Abstract
Visibility is one of the parameters for indicating air pollution. In this study, visibility variation in Hong Kong during summer and winter is investigated. Visibility in Hong Kong has clear intraseasonal variation. Examination of different environmental parameters suggests that the intraseasonal component dominates the overall circulation anomalies in both summer and winter. Associated with the intraseasonal variation of environmental parameters, obvious variation in visibility impairment is found in both summer and winter. In summer, local visibility and air quality are found to be significantly affected by the (MJO) and the 10–30-day intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) through modulation of associated atmospheric circulations. In winter, the modulation effects appear to be weaker due to the southward shift of the associated convection. The results in this study highlight the importance of the ISO in contributing to the overall variation in visibility in Hong Kong, and provide useful implications for the development of possible mitigation strategies associated with visibility impairment and air pollution in Hong Kong.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chang, W. L., and E. H. Koo, 1986: A study of visibility trends in Hong Kong (1968–1982). Atmospheric Environment (1967) 20, 1847–1858, doi: 10.1016/0004-6981(86)90325-2.
Huang, P., C. Chou, and R. H. Huang, 2011: Seasonal modulation of tropical intraseasonal oscillations on tropical cyclone geneses in the western North Pacific. J. Climate, 24, 6339–6352.
Huang, W., and Coauthors, 2009: Visibility, air quality and daily mortality in Shanghai, China. Science of The Total Environment, 407, 3295–3300.
Kalnay, E., and Coauthors, 1996: The NCEP/NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis Project. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 437–472.
Kim, J.-S., W. Zhou, H. N. Cheung, and C. H. Chow, 2013: Variability and risk analysis of Hong Kong air quality based on monsoon and El Niño conditions. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 30, 280–290, doi: 10.1007/s00376-012-2074-z.
Leung, Y. K., and C. Y. Lam, 2008: Visibility impairment in Hong Kong—A wind attribution analysis. Bulletin of Hong Kong Meteorological Society, 18, 33–48.
Leung, Y., M. Wu, and K. Yeung, 2008: A study on the relationship among visibility, atmospheric suspended particulate concentration and meteorological conditions in Hong Kong. Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 66(3), 461–469. (in Chinese)
Li, R. C. Y., and W. Zhou, 2013a: Modulation of western North Pacific tropical cyclone activity by the ISO. Part I: Genesis and intensity. J. Climate, 26, 2904–2918.
Li, R. C. Y., and W. Zhou, 2013b: Modulation of western North Pacific tropical cyclone activity by the ISO. Part II: Tracks and landfalls. J. Climate, 26, 2919–2930.
Li, R. C. Y., and W. Zhou, 2015: Multiscale control of summertime persistent heavy precipitation events over South China in association with synoptic, intraseasonal, and low-frequency background. Climate Dyn., 45, 1043–1057.
Malm, W. C., J. F. Sisler, D. Huffman, R. A. Eldred, and T. A. Cahill, 1994: Spatial and seasonal trends in particle concentration and optical extinction in the United States. J. Geophys. Res., 99(D1), 1347–1370.
McDonnell, W. F., N. Nishino-Ishikawa, F. F. Petersen, L. H. Chen, and D. E. Abbey, 2000: Relationships of mortality with the fine and coarse fractions of long-term ambient PM10 concentrations in nonsmokers. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology, 10, 427–436.
Pope, C. A., and D. W. Dockery, 2006: Health effects of fine particulate air pollution: Lines that connect. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 56, 709–742.
Thach, T.-Q., C.-M. Wong, K.-P. Chan, Y.-K. Chau, Y.-N. Chung, C.-Q. Ou, L. Yang, and A. J. Hedley, 2010: Daily visibility and mortality: assessment of health benefits from improved visibility in Hong Kong. Environ. Res., 110, 617–623.
Wang, T., 2003: Study of visibility reduction and its causes in Hong Kong. Final Report for the Environmental Protection Department of HKSAR.
Wheeler, M. C., and H. H. Hendon, 2004: An all-season real-time multivariate MJO index: Development of an index for monitoring and prediction. Mon. Wea. Rev., 132, 1917–1932.
Wu, D., X. X. Tie, C. C. Li, Z. M. Ying, A. K.-H. Lau, J. Huang, X. J. Deng, and X. Y. Bi, 2005: An extremely low visibility event over the Guangzhou region: A case study. Atmos. Environ., 39, 6568–6577.
Zhou, W., and J. C. L. Chan, 2005: Intraseasonal oscillations and the South China Sea summer monsoon onset. International Journal of Climatology, 25, 1585–1609.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41375096) and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Grant No. 11305715 and 11335316).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhou, W., Li, R.C.Y. & Chow, E.C.H. Intraseasonal variation of visibility in Hong Kong. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 34, 26–38 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-6056-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-6056-4