Spatiotemporal variations of crop straw burning and its impact on air quality in the North China Plain from 2013 to 2023

WANG Xin-hui; SHEN Xiu-e; JIANG Lei; ZHANG Jian; LI Ling-jun; SONG Xiao-ke

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China Environmental Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3) : 1264-1277.

Spatiotemporal variations of crop straw burning and its impact on air quality in the North China Plain from 2013 to 2023

WANG Xin-hui^1,2, SHEN Xiu-e^1,2, JIANG Lei^1,2, ZHANG Jian^1,2, LI Ling-jun^1,2, SONG Xiao-ke¹

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Abstract

This study investigated the spatiotemporal characteristics of open-field crop straw burning (hereinafter referred to as crop straw burning) in the North China Plain, based on thermal anomaly data from VIIRS/NPP and agricultural statistics from 2013 to 2023. Furthermore, an emission inventory for major atmospheric pollutants from 2013 to 2022 was developed, and the impact on PM_2.5 concentrations during summer harvest season was assessed. The results showed that: significant spatial clustering was observed in the distribution of crop straw burning fire points, with two primary high-density zones identified in the southern Henan-northern Anhui region and the Bohai Rim region. The number of fire points decreased significantly during the study period, with the southern experiencing greater reductions than the northern. Intra-annual variations were highly synchronous with agricultural activities, showing distinct peaks during the summer and autumn harvest periods. The pollutant emissions declined by over 50% from 2013 to 2022, with a rapid decrease from 2013 to 2016 followed by a stabilization. The seasonal peak of emissions shifted from summer-autumn to winter-spring over time, while the spatial distribution of high-emission areas became increasingly fragmented. In terms of crop-specific contributions, emissions from corn straw burning consistently exceeded those from wheat straw burning. During the June harvest period, a significant positive correlation (r = 0.70~0.91) was found between province-level PM_2.₅ emissions from straw burning and ground-level PM_2.5 concentrations across Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces on an interannual scale. Daily-scale analysis indicated that a strong contribution from straw burning to PM_2.5 levels in the southern Henan-northern Anhui region from 2013 to 2016 (r = 0.68), with its influence weakening after 2017. The impact in the Bohai Rim region was generally weaker throughout the study period. However, case studies demonstrated that concentrated burning events could still trigger significant short-term PM_2.5 pollution episodes. Therefore, synchronous large-scale burning across multiple regions should be avoided to prevent regional pollution episodes.

Key words

crop straw burning / spatiotemporal characteristics / emission calculation / air quality impact / VIIRS / North China Plain

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WANG Xin-hui, SHEN Xiu-e, JIANG Lei, ZHANG Jian, LI Ling-jun, SONG Xiao-ke. Spatiotemporal variations of crop straw burning and its impact on air quality in the North China Plain from 2013 to 2023[J]. China Environmental Science. 2026, 46(3): 1264-1277

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