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Regulation of synoptic circulation in regional PM2.5 transport for heavy air pollution: study of 5-year observation over central China
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  • Weiyang Hu,
  • Tianliang Zhao,
  • Yongqing Bai,
  • Shaofei Kong,
  • Lijuan Shen,
  • Jie Xiong,
  • Yue Zhou,
  • Yao Gu,
  • Junnan Shi,
  • Huang Zheng,
  • Xiao Yun Sun
Weiyang Hu
Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology
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Tianliang Zhao
Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Yongqing Bai
Institute of Heavy Rain, China Meteorological Administration
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Shaofei Kong
China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)
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Lijuan Shen
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
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Jie Xiong
Wuhan Institute of Heavy Rain
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Yue Zhou
Wuhan Regional Climate Center
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Yao Gu
Nanjing University of Information Science &Technology
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Junnan Shi
Taishan meteorological station of Shandong province
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Huang Zheng
China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)
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Xiao Yun Sun
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
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Abstract

The importance of regional air pollutant transport modulated by large-scale synoptic circulation has been poorly understood for air pollution. In the present study of 5-year (2015-2019) observation, we targeted the Twain-Hu Basin (THB), a region of heavy PM2.5 pollution over central China to investigate the regulation of synoptic circulation governing regional PM2.5 transport for heavy air pollution. It was found that regional transport of PM2.5 predominated 65.2% of the heavy pollution events (HPEs) over the THB based on the statistics of observational environment and meteorology. By employing the FLEXPART-WRF model, the regional transport of PM2.5 from upwind source areas in central and eastern China (CEC) to receptor region in the THB was identified with three prominent pathways in the northerly, northeasterly, and easterly directions respectively. Based on T-mode principal component analysis in conjunction with the K-means cluster method, it was recognized that three regional PM2.5 transport pathways for the HPEs over central China were determined respectively by three patterns of synoptic circulation over CEC with 1) weak high air pressure to the north, 2) strong high air pressure to the northeast, and 3) weak high air pressure to the east, governing the cold air invasions southwards to the THB region in central China with the large contributions of 76.0%, 56.7%, and 53.9% to the THB- PM2.5 concentrations in the HPEs, revealing a significant modulation of large-scale synoptic circulation for regional transport of air pollutants in environmental change.