Air Pollution in Megacity Beijing and North China Plain

Megacities Beijing is located in North China Plain, which is the region with the highest level of air pollution on the earth. Many studies have been conducted in this region to characterize the air pollutants at local and regional scales, to understand the transport and transformation processes of atmospheric pollution, and to evaluate the impacts of aerosol on climate and cloud formation. Due to its vast area and intensive air pollution, when the fresh emitted air pollutants interact with the aged air pollution plume, it is interest to further explore many scientific questions, such as: 1. Mechanisms for the producing, cycling, and sinks of HOx radicals; 2. Mechanisms of ozone, new particle, and secondary aerosol particles formation; 3. Oxidative capacity and the multiphase reaction on the surface of fine particles; 4. Optical and hygroscopic properties of aerosol and their implication in climate impacts. To address these scientific questions, a field campaign, CAREBEIJING-NCP (Campaigns of Air Pollution Research in Megacity Beijing and North China Plain) is planned in the summer of 2013, as a follow up of CAREBEIJING 2006, 2007, and 2008, but the study region is larger and will cover the North China Plain. Preliminary results of CAREBEIJING-NCP 2013 will be presented.