Impact assessment of aviation emissions on China's atmospheric environment from a multidimensional perspective

MA Si-meng; TANG Hui-juan; HAN Bo; ZHAO Yun-ting; ZHAO Jing-bo; YU Jian

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China Environmental Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (1) : 79-90.

Air Pollution Control

Impact assessment of aviation emissions on China's atmospheric environment from a multidimensional perspective

MA Si-meng^1,2, TANG Hui-juan^1,2, HAN Bo^1,2, ZHAO Yun-ting^2,3, ZHAO Jing-bo^1,2, YU Jian^2,4

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Abstract

Based on the civil aviation emission inventory for China in 2019, the impacts of aviation emissions on the atmospheric environment were quantified using the CAMx model. Furthermore, the contributions of various flight phases to ground-level pollutant concentrations and their vertical distribution characteristics were explored. The results showed that aviation emissions were found to contribute 0.045 and 0.26μg/m³ to the annual average ground-level PM_2.5 and O₃ concentrations in China in 2019, respectively, with significant regional and seasonal variations being exhibited. The impact of aviation emissions on PM_2.5 was observed to be greater in winter than in summer, while the higher photochemical reaction efficiency in summer was found to facilitate the generation of O₃. The influence of aviation emissions on ground-level PM_2.5 concentrations was mainly concentrated during the landing and take-off cycles, whereas O₃ formation was primarily attributed to emissions during the cruise phase. The vertical distribution of the contributions of aviation emissions to PM_2.5 and O₃ concentrations was observed to exhibit pronounced seasonal variations. In summer, the contribution ratios in East China, Central South, and Southwest regions were found to peak at the 5~9km altitude layer (4.7% for PM_2.5 and 10.6% for O₃), whereas in winter, they were concentrated in the lower 0~2km layer (6.9% for PM_2.5 and 10.8% for O₃). In contrast, in regions such as Northwest China and Xinjiang, the peak contribution of aviation emissions to PM_2.5 concentrations during winter was primarily concentrated in the lower altitude layer below 1km (9.1% for PM_2.5 and 5.9% for O₃). However, in summer, influenced by dust storms, the peak contribution of PM_2.5 concentration in the northwest region was observed at an altitude of approximately 4km (8.1%).

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air transportation / aircraft emissions / environmental impact / flight phase / vertical distribution

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MA Si-meng, TANG Hui-juan, HAN Bo, ZHAO Yun-ting, ZHAO Jing-bo, YU Jian. Impact assessment of aviation emissions on China's atmospheric environment from a multidimensional perspective[J]. China Environmental Science. 2026, 46(1): 79-90

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