Model elucidating the sources and formation mechanisms of severe haze pollution over Northeast mega-city cluster in China

Recent studies on regional haze pollution over China come up in general with strong variability of main causes of heavy polluted episodes, in linkage with local specificities, sources and pollution characteristics. This paper therefore aims at elucidating the main specific sources and formation mechanisms of observed strong haze pollution episodes over 1–15 November 2015 in Northeast region considered as one of biggest megacity clusters in China. The Northeast China mega-city cluster, including Heilong Jiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, is adjacent to Russia in the north, Mongolian at the west, North Korea at east, and representing key geographical location in the regional and transnational air pollution issues in China due to the presence of heavy industries and intense economic activities. The present study, based on air quality monitoring, remote sensing satellite data and sensitivity experiments carried on the Nested Air Quality Prediction Modeling System (NAQPMS), quantitatively assesses the impact of meteorological conditions and potential contributions from regional chemical transport, intensive energy combustion, illegal emission and biomass burning emissions to PM_2.5 concentration variation. The results indicate strong inversion occurrence at lower atmosphere with weak near-surface wind speed and high relative humidity, leading to PM_2.5 concentration increase of about 30–50%. Intensive energy combustion (plausibly for heating activities) and illegal emission also significantly enhance the overall PM_2.5 accumulation by 100–200 μg m⁻³ (60–70% increase), against 75–100 μg m⁻³ from the biomass burning under the northeast-southwest transport pathway, corresponding to a contribution of 10–20% to PM_2.5 concentration increase. Obviously, stagnant meteorological conditions, energy combustion, illegal emission and biomass burning are main drivers of strong haze formation and spatial distribution over Northeast China megacity cluster. In clear, much effort on emission abatement at both local and regional scales is still an urgent imperative to overcome current critical haze pollution. - Highlights: • Unfavorable Meteorological conditions induce PM_2.5 concentration increase by 30–50%. • Energy combustion and illegal emissions significantly enhance the overall PM_2.5 accumulation by 60–70% increase. • Biomass burning accounts for 10–20% in PM_2.5 increment under the northeast-southwest transport pathway. • Stagnant meteorological conditions, Intensive emission and biomass burning are main drivers of strong haze formation.