Evaluating the impacts of burning biomass on PM2.5 regional transport under various emission conditions

Highlights: • The regional transport of biomass burning PM_2.5 was obviously enhanced with the increasing of emission intensity. • Shorter transport distance strengthened the impact of biomass burning on downstream PM_2.5. • Meteorological factors at burn sites could significantly facilitate the transport of biomass burning PM_2.5. The fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) emitted by burning biomass has become the main source of pollution in cities; this pollution seriously threatens the ecosystem and inhabitants' health. A major challenge in dealing with this issue is the uncertainty regarding the influence of burning biomass on PM_2.5 regional transport. In this study, Harbin-Changchun Megalopolis is the research area. Using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model combined with satellite data and PM_2.5 monitoring data, we quantitatively analyzed the regional transport of PM_2.5 from burning biomass upwind of each city under different emission conditions. Conditions at burn sites, especially emission intensity and meteorological factors, as well as transport distance play significant roles in the regional transport of PM_2.5. Higher emission intensity aggravated the concentration of downwind PM_2.5, at most 19.7 μg ⋅ m⁻³. Shorter transport distance strengthened the impact of biomass burning on downstream PM_2.5 by weakening elimination, which could be up to 96.8 μg ⋅ m⁻³. Moreover, meteorological factors at fire points were closely related to the transport of PM_2.5. First, lower planetary boundary layer height could enhance the transport of PM_2.5 from the burning biomass by inhibiting vertical diffusion, and the enhancement could be up to 46.1 μg ⋅ m⁻³. Second, compared to strong wind, light wind caused the weaker dilution, enhancing PM_2.5 regional transport by as much as 32.5 μg ⋅ m⁻³. Third, relatively humidity at 30%‐40% had the strongest effect in facilitating the transport of PM_2.5 from burning biomass. We conclude that comprehensively considering these three factors, namely the emission intensity, transport distance and meteorological factors at burn sites can facilitate the cross-regional development of accurate prediction models and effective pollution control measures.