Abstract:
Objective To explore the regulation of sea fog weather on the concentrations of major atmospheric pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3) and compare the effects between haze and non-fog non-haze conditions, thus revealing the mechanisms by which meteorological conditions and weather types influence changes in pollutant concentrations.
Methods Single-factor analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis were performed for long-term atmospheric pollution and meteorological monitoring data in Qingdao city from 2014 to 2023 to evaluate the individual and combined effects of sea fog weather and related meteorological parameters (atmospheric pressure, temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, and wind speed) on pollutant concentrations. By quantifying the variance explanation weights of meteorological parameters on changes in pollutant concentrations, we analyzed the differential impacts of different weather types on pollutant concentrations.
Results Single-factor analysis indicated that sea fog weather significantly reduced the concentrations of most pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, CO, and O3) except SO2, demonstrating a stronger pollution-mitigating effect than under non-fog non-haze conditions. Haze events significantly promoted the accumulation of PM2.5, NO2, and SO2 PM2.5: (106.6 ± 33.0) μg/m3, NO2: (56.4 ± 17.3) μg/m3, SO2: (30.8 ± 22.8) μg/m3, while non-fog non-haze conditions exhibited weak pollutant dispersion capacity. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that meteorological parameters exerted positive or negative regulatory effects on pollutant concentrations. Temperature emerged as the core driver of ozone (O3) concentration variations (variance explanation weight = 0.180). Relative humidity significantly influenced NO2 concentrations (variance explanation weight = 0.112), and wind speed effectively reduced concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and NO2 through dispersion. Furthermore, sea fog events accelerated the reduction in particulate matter concentrations under high humidity conditions, whereas haze events significantly enhanced pollutant accumulation under low wind speed conditions.
Conclusions Weather types and meteorological conditions exert significant regulatory effects on air pollutant concentrations. Sea fog events exhibit a purifying effect on most pollutants, whereas haze events play a more pronounced role in promoting pollutant accumulation.