Spatiotemporal variation in the impact of meteorological conditions on PM2.5 pollution in China from 2000 to 2017

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration that exceeds standards is causing poor air quality in most Chinese cities. Meteorological conditions are an important factor affecting PM2.5 concentration, but few quantitative studies have been conducted on the effects of long-term and large-scale changes in meteorological factors on PM2.5 pollution. In this study, a Weather Research and Forecasting/Community Multiscale Air Quality (WRF/CMAQ) modeling system was applied to study the spatial and temporal distributions of the impact of meteorological conditions on PM2.5 pollution in China from 2000 to 2017. During the study period, Me-PM2.5 decreased in general (P = 0.0018) in nationwide, and showed significant spatiotemporal variations. There was an overall increasing trend for Beijing, Fujian, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces (P < 0.05) as the meteorological conditions deteriorated, and there was an overall negative trend for nine provinces (P < 0.05) which indicated meteorological conditions were causing a decrease in concentrations. Substantial differences in the impact of meteorological changes on PM2.5 pollution were observed across the provinces, with FMe-PM2.5 (fluctuating range of Me-PM2.5) between 9.3% and 55.1%. In addition, the best, typical, and worst meteorological years were selected based on Me-PM2.5; these should be considered when setting air quality goals and pollution control plans.