Roadside Air Quality Forecasting in Shanghai with a Novel Sequence-to-Sequence Model.

The establishment of an effective roadside air quality forecasting model provides important information for proper traffic management to mitigate severe pollution, and for alerting resident's outdoor plans to minimize exposure. Current deterministic models rely on numerical simulation and the tuning of parameters, and empirical models present powerful learning ability but have not fully considered the temporal periodicity of air pollutants. In order to take the periodicity of pollutants into empirical air quality forecasting models, this study evaluates the temporal variations of air pollutants and develops a novel sequence to sequence model with weekly periodicity to forecast air quality.

Drivers for the poor air quality conditions in North China Plain during the COVID-19 outbreak.

China's lockdown to control COVID-19 brought significant declines in air pollutant emissions, but haze was still a serious problem in North China Plain (NCP) during late-January to mid-February of 2020. We seek the potential causes for the poor air quality in NCP combining satellite data, ground measurements and model analyses. Efforts to constrain COVID-19 result in a drop-off of primary gaseous pollutants, e.

Identification of long-term evolution of ozone sensitivity to precursors based on two-dimensional mutual verification.

Tropospheric ozone pollution has been continuously worsening in China during the past decade. Identification of long-term evolution of ozone sensitivity to precursors is essential to evaluating the impact of emission reduction measures on ozone pollution. Traditional observation-based model and 3-d numerical model are not suitable for analyzing long-term variation of ozone sensitivity to precursors.

Air-pollutant mass concentration changes during COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai, China.

To curb the spread of the coronavirus, China implemented lockdown policies on January 23, 2020. The resulting extreme changes in human behavior may have influenced the air pollutants concentration. However, despite these changes, hazy weather persisted in Shanghai and became a public issue.

Gestational exposures to outdoor air pollutants in relation to low birth weight: A retrospective observational study.

Findings for impacts of outdoor air pollutants on birth outcomes were controversial. We performed a retrospective observational study in 2527 preschoolers of Shanghai, China and investigated associations of duration-averaged concentrations of outdoor sulphur dioxide (SO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM) in different months and trimesters of gestation, with preterm birth (PB), low birth weight (LBW), term low birth weight (T-LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA). Daily concentrations of outdoor air pollutants were collected in each residence-located district.

Ursolic Acid Alleviates Mucus Secretion and Tissue Remodeling in Rat Model of Allergic Rhinitis After PM2.5 Exposure.

Background: According to recent epidemiologic studies, exposure to fine particulate matter (particulate matter 2.5 ≤ µm [PM2.5]) in the air increases the incidence and severity of allergic rhinitis (AR).

Puzzling Haze Events in China During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Shutdown.

It is a puzzle as to why more severe haze formed during the New Year Holiday in 2020 (NYH-20), when China was in an unprecedented state of shutdown to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, than in 2019 (NYH-19). We performed a comprehensive measurement and modeling analysis of the aerosol chemistry and physics at multiple sites in China (mainly in Shanghai) before, during, and after NYH-19 and NYH-20. Much higher secondary aerosol fraction in PM were observed during NYH-20 (73%) than during NYH-19 (59%).

Synoptic condition-driven summertime ozone formation regime in Shanghai and the implication for dynamic ozone control strategies.

Regarding the continuous worsening of tropospheric ozone pollution, the scenario in Shanghai is a microcosm of the entire China. Understanding the ozone formation regimes (OFRs), their variations, and driving factors is a prerequisite for formulating effective ozone control strategies. Traditional OFR estimation by numerical model, which often involves sensitivity analysis on at least tens of scenarios, is labor-intensive and time-consuming; therefore, it is not appropriate to make OFR forecasts to guide ozone contingency control.

Protocol development for real-time ship fuel sulfur content determination using drone based plume sniffing microsensor system.

Pollutants from navigation sector are key contributors to emission inventories of most coastal cities with heavy port activities. The use of high fuel sulfur content (FSC) bunker oil by ocean going vessels (OGVs) has been identified as a major source of sulfur dioxide (SO). Government authorities all over the world, including Hong Kong government, have implemented air pollution control regulations to cap FSC of fuel used by OGVs to 0.

[Source Profiles and Impact of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Coating Manufacturing Industry].

SUMMA canisters were used to collect the exhaust gas from eight coating manufacturers in East China. A total of 106 VOCs was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method to identify the emission characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the contribution of VOCs emitted by various companies to ozone generation, and the source profiles of solvent-based and water-based coatings were established. The results show that the characteristic components of VOCs in the coating manufacturing industry are mainly aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons.

Insights into source origins and formation mechanisms of nitrate during winter haze episodes in the Yangtze River Delta.

Nitrate became the most significant component of secondary inorganic aerosols (SNA, the sum of sulfate, nitrate and ammonium ions) as the emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO) have been greatly reduced in China in recent years. In the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), nitrate could contribute 56% of SNA and 34% of total PM during haze episodes. In this study, a modified Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was used to provide a comprehensive understanding of nitrate source and formation under severe pollution during winter 2015 and 2016.

Prenatal and postnatal exposures to ambient air pollutants associated with allergies and airway diseases in childhood: A retrospective observational study.

It's inconsistent about associations of early exposures to outdoor air pollutants with allergies and airway diseases in childhood. Here, we investigated associations of prenatal and postnatal exposures to outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO), sulphur dioxide (SO), and PM (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm) with asthma, wheeze, hay fever, rhinitis, pneumonia, and eczema in childhood. We surveyed 3,177 preschoolers who never change residences since birth in Shanghai, China.

Increasing surface ozone and enhanced secondary organic carbon formation at a city junction site: An epitome of the Yangtze River Delta, China (2014-2017).

This study aims to understand the characteristics of surface ozone (O), search for factors affecting the variations in its concentration, and estimate its impacts on the secondary organic carbon (SOC) levels and atmospheric oxidation capacities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Four years of continuous observations (2014-2017) of the surface O, organic carbon, elemental carbon, nitrogen oxides, PM and meteorological factors along with three years of measurements (2015-2017) of the concentrations of 56 volatile organic compounds were conducted at a rural site. Our measurements showed that the total number of O pollution days more than doubled over the four-year period, from 28 days in 2014 to 76 days in 2017.

ROS-generation potential of Humic-like substances (HULIS) in ambient PM in urban Shanghai: Association with HULIS concentration and light absorbance.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM) can cause adverse health effects through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after inhalation. Humic-like substances (HULIS) are major constituents contributing to the ROS-generation potential in organic aerosols. In this study, PM samples in urban Shanghai during autumn and winter (2018-2019) were collected.

Possible environmental effects on the spread of COVID-19 in China.

At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus, designated as SARS-CoV-2, emerged in Wuhan, China and was identified as the causal pathogen of COVID-19. The epidemic scale of COVID-19 has increased dramatically, with confirmed cases increasing across China and globally. Understanding the potential affecting factors involved in COVID-19 transmission will be of great significance in containing the spread of the epidemic.

Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals.

The ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly on a global scale. Although it is clear that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted through human respiratory droplets and direct contact, the potential for aerosol transmission is poorly understood. Here we investigated the aerodynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 by measuring viral RNA in aerosols in different areas of two Wuhan hospitals during the outbreak of COVID-19 in February and March 2020.

Associations of ambient air pollutants with airway and allergic symptoms in 13,335 preschoolers in Shanghai, China.

Findings are inconsistent in studies for impacts of outdoor air pollutants on airway health in childhood. In this paper, we collected data regarding airway and allergic symptoms in the past year before a survey in 13,335 preschoolers from a cross-sectional study. Daily averaged concentrations of ambient sulphur dioxide (SO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM) in the past year before the survey were collected in the kindergarten-located district.

Characterizing aircraft engine fuel and emission parameters of taxi phase for Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport with aircraft operational data.

Aircraft engine emissions during landing and take-off cycle are commonly estimated on the basis of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) promulgated calculation model and emission parameters; however, the ICAO certified parameters are generally not applicable for an individual airport. In this study, the operation times, fuel and emission parameters of 8 aircraft models during taxi phase at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) are analyzed with the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) data, and compared with corresponding values referenced by the ICAO. The results show perceptible discrepancies between the SHA-specific and ICAO certified values.

Quantifying aircraft emissions of Shanghai Pudong International Airport with aircraft ground operational data.

The air traffic growth at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) has attracted much concern over the potential impacts on local air quality and human health; however, the emission contributions due to aircraft activities, impact on air quality and health effects remain unclear. In this study, the ground operational data derived from the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) dataset are newly utilized to obtain the PVG-specific emission parameters of 10 distinct aircraft-engine combinations during the taxi-in and taxi-out phases of the landing and take-off (LTO) cycle. The resulting emission parameters, together with PVG-specific operational conditions, are applied to quantify the annual emissions in 2017 for main engines and auxiliary power units (APUs) at PVG, emission variations caused by mixing layer height, sensitivity of black carbon (BC) emissions to the estimation method and sensitivity of PM emissions to the fuel sulfur content (FSC).

Identifying the wintertime sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from MAX-DOAS measured formaldehyde and glyoxal in Chongqing, southwest China.

Ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) observations were performed from 27 December 2018 to 16 January 2019 in Changshou, one of subdistricts of Chongqing, China. Primary atmospheric pollutant in Changshou during wintertime was PM, whose contribution averaged about 70.15% ± 9.

Associations between fine particulate matter constituents and daily cardiovascular mortality in Shanghai, China.

Limited evidence is available for the associations between fine particulate matter (PM) constituents and daily cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in China. In present study, a time-series analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations of PM constituents (two carbonaceous fractions, eight water-soluble inorganic ions and fifteen elements) with daily CVD mortality in Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China, from 2014 to 2016. Results showed that the effect estimates for the associations of PM and its constituents with CVD mortality were generally strongest when using the exposures of the previous two day concentrations.

Sources and vertical distribution of PM over Shanghai during the winter of 2017.

Shanghai, a metropolitan city in China, has suffered from severe air pollution, especially PM, in the last few years. Up to now the contribution of local emission and regional transport to the formation of haze in Shanghai remains unclear. With an aim to characterize the mechanism of haze formation in Shanghai, the present paper attempted to provide an overview of a tethered balloon-based field campaign.

The acute effects of fine particulate matter constituents on circulating inflammatory biomarkers in healthy adults.

Background: Systemic inflammation is considered one of the key mechanisms in the development of cardiovascular diseases induced by fine particulate matter (PM) air pollution. However, evidence concerning the effects of various PM constituents on circulating inflammatory biomarkers were limited and inconsistent.

Objectives: To evaluate the associations of short-term exposure to a variety of PM constituents with circulating inflammatory biomarkers.