Gross Primary Production of a Rubber Plantation Ecosystem: A Case Study of Hainan Island, China

by Junyi Liu, Zhixiang Wu, Siqi Yang and Chuan Yang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14068; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114068 - 28 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1786

Abstract

Accurate monitoring of forest carbon flux and its long-term response to meteorological factors is important. To accomplish this task, the model parameters need to be optimized with respect to in situ observations. In the present study, the extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (eFAST) method was used to optimize the sensitive ecophysiological parameters of the Biome BioGeochemical Cycles model. The model simulation was integrated from 2010 to 2020. The results showed that using the eFAST method quantitatively improved the model output. For instance, the R² increased from 0.53 to 0.72. Moreover, the root-mean-square error was reduced from 1.62 to 1.14 gC·m⁻²·d⁻¹. In addition, it was reported that the carbon flux outputs of the model were highly sensitive to various parameters, such as the canopy average specific leaf area and canopy light extinction coefficient. Moreover, long-term meteorological factor analysis showed that rainfall dominated the trend of gross primary production (GPP) of the study area, while extreme temperatures restricted the GPP. In conclusion, the eFAST method can be used in future studies. Furthermore, eFAST could be applied to other biomes in response to different climatic conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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24 pages, 5162 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Variations in Global Solar Radiation and Its Interaction with Atmospheric Substances at Qomolangma

by Jianhui Bai, Xuemei Zong, Yaoming Ma, Binbin Wang, Chuanfeng Zhao, Yikung Yang, Jie Guang, Zhiyuan Cong, Kaili Li and Tao Song

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 8906; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19158906 - 22 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2199

Abstract

An empirical model to estimate global solar radiation was developed at Qomolangma Station using observed solar radiation and meteorological parameters. The predicted hourly global solar radiation agrees well with observations at the ground in 2008–2011. This model was used to calculate global solar radiation at the ground and its loss in the atmosphere due to absorbing and scattering substances in 2007–2020. A sensitivity analysis shows that the responses of global solar radiation to changes in water vapor and scattering factors (expressed as water-vapor pressure and the attenuation factor, AF, respectively) are nonlinear, and global solar radiation is more sensitive to changes in scattering than to changes in absorption. Further applying this empirical model, the albedos at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and the surface in 2007–2020 were computed and are in line with satellite-based retrievals. During 2007–2020, the mean estimated annual global solar radiation increased by 0.22% per year, which was associated with a decrease in AF of 1.46% and an increase in water-vapor pressure of 0.37% per year. The annual mean air temperature increased by about 0.16 °C over the 14 years. Annual mean losses of solar radiation caused by absorbing and scattering substances and total loss were 2.55, 0.64, and 3.19 MJ m⁻², respectively. The annual average absorbing loss was much larger than the scattering loss; their contributions to the total loss were 77.23% and 22.77%, indicating that absorbing substances play significant roles. The annual absorbing loss increased by 0.42% per year, and scattering and total losses decreased by 2.00% and 0.14% per year, respectively. The estimated and satellite-derived annual albedos increased at the TOA and decreased at the surface. This study shows that solar radiation and its interactions with atmospheric absorbing and scattering substances have played key but different roles in regional climate and climate change at the three poles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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24 pages, 2694 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synergic Benefits of Air Pollutant Reduction, CO₂ Emission Abatement, and Water Saving under the Goal of Achieving Carbon Emission Peak: The Case of Tangshan City, China

by Rupu Yang, Min Wang, Mengxue Zhao and Xiangzhao Feng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7145; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127145 - 10 Jun 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2170

Abstract

The study aims to explore the synergic benefits of reducing air pollutants and CO₂ and water consumption under the carbon emission peak (CEP) policies at a city level. Air pollutants and CO₂ emissions are predicted by the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) model, and the water consumption is forecast by the quota method. Two scenarios are constructed with the same policies, but to different degrees: the reference scenario achieves CEP in 2030, and the green and low carbon scenario achieves CEP in 2025. The prediction results show that air pollutant emissions, CO₂ emissions, and water consumption can be obviously decreased by intensifying the CEP policies. The synergic abatement effect was illustrated by the synergic reduction curve. Accelerating the adjustment of economic structure saves the most water, reduces the greatest amount of CO₂ emission, and also obtains the best synergic reduction capability between water consumption and CO₂ emission. Transforming the traditionally long process of steelmaking toward a short electric process reduces the majority of PM_2.5, SO₂, and VOC emissions, while consuming more water. The study provides a new viewpoint to assess and optimize the CEP action plan at city levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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14 pages, 3366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Atmospheric CO₂ and CO at Akedala Atmospheric Background Observation Station, a Regional Station in Northwestern China

by Zhujun Zhao, Qing He, Zhongqi Lu, Quanwei Zhao and Jianlin Wang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6948; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116948 - 6 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2167

Abstract

Air samples were collected by flasks and analyzed via a Picarro G2401 gas analyzer for carbon dioxide (CO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) at the Akedala Atmospheric Background Station in Xinjiang, China, from September 2009 to December 2019, to analyze the changes in the characteristics of atmospheric CO₂ and CO and determine the sources. The results show that the annual average CO₂ concentration showed an increasing trend (growth rate: 1.90 ppm year⁻¹), ranging from 389.80 to 410.43 ppm, and the annual average CO concentration also showed an increasing trend (growth rate: 1.78 ppb year⁻¹), ranging from 136.30 to 189.82 ppb. The CO₂ concentration and growth rate were the highest in winter, followed by autumn, spring, and summer. The CO concentration and growth rate were also the highest in winter due to anthropogenic emissions, ecosystem effects, and diffusion conditions. The main trajectories of CO₂ and CO determined by the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model were parallel to the Irtysh River valley and then passed through the Old Wind Pass. Furthermore, the main source regions of CO₂ and CO at the Akedala Station were eastern Kazakhstan, southern Russia, western Mongolia, and the Xinjiang Tianshan North Slope Economic Zone of China. This study reflects the characteristics of long-term changes in CO₂ and CO concentrations at the Akedala station and provides fundamental data for the studies on environmental changes and climate change in Central Asia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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15 pages, 2229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Atmospheric Sulfuric Acid Dimer Formation in a Polluted Environment

by Ke Yin, Shixin Mai and Jun Zhao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6848; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116848 - 3 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2004

Abstract

New particle formation (NPF) contributes significantly to atmospheric particle number concentrations and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). In sulfur-rich environments, field measurements have shown that sulfuric acid dimer formation is likely the critical step in NPF. We investigated the dimer formation process based upon the measured sulfuric acid monomer and dimer concentrations, along with previously reported amine concentrations in a sulfur-rich atmosphere (Atlanta, USA). The average sulfuric acid concentration was in the range of 1.7 × 10⁷–1.4 × 10⁸ cm⁻³ and the corresponding neutral dimer concentrations were 4.1 × 10⁵–5.0 × 10⁶ cm⁻³ and 2.6 × 10⁵–2.7 × 10⁶ cm⁻³ after sub-collision and collision ion-induced clustering (IIC) corrections, respectively. Two previously proposed acid–base mechanisms (namely AA and AB) were employed to respectively estimate the evaporation rates of the dimers and the acid–amine complexes. The results show evaporation rates of 0.1–1.3 s⁻¹ for the dimers based on the simultaneously measured average concentrations of the total amines, much higher than those (1.2–13.1 s⁻¹) for the acid–amine complexes. This indicates that the mechanism for dimer formation is likely AA through the formation of more volatile dimers in the initial step of the cluster formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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13 pages, 7858 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Meteorology and Emissions on Surface Ozone in Shandong Province, China, during Summer 2014–2019

by Houwen Wang, Yang Gao, Lifang Sheng, Yuhang Wang, Xinran Zeng, Wenbin Kou, Mingchen Ma and Wenxuan Cheng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6758; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116758 - 1 Jun 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3768

Abstract

China has been experiencing severe ozone pollution problems in recent years. While a number of studies have focused on the ozone-pollution-prone regions such as the North China Plain, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta regions, few studies have investigated the mechanisms modulating the interannual variability of ozone concentrations in Shandong Province, where a large population is located and is often subject to ozone pollution. By utilizing both the reanalysis dataset and regional numerical model (WRF-CMAQ), we delve into the potential governing mechanisms of ozone pollution in Shandong Province—especially over the major port city of Qingdao—during summer 2014–2019. During this period, ozone pollution in Qingdao exceeded the tier II standard of the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality (GB 3095-2012) for 75 days. From the perspective of meteorology, the high-pressure ridge over Baikal Lake and to its northeast, which leads to a relatively low humidity and sufficient sunlight, is the most critical weather system inducing high-ozone events in Qingdao. In terms of emissions, biogenic emissions contribute to ozone enhancement close to 10 ppb in the west and north of Shandong Province. Numerical experiments show that the local impact of biogenic emissions on ozone production in Shandong Province is relatively small, whereas biogenic emissions on the southern flank of Shandong Province enhance ozone production and further transport northeastward, resulting in an increase in ozone concentrations over Shandong Province. For the port city of Qingdao, ship emissions increase ozone concentrations when sea breezes (easterlies) prevail over Qingdao, with the 95th percentile reaching 8.7 ppb. The findings in this study have important implications for future ozone pollution in Shandong Province, as well as the northern and coastal areas in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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30 pages, 9191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Variations of Global Solar Radiation and Its Potential Effects at Dome C (Antarctica)

by Jianhui Bai, Xuemei Zong, Christian Lanconelli, Angelo Lupi, Amelie Driemel, Vito Vitale, Kaili Li and Tao Song

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 3084; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053084 - 6 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2920

Abstract

An empirical model to predict hourly global solar irradiance under all-sky conditions as a function of absorbing and scattering factors has been applied at the Dome C station in the Antarctic, using measured solar radiation and meteorological variables. The calculated hourly global solar irradiance agrees well with measurements at the ground in 2008–2011 (the model development period) and at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). This model is applied to compute global solar irradiance at the ground and its extinction in the atmosphere caused by absorbing and scattering substances during the 2006–2016 period. A sensitivity study shows that the responses of global solar irradiance to changes in water vapor and scattering factors (expressed by water vapor pressure and S/G, respectively; S and G are diffuse and global solar irradiance, respectively) are nonlinear and negative, and that global solar irradiance is more sensitive to changes in scattering than to changes in water vapor. Applying this empirical model, the albedos at the TOA and the surface in 2006–2016 are estimated and found to agree with the satellite-based retrievals. During 2006–2016, the annual mean observed and estimated global solar exposures decreased by 0.05% and 0.09%, respectively, and the diffuse exposure increased by 0.68% per year, associated with the yearly increase of the S/G ratio by 0.57% and the water vapor pressure by 1.46%. The annual mean air temperature increased by about 1.80 °C over the ten years, and agrees with the warming trends for all of Antarctica. The annual averages were 316.49 Wm⁻² for the calculated global solar radiation, 0.332 for S/G, −46.23 °C for the air temperature and 0.10 hPa for the water vapor pressure. The annual mean losses of solar exposure due to absorbing and scattering substances and the total loss were 4.02, 0.19 and 4.21 MJ m⁻², respectively. The annual mean absorbing loss was much larger than the scattering loss; their contributions to the total loss were 95.49% and 4.51%, respectively, indicating that absorbing substances are dominant and play essential roles. The annual absorbing, scattering and total losses increased by 0.01%, 0.39% and 0.28% per year, respectively. The estimated and satellite-retrieved annual albedos increased at the surface. The mechanisms of air-temperature change at two pole sites, as well as a mid-latitude site, are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Formation and Contaminant Interactions of Photochemical Pollution)

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