Abstract
It is still not well understood if subseasonal variability of the local PM2.5 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region is affected by the stratospheric state. Using PM2.5 observations and the ERA5 reanalysis, the evolution of the air quality in BTH during the January 2021 sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) is explored. The subseasonal variability of the PM2.5 concentration after the SSW onset is evidently enhanced. Stratospheric circumpolar easterly anomalies lasted for 53 days during the January–February 2021 SSW with two evident stratospheric pulses arriving at the ground. During the tropospheric wave weakening period and the intermittent period of dormant stratospheric pulses, the East Asian winter monsoon weakened, anomalous temperature inversion developed in the lower troposphere, anomalous surface southerlies prevailed, atmospheric moisture increased, and the boundary layer top height lowered, all of which favor the accumulation of pollutant particulates, leading to two periods of pollution processes in the BTH region. In the phase of strengthened East Asian winter monsoon around the very beginning of the SSW and another two periods when stratospheric pulses had reached the near surface, opposite-signed circulation patterns and meteorological conditions were observed, which helped to dilute and diffuse air pollutants in the BTH region. As a result, the air quality was excellent during the two periods when the stratospheric pulse had reached the near surface. The increased subseasonal variation of the regional pollutant particulates after the SSW onset highlights the important role of the stratosphere in the regional environment and provides implications for the environmental prediction.
摘要
京津冀地区PM2.5浓度的次季节变化是否会受到平流层环流的影响目前尚不清楚. 利用PM2.5浓度的观测资料和ERA5再分析资料, 本文探讨了2021年1月平流层爆发性增温(SSW)期间京津冀地区PM2.5浓度的次季节演变特征. 研究发现SSW爆发后PM2.5浓度的变率明显增强. 在此次SSW爆发后, 平流层绕极东风异常持续了53天, 有两次明显的平流层脉冲信号向下传播过程. 在对流层行星波活动的减弱期以及两次平流层脉冲信号的间歇期, 东亚冬季风减弱, 对流层低层稳定度增强, 地面盛行偏南风异常, 大气湿度增加, 边界层高度降低. 这些因素共同造就了大气颗粒物的堆积, 对应2020/21冬季京津冀地区出现的两次污染过程. 与之相反, 在SSW爆发初期的东亚冬季风增强期以及两次平流层脉冲信号下传至对流层阶段, 对流层环流分布和气象条件呈现出与上述过程相反的变化, 从而有助于京津冀地区空气颗粒物的稀释和扩散. 因此, 在平流层脉冲信号到达近地表的两个阶段, 京津冀地区都观测到了向好的大气环境. SSW爆发后, 京津冀地区PM2.5浓度的次季节变化明显增强, 进一步证实了平流层在影响区域环境中的重要作用, 并为中长期大气环境预测提供了新启示.
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Data availability statement. The ECMWF provides the ERA5 reanalysis (https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/cdsapp#!/search?type=dataset). The PM2.5 observations in the BTH region are compiled by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (https://www.aqistudy.cn/historydata/).
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This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42088101 and 42175069), and the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFC1505602).
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Article Highlights
A sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) occurred in January–February 2021 with the circumpolar easterly anomalies persisting for nearly two months.
• The subseasonal variability of the PM2.5 after the sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) onset is evidently enhanced.
• The sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) does not mark the fast improvement of the regional air quality until stratospheric signals reach the near surface.
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Lu, Q., Rao, J., Shi, C. et al. Observational Subseasonal Variability of the PM2.5 Concentration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area during the January 2021 Sudden Stratospheric Warming. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 39, 1623–1636 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-022-1393-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-022-1393-y
Key words
- sudden stratospheric warming (SSW)
- PM2.5
- Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH)
- East Asian winter monsoon
- boundary layer meteorological conditions