Impact of the Loess Plateau on the atmospheric boundary layer structure and air quality in the North China Plain A case study》.pdf

Science of the Total Environment 499 (2014) 228–237 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment journal homepage: /locate/scitotenv Impact of the Loess Plateau on the atmospheric boundary layer structure and air quality in the North China Plain: A case study Xiao-Ming Hu a, ZhiQiang Ma b,⁎, Weili Lin c, Hongliang Zhang d, Jianlin Hu d, Ying Wang c, Xiaobin Xu c, Jose D. Fuentes e, Ming Xue a a Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms, and School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73072, USA b Institute of Urban Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100089, China c Key Laboratory for Atmospheric Chemistry, Center for Atmospheric Watch and Services, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China d Department of Civil Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA e Department of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA H I G H L I G H T S • Low mixed layer exacerbates air pollution over the North China Plain (NCP) • Warm advection from the Loess Plateau leads to the lid formation over the NCP • The Mountain-Plains Solenoid (MPS) circulation also suppresses the mixed layer. • Different heating between Plateau and Plain affects boundary layer structure. a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: The North China Plain (NCP), to the east of the Loess Plateau, experiences severe regional air pollution. During the Received 3 July 2014 daytime in the summer, the Loess Plateau acts as an elevated heat source. The i