Procuring the regional urbanization and industrialization effect on ozone pollution in Pearl River Delta of Guangdong, China

The decade before 2006 was a period of growing regional urbanization and industrialization. Also, the 5-year plan period (2001–2005) is a half decade of fast regional urban expansion with high population growth within the PRD city clusters, At the same time, the PRD region becomes a leading manufacturing center of the world. Industrial expansion in this region of GD was characterized by the spread of industrial activities from hot spots in GZ city and around Foshan and Dongguan to widely distributed patches of industrial active districts, mostly in the seven newly agglomerate formed and urbanizing prefectural municipalities. To provide transportation communication between GZ city and the municipal cities, a system of highways was built and a region road-network surfaced for the connection of the expanding municipal cities and their sub-urban areas as well as the patches of industrial districts, within their municipalities Also, a network of power plants was built at its periphery. As a result, the ozone precursors, NOx and VOC emission from vehicles, industries and power plants increased region wide, and in particular in the newly formed prefectural municipalities. Hence, the whole region was undergoing a redistribution of O3 precursors and ozone pollution, following the path of redistribution of population and industrial activity in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong.Study and report on O3 pollution before 2000 is rare and there were only a few case studies in 2000 and 2004. By 2006, O3 data supplied by the newly established PRD Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network become available for the study of regional O3 pollution. Also relevant information on the new dimension of regional urbanization and industrialization for the PRD region of GD, as well as a highly resolved temporal and spatial PRD region NOx and VOC emission inventory surfaced. Thus, 2006 is a good year to procure the regional urbanization and industrial effect, and to produce a snapshot of the regional and area specific ozone pollution in the PRD region of GD. Patterns of annual ozone variation and seasonal ozone diurnal cycles for urban/sub-urban areas, for metropolitan city, for rural areas and for special area in the PRD region of Guangdong are presented for future reference.

► A vast regional road-network prompted regional wide urban, sub-urban and rural agglomeration and traffic.
► Redistribution of NOx and VOC due to increase and spread of road traffic, power plant and industrial emissions.
► Effect of increasing regional urbanization and industrialization on O3 pollution patterns in PRD.
► A common ‘urban’ O3 pollution pattern for a majority of newly agglomerate formed prefectural municipalities.
► Area specific moderation of urban pattern in metropolitan, rural and regional sites and its impacting factors.