A seriously air pollution area affected by anthropogenic in the central China: temporal-spatial distribution and...

This study used the officially released data by the Chinese air quality monitoring network to analyze the pollution characteristics of six air pollutants (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃) for 29 cities in the Central Plains Economic Zone (CPEZ; China) in 2015. During 2015, serious particulate matter (PM) pollution often occurred, and the concentrations of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were 77 μg m^-3 and 128 μg m^-3, respectively. Air pollutants were at higher concentrations in the northern cities than those in the southern region of the CPEZ, and the correlation among the cities indicated that there was regional pollution in CPEZ. Generally, PM, SO₂, NO₂, and CO showed similar seasonal characteristics and the highest and lowest concentrations appeared in winter and summer, respectively. In addition, we used the HYSPLIT model and trajStat model to identify the potential source contribution function and concentration-weighted trajectory of Zhengzhou, the central city of CPEZ. More serious air pollution occurred when air masses were transported from the west of the CPEZ. Shaanxi Province, Hubei Province, Anhui Province and the northwest of the CPEZ were found to be the main exogenous sources of total PM with contributions of > 100 μg m^-3 PM_2.5 and > 180 μg m^-3 PM₁₀. Therefore, the concentrations of PM in 2015 at Zhengzhou were probably influenced by both long-distance transmission and local emissions.