Comparison of Hourly PM2.5 Observations Between Urban and Suburban Areas in Beijing, China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Ling Yao²  Ning Lu²  Xiafang Yue²  Jia Du²  Cundong Yang¹ 

[1] College of History and Tourism Culture, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China; E-Mail:;State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang, Beijing 100101, China; E-Mails:

关键词: PM_2.5 concentration;    diurnal variations;    spatial variations;    day-of-week pattern;    air quality;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph121012264

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Hourly PM_2.5 observations collected at 12 stations over a 1-year period are used to identify variations between urban and suburban areas in Beijing. The data demonstrates a unique monthly variation form, as compared with other major cities. Urban areas suffer higher PM_2.5 concentration (about 92 μg/m³) than suburban areas (about 77 μg/m³), and the average PM_2.5 concentration in cold season (about 105 μg/m³) is higher than warm season (about 78 μg/m³). Hourly PM_2.5 observations exhibit distinct seasonal, diurnal and day-of-week variations. The diurnal variation of PM_2.5 is observed with higher concentration at night and lower value at daytime, and the cumulative growth of nighttime (22:00 p.m. in winter) PM_2.5 concentration maybe due to the atmospheric stability. Moreover, annual average PM_2.5 concentrations are about 18 μg/m³ higher on weekends than weekdays, consistent with driving restrictions on weekdays. Additionally, the nighttime peak in weekdays (21:00 p.m.) is one hour later than weekends (20:00 p.m.) which also shows the evidence of human activity. These observed facts indicate that the variations of PM_2.5 concentration between urban and suburban areas in Beijing are influenced by complex meteorological factors and human activities.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.