The transport pathways and sources of PM10 pollution in Beijing during spring 2001, 2002 and 2003 -: art. no. L14110

PM10 concentration data for Beijing were combined with trajectory clustering and potential source contribution function (PSCF) methods to identify the principal transport pathways and sources for high-concentration aerosol events in the spring. Three major pathways exist: the main one passes over Kazakhstan, through desert and semi-arid regions in southwestern Mongolia, and then through Inner Mongolia and onwards to Beijing. Four major potential sources were identified, these are: ( 1) border areas between Kazakhstan and China, ( 2) desert and semi-desert regions in western Mongolia, ( 3) the Northern High Dust Desert and ( 4) the Loess Plateau of China. The pathways and sources for pollution aerosol also are associated with Asian dust emissions; this suggests a significant contribution of Asian dust to PM10 pollution at Beijing.