Assessing the Environmental Impact of Crop Residue Burning Prohibition in Shandong Province by Using Multiple-Satellite Data

Agriculture crop residue burning (ACRB) is one of the factors causing the deterioration of air quality, which is particulary true during the harvest time. As one of the largest agricultural provinces in China, Shandong has been known of the environmental issue associated with ACRB. In this study, a variety of satellite-based products (MODIS, MOPITT, OMI, and CALIPSO) were utilized to discuss the spatial and temporal variation of atmospheric aerosols during the agriculture harvest month from 2006 to 2017 in Shandong Province. Specifically, ACRB has effects on both the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and trace gas emissions. Such correlation can be further utilized to analyze the AOT change and its potential relation to the ACRB. Thus, the contribution of atmospheric aerosol loading from biomass burning and the effectiveness of air pollutant control policy can be assessed. We found that: 1) ACRB causes higher atmospheric aerosol loading in southwestern and northern plains than in eastern peninsular and central hilly areas; 2) although 2012 is the year when the local government began to enact and implement strict air pollution controlling policy, no obvious decrease was observed until 2015, suggesting a three-year transition period for efficiently implementing the air pollution policy; 3) Shandong province has been likely impacted by the aerosol input from the biomass burning in surrounding provinces. A joint control of ACRB in a wider region is necessary to improve the air quality in Shandong Province.