Composition and Chemistry

The magnitude of the effect of air pollution on sunshine hours in China

  1. Yawen Wang1,2,
  2. Yonghui Yang1,*,
  3. Na Zhao1,3,
  4. Chen Liu4,
  5. Qinxue Wang5

Article first published online: 12 MAY 2012

DOI: 10.1029/2011JD016753

Issue

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012)

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012)

Volume 117, Issue D21, 16 November 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Wang, Y., Y. Yang, N. Zhao, C. Liu, and Q. Wang (2012), The magnitude of the effect of air pollution on sunshine hours in China, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D00V14, doi:10.1029/2011JD016753.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China

  2. 2

    Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

  3. 3

    School of Hydropower and Information Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

  4. 4

    Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

  5. 5

    National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan

*Corresponding author: Y. Yang, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Rd., Shijiazhuang 050021, China. (yonghui.yang@sjziam.ac.cn)

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 12 MAY 2012
  2. Article first published online: 12 MAY 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 10 APR 2012
  4. Manuscript Revised: 8 APR 2012
  5. Manuscript Received: 20 AUG 2011

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Keywords:

  • Air Pollution Index;
  • precipitation;
  • spatiotemporal trend;
  • total cloud cover

[1] This study investigates the changes in sunshine hours in relation to API (Air Pollution Index) across China. Data were collected from a total of 38 cities over the period of 1960–2009. Sunshine hours in over 84% of the cities significantly (p < 0.05) decline with an average of 16.7% for the 1960s–2000s. This decline is mainly prevalent over Sichuan Basin (22.4%), North China Plain (18.8%), and Yangtze River Delta (18.2%). While the sunshine hour decline is largely in the 20th century (with the strongest drop in the 1980s and the least in the 1990s), it rebounds by 0.3% after 2000. For especially in winter seasons and the North China region, API is negatively related with sunshine hours. For days with API > 80, sunshine hours are on the average 0.7 h d−1 (8.4%) shorter than for days with API ≤ 80 under clear-sky condition for 2001–2005. In cities with average daily API ≤ 80 and >80 for the 2000s, sunshine hour decline for the 1960s–2000s is 0.8 h d−1 (13.4%) and 1.0 h d−1 (15.9%) respectively. Winter seasons with high API (90) exhibit the highest sunshine hour decline (21.5%). The study shows that spatiotemporal changes in sunshine hours in China could largely be explained in terms of API.

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