Is Beijing achieving its Pm2.5 pollution reduction target?

About Beijing Pm2.5 pollution and this dataset

China's State Council has set a Pm2.5 improvement targets for Beijing area for 25% reduction of annual mean PM2.5 concentrations from 2012 to 2017. In this study, we are exploring the if Beijing achieving its pollution reduction target in Pm2.5 and what kind of weather condition is impacting this measurement. PM 2.5 concentrations index is a air quality measurement to measure number of fine particles or droplets in the air. The US EPA standard level of PM2.5 in 24-hour period average is 35 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m^3). The data used in the study comes from UC Irvine Machine Learning database . The dataset contains the hourly PM2.5 index taken at the US Embassy in Beijing and the meteorological data from Beijing Capital International Airport from 2010 to 2014, which across the year before and during the Pm2.5 concentration reduction plan.

This site uses Interactive Slideshow to show different elements that is impacting the PM2.5 measurement. You can use the navigation bar on the top to see each of the slides with d3js charts!

The html soures code (including the d3.js code) are in the following link: https://github.com/titusfong/Beijing_PM2.5/tree/master/_includes

Overview

This graph shows the overview changes of Pm2.5 across the years in the dataset. The data is the average Pm2.5 index per hour aggregated across 2010 to 2014. The graph shows no significant reduction across all the years even after the pollution reduction started in 2012. You can see the details of the graph data with the annotations on the graph. You can also move over the line chart to see pm2.5 measurement in each hour!

Which wind direction is impacting PM2.5 measurement the most?

Wind direction is one of the most important elements in impacting the PM2.5 measurement. From which we know where the pollution is coming from or blowing away. The graph is created in the following three different PM2.5 levels: “under 35 µg/m^3”, which is within the US EPA standard level and healthy, “between 35 to 150 µg/m^3”, and “over 150 µg/m^3” , which consider “Unhealthy” in Air quality index (AQI) value. You can click on the buttons and explore the wind direction at each PM2.5 levels! The parameter in the middle showing the level you are currently on.

What period of the day Beijing has the best air quality?

You would be surprised that air quality is the best during the daytime in the afternoon. That is because PM2.5 gets trapped in the cooler air near the surface in the evenings, which accounts for the higher concentrations at night. When the sun comes out, the air heats up and rises, which leads to lower concentrations in the day. Here is an news article on Beijing PM2.5 over a 24-hour period by The Wall Street Journal for more details. You can mouse over each datapoint to see the PM2.5 measurement in each hour over a 24-hour period!

What is the best time of year Beijing has the air quality?

There are some months in Beijing are better than others. Beijing’s fall and spring often ushers in winds from the north that blow away air pollutants. Another factor impacting the PM2.5 measurement could be emissions from coal-fired power plants and other industrial activities. Both summer and winter coincide with higher emissions from the burning of coal for heat and the use of electricity from coal-fired power plants for air conditioning. Here is an news article on Air Quality in Beijing and Shanghai over a year by The Wall Street Journal for more details. You can mouse over each datapoint to see the PM2.5 measurement in each month over a year from 2010-2014!

Is PM2.5 measurement doing better over the years and meeting the improvement targets?

Here is a graph showing accumulated hours of different PM 2.5 level in a year. The graph is created in the following three different PM2.5 levels: “under 35 µg/m^3”, which is within the US EPA standard level and healthy, “between 35 to 150 µg/m^3”, and “over 150 µg/m^3” , which consider “Unhealthy” in Air quality index (AQI) value. If there are more hours in one year in the “under 35 µg/m^3” chart than the previous year, meaning that air quality in that year is improving. If there are more hours in one year in “over 150 µg/m^3” chart than the previous year, the reverse is true. You can click on different levels to explore if the air quality is improving!