Abstract

The public is increasingly concerned about particulate matter pollution caused by respirable suspended particles (PM₁₀) and fine particles (PM_2.5). In this paper, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentration are estimated with remote sensing and individual air quality indexes of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 (IPM₁₀ and IPM_2.5) over mainland China in 2010 are calculated. We find that China suffered more serious PM_2.5 than PM₁₀ pollution in 2010, and they presented a spatial differentiation. Consequently, a particulate-based air quality index (PAQI) based on a weighting method is proposed to provide a more objective assessment of the particulate pollution. The study demonstrates that, in 2010, most of mainland China faced a lightly polluted situation in PAQI case; there were three areas obviously under moderate pollution (Hubei, Sichuan-Chongqing border region and Ningxia-Inner Mongolia border region). Simultaneously, two indicators are calculated with the combination of population density gridded data to reveal Chinese population exposure to PM_2.5. Comparing per capita PM_2.5 concentration with population-weighted PM_2.5 concentration, the former shows that the high-level regions are distributed in Guangdong, Shanghai, and Tianjin, while the latter are in Hebei, Chongqing, and Shandong. By comparison, the results demonstrate that population-weighted PM_2.5 concentration is more in line with the actual situation. View Full-Text