Exploring the inconsistent variations in atmospheric primary and secondary pollutants during the 2016 G20 summit in Hangzhou, China: implications from observations and models

Abstract

Complex aerosol and photochemical pollution (ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate, PAN) frequently occur in eastern China, and mitigation strategies to effectively alleviate both kinds of pollution are urgently needed. Although the effectiveness of powerful control measures implemented by the Chinese State Council has been comprehensively evaluated in terms of reducing atmospheric primary pollutants, the effectiveness in mitigating photochemical pollution is less assessed and therefore the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. The stringent emission controls implemented from 24 August to 6 September 2016 during the summit for the Group of Twenty (G20) provide us a unique opportunity to address this issue. Surface concentrations of atmospheric O3, PAN, and their precursors including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen dioxides (NOx), in addition to the other trace gases and particulate matter, were measured at the National Reference Climatological Station (NRCS) (30.22∘ N, 120.17∘ E, 41.7 m a.s.l) in urban Hangzhou. We found significant decreases in atmospheric PAN, NOx, total VOCs, PM2.5, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) under the unfavorable meteorological conditions during G20 (DG20) relative to the adjacent period before and after G20 (BG20 and AG20), indicating that the powerful control measures were effective in reducing the pollutant emissions in Hangzhou. Unlike with the other pollutants, daily maximum 8 h average (DMA8) O3 exhibited a slight increase and then decrease from BG20 to AG20, which was mainly attributed to the variation in the solar irradiation intensity and regional transport in addition to the contribution from the implementation of stringent control measures. Results from an observation-based chemical model (OBM) indicated that acetaldehyde and methylglyoxal (MGLY) were the most important second-generation precursors of PAN, accounting for 37.3 %–51.6 % and 22.8 %–29.5 % of the total production rates including the reactions of OVOCs, propagation of other radicals, and other minor sources. Moreover, we confirmed the production of PAN and O3 was sensitive to VOCs throughout the whole period, specifically dominated by aromatics in BG20 and DG20 but by alkenes in AG20. These findings suggested that reducing emissions of aromatics, alkenes, and alkanes would mitigate photochemical pollution including PAN and O3. Source appointment results attributed the reductions of VOC source and ozone formation potentials (OFPs) during G20 to the effective emission controls on traffic (vehicle exhaust) and industrial processes (solvent utilization and industrial manufacturing). However, fuel combustion and biogenic emissions both weakened such an effect with a sizable contribution to the VOC mixing ratios (18.8 % and 20.9 %) and OFPs (25.6 % and 17.8 %), especially during the latter part of G20 (G20 II) when anthropogenic VOCs were substantially reduced. This study highlights the effectiveness of stringent emission controls in relation to traffic and industrial sources, but a coordinated program related to controlling fuel combustion and biogenic emissions is also required to address secondary pollution.