Impact of tropical cyclone track change on regional air quality.

There has been an increase in tropical cyclones (TCs) in the western North Pacific (WNP) that traverse with a northward recurving track towards East Asia and a decrease in TC tracks entering the South China Sea (SCS) in the past few decades. To investigate the potential impact of the prevailing TC track change on Hong Kong air quality, an analysis has been carried out based on historical data (1991 to 2010) of TC tracks and air quality. Compared to TCs in other regions, TCs in the vicinity of Taiwan (Region 2, R2) have the greatest impact on Hong Kong air quality due to regional transport of air pollutants from the highly industrialized Pearl River Delta (PRD).