Analysis of human health effects under ozone exposure in the oasis area of Hetao Plain.

This article, based on OMI data products, utilizes spatial distribution, ozone-sensitive control areas, Pearson correlation methods, and the Ben-MAP model to study the changes in ozone column concentration from 2018 to 2022, along with the influencing factors and the health of populations exposed to ozone. The findings suggest a spatial variation in the ozone column concentration within the study area, with an increasing trend observed from west to east and from south to north. Over time, the ozone column concentration exhibits an initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease, with the peak concentration observed in 2019 at 37.45 DU and the nadir recorded in 2022 at 33.10 DU. The monthly mean distribution exhibits an inverted V-shaped pattern during the warm season from April to September, with a peak in July (46.71 DU) and a trough in April (35.29 DU). The Hetao Plain Oasis area is primarily a NOx control area in sensitive control areas. The concentrations of O3 and precursor HCHO exhibited significant positive correlations with vegetation index and air temperature, while showing significant negative correlations with wind speed and air pressure. The precursor NO2, in contrast, exhibited a significant negative correlation with both the vegetation index and relative humidity. Based on the ground-based monitoring sites and analysis of human health benefits, the study area witnessed 1944.45 deaths attributed to warm season O3 exposure in 2018, with a subsequent reduction in premature deaths by 149.7, 588.2, and 231.75 for the years 2019 to 2021 respectively when compared to the baseline year. In 2021, the observed decrease in warm-season O3 concentration within that region compared to 2018 resulted in a significant reduction, leading to the prevention of 126 premature deaths.

Analysis of variation characteristics, transport paths, and influencing factors of atmospheric NO2 pollution in Western Europe.

Climate change and air pollution are one of the global environmental problems. It is significant to grasp the air pollution situation of Western Europe in recent 10 years for its or the global pollution control. Based on the OMI tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column density data, the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics, variation trend, transmission path, and influencing factors of NO2 in 15 countries in Western Europe from 2011 to 2022 are discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, the annual average spatial and temporal distribution in 2023 is predicted by the random forest (RF) model. The results showed that (1) the 12-year spatial distribution map showed an increasing trend from southwest to northeast, with the border area of the Netherlands and Germany and Milan as two high-value areas, and the overall trend over time was that the high-concentration area gradually shrank, the low-concentration area gradually expanded, and the annual average concentration gradually decreased. (2) The inter-month trend presents a "U" shape, with the mean NO2 pollution ranking in winter > autumn > spring > summer. (3) Natural factors are one of the reasons affecting NO2; for instance, NO2 pollution has a strong positive correlation with the lifted index, relative humidity, and wind speed and a moderately strong negative correlation with precipitable water and air temperature. (4) Exogenous atmospheric transport is another important factor affecting the change of NO2 pollution in Western Europe. The HYSPLIT model is used to analyze the backward trajectory of Milan, Italy, and Nijmegen, Netherlands, in the four seasons of 2022. Both are mainly influenced by westerly airflows, and therefore, the transport effect in the atmosphere brings air pollutants from westerly regions in the atmosphere.

Substantial transition to clean household energy mix in rural China.

The household energy mix has significant impacts on human health and climate, as it contributes greatly to many health- and climate-relevant air pollutants. Compared to the well-established urban energy statistical system, the rural household energy statistical system is incomplete and is often associated with high biases. Via a nationwide investigation, this study revealed high contributions to energy supply from coal and biomass fuels in the rural household energy sector, while electricity comprised ∼20%. Stacking (the use of multiple sources of energy) is significant, and the average number of energy types was 2.8 per household. Compared to 2012, the consumption of biomass and coals in 2017 decreased by 45% and 12%, respectively, while the gas consumption amount increased by 204%. Increased gas and decreased coal consumptions were mainly in cooking, while decreased biomass was in both cooking (41%) and heating (59%). The time-sharing fraction of electricity and gases (E&G) for daily cooking grew, reaching 69% in 2017, but for space heating, traditional solid fuels were still dominant, with the national average shared fraction of E&G being only 20%. The non-uniform spatial distribution and the non-linear increase in the fraction of E&G indicated challenges to achieving universal access to modern cooking energy by 2030, particularly in less-developed rural and mountainous areas. In some non-typical heating zones, the increased share of E&G for heating was significant and largely driven by income growth, but in typical heating zones, the time-sharing fraction was <5% and was not significantly increased, except in areas with policy intervention. The intervention policy not only led to dramatic increases in the clean energy fraction for heating but also accelerated the clean cooking transition. Higher income, higher education, younger age, less energy/stove stacking and smaller family size positively impacted the clean energy transition.

Analysis of atmospheric ozone in Fenwei Plain based on remote sensing monitoring.

This study uses the daily product data of the concentration of ozone in the atmospheric column (ozone column concentration) collected by the Aura satellite's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), to evaluate the ozone pollution status of the Fenwei Plain in east-central China, by employing pixel-based spatial analysis, an θslope trend index, a Hurst index, and grey correlation. The following results were found. (1) The spatial distribution of ozone in the atmosphere of the Fenwei Plain was higher in the north and lower in the south, with high values appearing in Jinzhong, Lvliang, and other cities. (2) The changes in ozone column concentration periodically and seasonally in the Fenwei Plain. Seasonally, the ozone column concentration was highest in spring, followed by summer, winter, and autumn. (3) The pixel-based trend change of the ozone slope (θslope) indicated that the ozone concentration in the region was in a downward trend, while the long-term correlation of the time series trend Hurst index found that the region should expect to see a weak rebound in the ozone column concentration in the future, so that routine monitoring should be strengthened. (4) The present study on the factors influencing the ozone concentration found that the concentration is relatively closely related to temperature, air pressure, humidity, grain sowing area, highway mileage, and secondary industry.

Analysis of atmospheric SO2 in Sichuan-Chongqing region based on OMI data.

The Sichuan-Chongqing region is the leader and growth pole of economic development in western China. With the rapid development of economy and unique geographical environment, high concentration of sulfur dioxide air pollution has existed for a long time in Sichuan-Chongqing area. Based on 10 years of remote sensing data, this paper studies the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics, stability, and influencing factors of sulfur dioxide in this area. Based on potential sources, the impact of surrounding areas on sulfur dioxide in Sichuan and Chongqing is analyzed. The results shows that the spatial distribution of sulfur dioxide in the Sichuan-Chongqing region is higher in the southeast and lower in the west. The Midwest region has low fluctuation and good stability. The time distribution shows obvious seasonal regularity. The concentration of sulfur dioxide is affected by socio-economic factors and natural factors. In this study, it is found that the distribution of sulfur dioxide is closely related to PM2.5, which provides an important reference for the comprehensive management of air pollution. The OMI data effectively reflects the distribution and change of atmospheric sulfur dioxide in the Sichuan-Chongqing region, and provides certain ideas for air pollution control in the Sichuan-Chongqing region and other regions in China.

Absorbable aerosols based on OMI data: a case study in three provinces of Northeast China.

In order to assess the status of aerosol pollution in three selected Northeast Provinces of China, Ozone Monitoring Instrument/Aura Near UV Aerosol Optical Depth and Single Scattering Albedo 1-orbit L2 Swath 13 × 24km V003 (OMAERUV) daily product data was used to evaluate (1) the ultraviolet aerosol index (UVAI) temporal and spatial distribution of the three Northeast Provinces from 2009 to 2018; (2) the potential pollution source areas of provincial capital cities; and (3) future trend changes. Furthermore, the influencing factors were also analyzed and are discussed herein. The results show that the UVAI in the Northeast Provinces exhibit an overall increasing trend, with an average annual increase rate of 2.99%. Seasonally, the UVAI increasing trend in winter is higher than in spring which in turn is higher than autumn. And summer has the least increasing trend. In addition, the external source of absorbent aerosol transmission is mainly in the southwest. Moreover, the overall UVAI remains relatively constant in the central part of the region, and increases slightly and significantly in the south and north directions. In general, spring, autumn, and winter all exhibit increasing trends in varying degrees. The difference between the forecasted and actual UVAI values in the Northeast Provinces does not exceed 10%; thus, the forecasting reliability is good. Also, UVAI has different degrees of correlation with natural factors, such as precipitation and temperature. With respect to social factors, UVAI and population density (a social factor) are positively correlated in 98.2% of the study area, demonstrating that there is a strong positive correlation between UVAI and smoke and dust emissions.

[Analysis of Ultraviolet Aerosol Index in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area].

This study examines the current aerosol pollution scenario in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao (GHM) Greater Bay Area, based on OMAERUV daily data products, to define the spatial and temporal distribution from 2008 to 2019 and predict variation trends of the ultraviolet aerosol index (UVAI). Changes and potential source areas were analyzed, and their influencing factors were identified. The annual time series of UVAI in the GHM Greater Bay Area showed a downward trend, with an average annual decrease of 2.3%; the monthly time series showed an inverted "V" shape beginning in spring, with the highest seasonal UVAI occurring in spring, followed by winter and autumn. Summer exhibited the lowest UVAI; spatially, the central region has consistently exhibited high values, with an average annual UVAI of 0.35 calculated over 12 years. The distribution of UVAI in the time series is mainly sustainable, and 82.69% of the area will show a downward trend in the future. The main potential sources from beyond the study area are carbon sources and marine biological sources produced by eastern industry; the main potential sources of UVAI are carbon and biomass sources in spring, biomass aerosol sources in summer, and carbon sources in autumn. It accounts for the largest proportion, and aerosol sources of sand and dust in winter have increased. Through correlation analysis, aerosols and PM2.5 were found to be interdependent. Industrial production activities are an important contributor of atmospheric aerosols, and precipitation can reduce the atmosphere. Due to the aerosol content produced by industrial production, secondary industrial activities will accelerate the formation of aerosols when the temperature rises.

Analysis of spatiotemporal variation of formaldehyde column concentration in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its influencing factors.

Based on the formaldehyde (HCHO) inversion data of OMI satellite sensor from 2009 to 2019, this paper discusses the spatial and temporal distribution of HCHO column concentration over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the past 11 years and explores the factors affecting the dynamic distribution of atmospheric HCHO column concentration over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in combination with meteorological, aerosol, ozone, and other data. The results show that the average concentration of HCHO column in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is 8.84 × 1015 molec/cm2 in the past 11 years, which is relatively low, and the annual variation rate of HCHO column is 7.79%, showing a slight upward trend. The seasonal changes show a trend of Autumn < Winter < Spring < Summer. The monthly variation is more obvious than the seasonal variation. The spatial distribution showed a decreasing trend from southeast to northwest. Residual analysis showed that 83.77% of the area was frequently affected by natural factors. Correlation analysis found that the natural factors including precipitation, air temperature, and atmospheric activities for a greater influence on the column experiment the distribution of the concentration of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and human factors, such as biomass, the distribution of fossil fuel combustion, and emissions to HCHO, play a promoting role. Through the backward trajectory analysis, it can be seen that the transboundary atmospheric transport activity has a prominent contribution to the distribution of HCHO in the southern region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Hurst index study found that in the future, the concentration of HCHO column in 53.03% of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will decrease, but in some areas, such as the eastern and northern parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it will increase.

Study on the variation characteristics of tropospheric ozone in Northeast China.

The goal of this study was to understand the current status of ozone pollution in Northeast China and to distinguish the main influencing factors of ozone, in order to provide a scientific basis for the future prevention and control of ozone in this region. In this study, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument data product was used as the source data, and the pixel space analysis method and grey correlation analysis method were utilized to examine the tropospheric ozone column concentration in Northeast China from 2010 to 2018. The results revealed that the ozone column concentration in Northeast China was relatively high compared to other parts of the country. The high-value areas were primarily distributed in Tahe County, Heihe City, Hegang City, and Qiqihar City. The temporal variation of the ozone column concentration in Northeast China exhibited an obvious periodicity of 9 years, and its interannual change displayed a downward trend. The maximum value occurred in 2010, and the minimum value was found in 2016. The seasonal changes manifested a relative trend of spring > winter > summer > autumn, which was contrary to the research results for other parts of China, which showed a summer maximum. Among the influencing factors, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, sunshine hours, GDP, and primary and secondary industries exhibited the closest relationships with ozone. The high concentration of ozone in Northeast China was determined to result from the superimposed effects of long-distance atmospheric transport and anthropogenic emissions.

[Seed germination, bud growth and heavy-metal accumulation of Suaeda salsa].

Nickel and copper, as high toxic heavy metals (HMs), are the most serious contaminants in Jinchuan mining area, China. In this paper, the influence of combined HMs stress on the growth of widespread plant-S. salsa has been studied. The stress gradient of combined Ni-Cu was set based on the local environment and pre-experiment. Seed germination, growth, physiological characteristics of S. salsa were investigated by the control test, and its heavy metal bioaccumulation capacity was investigated by samples collected from field platform. The growth of S. salsa was promoted at lower concentration (≤40 mg/L) and inhibited at higher concentration (≥80 mg/L) under the single HMs stress and combined HMs stress (Cu20/Ni20). The malondialdehyde (MDA) content was increased with increasing concentration, and the soluble protein and free proline content in stress group were higher than that of in control group. Under single HMs stress, the peroxidase (POD) activity increased with increasing concentration; while under combined HMs stress, the POD activity increased initially and then reduced. Cu320 and Ni320 combined HMs stress inhibited the growth of S. salsa at all concentrations. The average translocation factors (TF) of S. salsa were greater than 1.00, and higher in leaves compared to stems. The results of bio-concentration factors (BCF) of S. salsa show that BCF of leaves were larger than that of roots and stems. At lower concentration, the combined HMs stress promoted the growth of S. salsa in comparison to single HMs stress, however, opposite results were obtained at higher concentration. Overall, S. salsa showed high tolerance to Cu and Ni and stronger capabilities of HMs uptake and translocation, and therefore, it can be used as an alternative plant for the bioremediation of heavy metal pollution in mining area.

Assessment of traffic noise pollution from 1989 to 2003 in Lanzhou City.

On the basis of the continuous traffic noise data observed at 142 sites distributed in 52 roads from 1989 to 2003, the characteristics of traffic noise and effect factors were analyzed through traffic noise indices, such as Lep, L10, L50, L90, TNI, and Pn. Our findings allow us to reach a number of conclusions as follows: Firstly, traffic noise pollution was serious, and its fluctuant characteristic was obvious, resulting in a great intrusion to public in Lanzhou City during last 15 years. Secondly, traffic noise made a distinction between trunk lines and secondary lines, west-east direction roads and north-south direction roads. Thirdly, spatial character and time rule of traffic noise were obvious. In addition, traffic volume, traffic composition, road condition, and traffic management were identified as the key factors influencing traffic noise in this city.