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Averaging period effects on the turbulent flux and transport efficiency during haze pollution in Beijing, China

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Abstract

Based on observations at the heights of 140 and 280 m on the Beijing 325-m meteorological tower, this study presents an assessment of the averaging period effects on eddy-covariance measurements of the momentum/scalar flux and transport efficiency during wintertime haze pollution. The study period, namely from January 6 to February 28 2013, is divided into different episodes of particulate pollution, as featured by varied amounts of the turbulent exchange and conditions of the atmospheric stability. Overall, turbulent fluxes of the momentum and scalars (heat, water vapor, and CO2) increase with the averaging period, namely from 5, 15, and 30 up to 60 min, an outcome most evident during the ‘transient’ episodes (each lasting for 2–3 days, i.e., preceded and followed by clean-air days with mean concentrations of PM1 less than 40 μg m−3). The conventional choice of 30 min is deemed to be appropriate for calculating the momentum flux and its transport efficiency. By comparison, scalar fluxes and their transport efficiencies appear more sensitive to the choice of an averaging period, particularly at the upper level (i.e., 280 m). It is presupposed that, for urban environments, calculating the momentum and scalar fluxes could invoke separate averaging periods, rather than relying on a single prescription (e.g., 30 min). Furthermore, certain characteristics of urban turbulence are found less sensitive to the choice of an averaging period, such as the relationship between the heat-to-momentum transport efficiency and the local stability parameter.

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Acknowledgments

Grateful thanks are due to two anonymous reviewers who provided much valued advice on how to improve our manuscript. This study is jointly funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant 2014CB447900), National High Technology Research and Development Program (Grant 2014AA06A512), Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (Grant 201409001 via Special Funds for Scientific Research on Public Welfare), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 41305115).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaofeng Guo, Ting Yang & Yele Sun

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  1. Xiaofeng Guo
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  2. Ting Yang
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  3. Yele Sun
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Correspondence to Xiaofeng Guo.

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Responsible Editor: S. Trini Castelli.

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Guo, X., Yang, T. & Sun, Y. Averaging period effects on the turbulent flux and transport efficiency during haze pollution in Beijing, China. Meteorol Atmos Phys 127, 419–433 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-015-0378-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-015-0378-0

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