Arid Zone Research ›› 2025, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (10): 1913-1924.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2025.10.14

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of ozone pollution characteristics, meteorological influences, and potential sources in Yining, Xinjiang

CHEN Xin(), LIU Yunqing, WANG Xinglei()   

  1. Key Laboratory of Pollutant Chemistry and Environmental Treatment, School of Resources and Environment, Yili Normal University, Yining 835000, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2025-01-22 Revised:2025-04-03 Online:2025-10-15 Published:2025-10-22
  • Contact: WANG Xinglei E-mail:632215456@qq.com;wangxl1127@sina.com

Abstract:

To investigate the characteristics of ozone (O3) pollution and its potential sources in Yining City, this study analyzed O3 monitoring data from multiple stations in 2022, combined with meteorological observations and Global Data Assimilation System data. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was employed for backward trajectory analysis, supplemented by Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) and Concentration-Weighted Trajectory (CWT) methods. The results indicated that the highest monthly O3 concentrations occurred in June 2022, while the lowest occurred in December. During peak seasons, the average O3 concentrations at the monitoring stations exceeded the WHO Air Quality Guidelines limit by factors of 1.97, 1.98, and 1.88, respectively. O3 mass concentrations showed positive correlations with the boundary layer height and temperature, while being negatively correlated with the humidity and atmospheric pressure. Diurnal variation analysis revealed that O3 peaks occurred between 17:00 and 18:00 local time, lagging 3-4 h behind the solar radiation maximum observed at 14:00, demonstrating a unimodal diurnal pattern consistent with photochemical formation mechanisms. HYSPLIT trajectory analysis identified dominant air mass origins from the South Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, and Almaty regions of Kazakhstan. PSCF results highlighted significant transboundary contribution zones during spring, including border areas between Nileke and Xinyuan counties in Ili Prefecture, and the Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan border near Usharal and Urzhar. Summer high-contribution areas encompassed Wensu and Kuqa counties in Aksu Prefecture, Luntai County in Bayingol Prefecture, and the southern Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan. CWT analysis identified high-concentration contribution zones in eastern Nileke County in spring and in eastern Xinyuan County, Gongliu-Tekes counties, northwestern Hejing County, and the southwestern Almaty border region in summer. These findings provide a valuable reference for the apportionment of regional O3 pollution sources in Ili River Valley.

Key words: ozone, pollution characterisation, backward trajectory, analysis of potential source contributions, concentration weighting trajectory