Search

This paper utilizes an improved undesirable output DEA model to measure the eco-efficiency of cities in five major urban agglomerations in China during 2006–2020. It employs the Theil Index and Geodetector to investigate the spatial-temporal distribution differentiation characteristics and driving factors of urban eco-efficiency. The main findings are as follows. Firstly, the eco-efficiency of all urban agglomerations showed a fluctuating upward trend, but the eco-efficiency performance of different urban agglomerations in China shows a stratification characteristic. Specifically, the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration consistently ranks first in China, while the mean values of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, and Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration are lower than the national average. Secondly, the overall differences in the urban eco-efficiency of all sample cities show a consistently fluctuating downward trend. The factor that affects the level differences of eco-efficiency in different cities is the intra-regional differences. Last but not least, the top three factors affecting the spatial distribution difference of urban eco-efficiency in the whole sample are environmental pollution control investments, innovation level, and environmental infrastructure investments. In the end, this paper proposes that reducing the intra-regional differences is the primary task to achieve the coordinated improvement of urban eco-efficiency in urban agglomerations, and then puts forward some policy suggestions to improve eco-efficiency for the five major urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross-impact of environmental pollution among cities has been reported in more research works recently. To implement the coordinated control of environmental pollution, it is necessary to explore the structural characteristics and influencing factors of the PM2.5 spatial correlation network from the perspective of the metropolitan area. This paper utilized the gravity model to construct the PM2.5 spatial correlation network of ten metropolitan areas in China from 2019 to 2020. After analyzing the overall characteristics and node characteristics of each spatial correlation network based on the social network analysis (SNA) method, the quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) regression analysis method was used to explore the influence mechanism of each driving factor. Patent granted differences, as a new indicator, were also considered during the above. The results showed that: (1) In the overall network characteristics, the network density of Chengdu and the other three metropolitan areas displayed a downward trend in two years, and the network density of Wuhan and Chengdu was the lowest. The network density and network grade of Hangzhou and the other four metropolitan areas were high and stable, and the network structure of each metropolitan area was unstable. (2) From the perspective of the node characteristics, the PM2.5 spatial correlation network all performed trends of centralization and marginalization. Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and South Central Liaoning were "multi-core" metropolitan areas, and the other eight were "single-core" metropolitan areas. (3) The analysis results of QAP regression illustrated that the top three influencing factors of the six metropolitan areas were geographical locational relationship, the secondary industrial proportion differences, respectively, and patent granted differences, and the other metropolitan areas had no dominant influencing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high environmental pollution load caused by the massive pollutant emissions and the accumulation of endogenous and cross-regional pollution has become an important obstacle to the current ecological civilization construction in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) in China. Taking the YREB as an example, by using four environmental pollutant emission indicators, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx), this paper established an environmental pollution load index (EPLI) based on the entropy-based measurement. Moreover, the Spatial Durbin Model was used to quantitatively analyze the drivers and spatial effects of environmental pollution load. Finally, specific scientific references were provided for formulating environmental regulations of pollution source control in the YREB. The results showed that: 1) During 2011–2015, the EPLI in the YREB was reduced significantly and the environmental pollution load increased from upstream to downstream. Among them, the pollution load levels in the Upper Mainstream subbasin, Taihu Lake subbasin, and Lower Mainstream subbasin were the most prominent. 2) The environmental pollution load situation in the YREB was generally stable and partially improved. High load level areas were mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta Region and the provincial borders in upstream, midstream, and downstream areas. The high load level areas already formed in Chengdu and Chongqing were also the key regulatory points in the future. 3) The degree of local environmental pollution load was apparently affected by the adjacent cities. The population size, industrialization level, and the fiscal decentralization not only drove the increase of the local environmental pollution load level, but also affected the adjacent areas through the spatial spillover effects. The land development intensity mainly drove the increase in the local EPLI in the YREB. While factors such as economic development level and agricultural economic share could only act on the environmental pollution load process in adjacent cities. 4) According to the differentiation characteristics of drivers of each city, the YREB was divided into seven zones based on k-medoids cluster method, and targeted zoning control policy recommendations for alleviating environmental pollution load in the YREB were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the influence of climate change, the increasing occurrence of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, has led to an enhanced frequency of ozone (O 3) pollution issues. In August 2022, the Sichuan Basin (SCB), a typical large-scale geographical terrain located in southwestern China, experienced the most severe heatwave in the last 20 years. The heatwave led to substantial disparities in O 3 levels across the region. Here, by integrating observations, machine learning, and numerical simulations, we aim to understand the diverse O 3 formation mechanisms in two megacities, Chengdu (western location) and Chongqing (eastern location). Observational data showed that Chengdu experienced a consecutive 17 d period of O 3 exceedance, in contrast to Chongqing, where O 3 concentrations remained below the standard. Meteorological and precursor factors were assessed, highlighting high temperatures, intense solar radiation, and overnight accumulative pollutants as key contributors to O 3 concentrations. The interplay of isoprene, temperature, and O 3 , alongside the observation-based box model and MEGAN simulations, underscored the significant role of intensified biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in O 3 formation. Interestingly, Chongqing exhibited nearly double the BVOC emissions of Chengdu, yet contributed less to O 3 concentrations. This discrepancy was addressed through CMAQ-DDM (Decoupled Direct Method) simulations and satellite diagnosis by investigating the O 3 –NO x –VOC sensitivity. Notably, Chengdu displayed a VOC-driven sensitivity, while Chongqing showed a transitional regime. Moreover, the regional transport also played a pivotal role in the spatial divergence of O 3 pollution. Cross-regional transport predominantly influenced Chongqing (contributing ∼ 80 %), whereas Chengdu was mainly affected by the emissions within the basin. The local accumulated pollutants gave rise to the atmospheric oxidizing capacity, resulting in a substantial photochemical contribution to O 3 levels (49.9 ppbv h -1) in Chengdu. This comparison of the difference provides insights into the complex interplay of meteorology, natural emissions, and anthropogenic sources during heatwaves, guiding the necessity of targeted pollution control measures on regional scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five national urban agglomerations are selected according to the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan, namely the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and Chengdu-Chongqing. The study on synergistic effects of such national strategic planning urban agglomerations, defined as coordinated degrees, and their time-series trends from 2016 to 2021 is significant for the practice of the national "double carbon" goal. Spatial differentiation of coordinated degree in five agglomerations is analyzed based on the Theil Index, along with regional linkage strength of coordinated degree under the gravity model. Conclusions include: (1) a downward trend is shown from 2016 to 2021 for the coordinated degree, along with the Pearl River Delta is the best among the five agglomerations; (2) the Middle reaches of the Yangtze River is the highest, followed by the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta of coordinated degree in 2021; (3) the main cause of downwards in coordinated degree combined by a stable decline in carbon emissions and fluctuating increase in pollutants; (4) intra-regional differences in the Yangtze River Delta and the Middle reaches of the Yangtze River are relatively large, compared with the smallest in the Pearl River Delta measured by Theil Index; (5) coefficients of variation are relatively higher in the Middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yangtze River Delta, followed by the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Pearl River Delta and Sichuan-Chongqing urban. Consequently, countermeasures are proposed from the perspective of government, including technology and regional cooperation, policy innovation by overall coordination, synergy promotion by technological innovation, and regional synergy by win-win cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, many cities in China are suffering from both fine particulate matter (PM2.5, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 µm) and ozone (O3) pollution. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is an important component of PM2.5 and is closely related to the oxidation processes. To investigate the characteristics and formation pathways of SOA during different types of haze pollution episodes, carbonaceous components of PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored continuously in Chengdu in April 2019, when Chengdu experienced not only PM2.5 pollution (SPP) but also a complex pollution of PM2.5 and O3 (CoP). In the CoP episode, the concentrations of SOA increased by 51.2% as compared to SPP, and the SOA concentrations were positively correlated with PM2.5 mass concentrations. These suggest that SOA drove the increase in PM2.5 levels during the haze event to some extent. The preliminary VOC source analysis based on the feature ratio showed that vehicle emission and fuel volatilization sources were the main sources of VOCs at this urban site. In addition, coal emissions and biomass burning were also important contributors. High-carbon alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons significantly contributed to the SOA formation. These results provide a preliminary understanding of SOA formation during different types of pollution episodes in Chengdu, which can help us to further understand air pollution in this typical region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nitrate, sulfate and ammonium (NSA) are the main secondary inorganic aerosols of PM2.5 and play an important role in air pollution. In this study, a 3-year observational experiment was conducted from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017, in Chengdu, southwest China. NSA pollution characteristics, chemical conversion generation, emission reduction control sensitivity and pollutant regional transport characteristics were analyzed. NSA are the most important chemical compositions of particles with aerodynamic equivalent diameter ≤2.5µm in ambient air (PM2.5), and the contribution of nitrate to the accumulation of PM2.5 concentration is greater than that of sulfate and ammonium. NSA also have obvious characteristics of annual, monthly, seasonal, diurnal and weekly variations. Through observation data and model simulation, it was also found that the existence of an aerosol aqueous environment plays an important role in the formation and existence of NSA. Sensitivity analysis between NSA found that controlling NO3- and SO42- plays an important role in reducing the contribution of NSA to PM2.5 , which also implies that the current control of NOx and SO2 is important for improving air pollution. Combined with meteorological conditions and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis, local emissions and regional emissions of pollutants are found to have important impacts on Chengdu's atmospheric environment. This research result not only provides an assessment of the current atmospheric emission reduction effect but also provides an important reference for atmospheric pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is well-known as a major risk to public health, causing various diseases including pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. As social concern increases, the amount of air pollution data is increasing rapidly. The purpose of this study is to statistically characterize dependence between major cities in China based on a measure of directional dependence estimated from PM2.5 measurements. As a measure of the directional dependence, we propose the so-called copula directional dependence (CDD) using beta regression models. An advantage of the CDD is that it does not rely on strict assumptions of specific probability distributions or linearity. We used hourly PM2.5 measurement data collected at four major cities in China: Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, from 2013 to 2017. After accounting for autocorrelation in the PM2.5 time series via nonlinear autoregressive models, CDDs between the four cities were estimated to produce directed network structures of statistical dependence. In addition, a statistical method was proposed to test the directionality of dependence between each pair of cities. From the PM2.5 data, we could discover that Chengdu and Guangzhou are the most closely related cities and that the directionality between them has changed once during 2013 to 2017, which implies a major economic or environmental change in these Chinese regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is becoming increasingly serious along with social and economic development in the southwest of China. The distribution characteristics of particle matter (PM) were studied in Chengdu from 2016 to 2017, and the changes of PM bearing water-soluble ions and heavy metals and the distribution of secondary ions were analyzed during the haze episode. The results showed that at different pollution levels, heavy metals were more likely to be enriched in fine particles and may be used as a tracer of primary pollution sources. The water-soluble ions in PM2.5 were mainly Sulfate-Nitrate-Ammonium (SNA) accounting for 43.02%, 24.23%, 23.50%, respectively. SO42−, NO3−, NH4+ in PM10 accounted for 34.56%, 27.43%, 19.18%, respectively. It was mainly SO42− in PM at Clean levels (PM2.5 = 0~75 μg/m3, PM10 = 0~150 μg/m3), and mainly NH4+ and NO3− at Light-Medium levels (PM2.5 = 75~150 μg/m3, PM10 = 150~350 μg/m3). At Heavy levels (PM2.5 = 150~250 μg/m3, PM10 = 350~420 μg/m3), it is mainly SO42− in PM2.5, and mainly NH4+ and NO3− in PM10. The contribution of mobile sources to the formation of haze in the study area was significant. SNA had significant contributions to the PM during the haze episode, and more attention should be paid to them in order to improve air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]