COATS experiment revealed the three-dimensional structural image of the atmospheric boundary layer during haze pollution in the North China Plain

The results of the experiment “Comprehensive Observation on the Atmospheric boundary layer Three-dimensional Structure” (COATS) were recently published online in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences. Based on the COATS experiment, the understanding of the physical mechanism and spatial structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) during haze pollution was enriched.

From 2016 to 2020, Peking University, together with the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted the COATS experiment in the North China Plain (NCP). The COATS experiment adopted a “point-line-surface” spatial layout, obtaining both spatial-temporal profiles of the meteorological and environmental elements in the ABL and the turbulent transport data of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in winter and summer.

The COATS experiment made new discoveries regarding the spatial structure heterogeneity of the ABL and its influence on the spatial distribution of pollutants. Three-dimensional structural images of the ABL during haze pollution in the NCP were obtained. It was determined that the spatial structure of the ABL adjusted by the Taihang Mountains is responsible for the heterogeneous distribution of haze pollution in the NCP, and that mountain-induced vertical circulations can promote the formation of elevated pollution layers. The restraints of the atmospheric internal boundaries on horizontal diffusion of pollutants were emphasized.

Futhermore, the typical thermal structure of persistent heavy haze events and the pollutant removal mechanism by low-level jets were revealed. The quantitative contribution of the ABL processes to pollutant transport and diffusion in different seasons was evaluated. The concept of “aerosol accumulation layer” was defined, and the applicability of the material method in determining the atmospheric boundary layer height was clarified. A measurement system for obtaining the turbulent flux of PM_2.5 concentrations was developed and the understanding of the turbulent transport of PM_2.5 between the ground and the atmosphere was expanded.

See the article:

Li Q, Zhang H, Zhang X, Cai X, Jin X, Zhang L, Song Y, Kang L, Hu F, Zhu T. COATS: Comprehensive observation on the atmospheric boundary layer three-dimensional structure during haze pollution in the North China Plain. Science China Earth Sciences, 66(5): 939–958, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-022-1092-y