Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ambient TSP concentration and dustfall variation in Urumqi, China

  • Published:
Journal of Arid Land Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Total suspended particulate (TSP, particle diameter≤100 μm) was the dominant air pollutant and significantly influenced local air quality. In this paper, we investigated the interannual and seasonal variations of TSP and dustfall of the atmosphere over Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, northwestern China, basing on environmental monitoring records and meteorological data from 1986–2012. The results showed that during the study period, annual average TSP concentration decreased from 716 to 260 μg/m3, with an average level of 422.9 μg/m3, while dustfall intensity reduced from 350.4 to 166.6 t/(km2·a), with an average level of 259 t/(km2·a). Over 50% of the annual pollution days were induced mainly by TSP. Spring and winter had relatively higher dustfall intensities, and dense traffic and residential areas had the highest dustfall intensities in the Urumqi metropolitan area. With an annual average precipitation of less than 300 mm, atmospheric particulates in Urumqi could be hardly removed through wet deposition. During spring and summertime prevailing winds from northwest and northeast could carry aeolian dust particles from sandy deserts to Urumqi. Aeolian dusts from deserts would remain to be a priority regarding air pollution control in arid oasis cities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amina A, Dilinuer A. 2011. Analysis of sandstorm disaster in Xinjiang in recent 50 years. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 25(8): 118–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bogo H, Otero M, Castro P, et al. 2003. Study of atmospheric particulate matter in Buenos Aires city. Atmospheric Environment, 37(8): 1135–1147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen X, Yan J F, Chen Z, et al. 2009. A spatial geostatistical analysis of impact of land use development on groundwater resources in the Sangong Oasis Region using remote sensing imagery and data. Journal of Arid Land, 1(1): 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • China Meteorological Administration. 2010. Yearbook of China Meteorological Disasters. Beijing: China Meteorological Press, 41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derbyshire E, Meng X, Kemp R A. 1998. Provenance, transport and characteristics of modern aeolian dust in western Gansu Province, China, and interpretation of the quaternary loess record. Journal of Arid Environments, 39: 497–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dong Z W, Li Z Q, Edwards R, et al. 2011. Temporal characteristics of mineral dust particles in precipitation of Urumqi River Valley in Tian Shan, China: a comparison of alpine site and rural site. Atmospheric Research, 101: 294–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groll M, Opp Chr, Aslanov I. 2013. Spatial and temporal distribution of the dust deposition in Central Asia—results from a long term monitoring program. Aeolian Research, 9: 49–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He Q, Yang Q, Li H J. 2003. Variations of air temperature, precipitation and sand-dust weather in Xinjiang in past 40 years. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology, 25(4): 423–427.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husar R B, Tratt D M, Schichtel B A, et al. 2001. Asian dust events of April 1998. Journal of Geophysical Research, 106(D16): 18317–18330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC. 2007. Climate Change 2007—The Physical Science Basis. New York: Cambridge University Press, 171–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar P, Fennell P, Britter R. 2008. Effect of wind direction and speed on the dispersion of nucleation and accumulation mode particles in an urban street canyon. Science of the Total Environment, 402(1): 82–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leinen M, Prospero J M, Arnold E, et al. 1994. Mineralogy of aeolian dust reaching the North Pacific Ocean: 1. Sampling and analysis. Journal of Geophysical Research, 99: 21017–21023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li K, Wang Y J, Wang T, et al. 2010. Vehicle pollution emission inventory research in Urumqi city. Research of Environmental Sciences, 23(4): 407–412.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Zhuang G S, Huang K, et al. 2008. Characteristics and sources of air-borne particulate in Urumqi, China, the upstream area of Asia dust. Atmospheric Environment, 42: 776–787.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li J L, Zheng Y P, Liu Z Q. 2007. Relationship between the low altitude temperature stratification and the heating period atmospheric pollution in Urumqi city. Journal of Arid Land Geography, 30(4): 519–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li R, Wang X. 2007. Effects of precipitation on air pollution in Urumqi city. Journal of Desert and Oasis Meteorology, 1(2): 13–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Z Q, Edwards R., Thompson E M. 2006. Seasonal variability of ionic concentrations in surface snow and elution processes in snow-firn packs at the PGPI site on Urumqi glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China. Annals of Glaciology, 43: 250–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang Y, Liu X C, He Q, et al. 2008. Analysis on total dust fall during spring and summer in Xinjiang. Journal of Desert Research, 28(5): 992–995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mamtimin B, Meixner F. 2007. The characteristics of air pollution in the semi-arid city of Urumqi (NW China) and its relation to climatological process. Geophysical Research Abstracts 9, 06357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mamtimin B, Meixner F. 2011. Air pollution and meteorological processes in the growing dryland city of Urumqi (Xinjiang, China). Science of the Total Environment, 409: 1277–1290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MEP (Ministry of Environmental Protection, China). 1994. Ambient Air Determination of Dustfall Gravimetric Method (GB/T 15265-1994). Beijing: Standards Press of China.

    Google Scholar 

  • MEP (Ministry of Environmental Protection, China). 1995. Ambient air determination of total suspended particulates Gravimetric method (GB/T 15432-1995). Beijing: Standards Press of China.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okada K, Kai K. 2004. Atmospheric mineral particles collected at Qira in the Taklamakan Desert, China. Atmospheric Environment, 38(40): 6927–6935.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prospero J M, Uematsu M, Savoie D L. 1989. Mineral aerosol transport to the Pacific Ocean. Chemical Oceanography, 10: 188–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sassen K. 2002. Indirect climate forcing over the western US from Asian dust storms. Geophysical Research Letters, 29: 1465–1469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shao Y P. 2000. Physics and Modeling of Wind Erosion. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 5–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uno I, Eguchi K, Yumimoto K. 2009. Asian dust transported one full circuit around the globe. Nature Geoscience, 2: 557–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urumqi Municipal Bureau of Statistics. 2013. Urumqi Statistical Yearbook 2013. Beijing: China Statistical Press, 91–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Xia D S, Yu Y, et al. 2010. Magnetic properties of urban dustfall in North Xinjiang and its environmental significance. Journal of Desert Research, 30(3): 699–705.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang T, Yan C Z, Song X, et al. 2012. Monitoring recent trends in the area of aeolian desertified land using Landsat images in China’s Xinjiang region. Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 68: 184–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei W S, Gao W D, Shi Y G, et al. 2004. Influence of climate and environment change on dust storms in Xinjiang, China. Journal of Arid Land Geography, 27(2): 137–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xinjiang Department of Environmental Protection. 2012. “Blue Sky” project achieved progresses in Urumqi, capital city of Xinjiang, China. [2013-09-20]. http://www.xjepb.gov.cn/tabid/787/InfoID/390237/frtid/40/Default.aspx.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xinjiang Statistical Bureau. 2012. Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2012. Beijing: China Statistical Press, 60–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xuan J, Sokolik I N. 2002. Characterization of sources and emission rates of mineral dust in northern China. Atmospheric Environment, 36(31): 4863–4876.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang L P, Chen F H. 2002. Study on the source apportionment of atmospheric dust pollutants in Lanzhou. Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae, 22(4): 499–503.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu H B, Remer L A, Chin M, et al. 2012. Aerosols from overseas rival domestic emissions over north America. Science, 337: 566–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China

    XiaoXiao Zhang, Xi Chen, ShengYu Li & HuaWei Pi

  2. State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    XiaoXiao Zhang, YuHong Guo & ZiFa Wang

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    YuHong Guo & HuaWei Pi

  4. Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    LianYou Liu

  5. Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z2, Canada

    Cottle Paul

Authors
  1. XiaoXiao Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xi Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. YuHong Guo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. ZiFa Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. LianYou Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Cottle Paul
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. ShengYu Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. HuaWei Pi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to XiaoXiao Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, X., Chen, X., Guo, Y. et al. Ambient TSP concentration and dustfall variation in Urumqi, China. J. Arid Land 6, 668–677 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-014-0069-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-014-0069-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation