With an increasing number of Chinese cities suffering from serious air pollution problems in recent decades, air pollution has become one of the top environmental concerns in China. As an important political, economic, and cultural center of China,  Shanghai’s environmental problems have become increasingly prominent with the acceleration of urbanization and industrial processes. As one of the most serious issues, the temporal variations in ambient air quality indicators have received much attention in Shanghai municipality.  

CHEN Yuanyuan, from CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, examined air pollution status and dynamics from 2015 to 2018 in Shanghai municipality, and analyzed the main meteorological factors and socio-economic indicators affecting air pollution in Shanghai. 

The main findings were that: Air quality status in Shanghai municipality has improved. The most frequent major pollutant in Shanghai municipality was O₃, followed by PM_2.5 and NO₂. PM_2.5 pollution in winter and O₃ pollution in summer were the main air quality challenges in Shanghai municipality. PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂ and NO₂ concentrations were significantly negatively associated with precipitation and atmosphere temperature, while the O₃ concentration was significantly positively associated with precipitation and atmosphere temperature.  

These results are used to identify air quality management gaps and provide scientific insights into meteorological factors and socio-economic indicators influencing air pollution in Shanghai. Further rigorous measures are needed to control PM_2.5 and that further studies are needed to identify O₃ formation mechanisms and control strategies. 

The relevant research results have been published in Scientific Reports entitled “Temporal variations in ambient air quality indicators in Shanghai municipality, China”. This research was supported by the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences and National Key Research and Development Program of China.  

Temporal variations in 24-h average concentrations and annual mean concentrations of air pollutants in Shanghai municipality, 2015–2018 (Image by WBG)