Human activities and the natural environment have induced changes in the PM2.5 concentrations in Yunnan Province, China, over the past 19 years

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations exhibit distinct spatiotemporal heterogeneity, mainly due to the natural environment and human activities. Yunnan Province of China was selected as the research area, and a real-time measured PM2.5 concentration dataset was acquired from 41 monitoring stations in 16 major cities from February 2013 to December 2018. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and data on four meteorological variables from 2000 to 2018 were employed. A novel hybrid model was constructed to estimate the historical missing PM2.5 values from 2000 to 2012, calculate the missing PM2.5 concentrations from 2012 to 2014 in some major cities, and analyze the driving factors of the PM2.5 concentration changes and causes of key pollution events in Yunnan Province over the past 19 years. The temporal analysis results indicate that the annual mean PM2.5 concentration in Yunnan Province exhibited three stages: continuous stability, a rapid increase and a rapid decrease. The year 2013 was an important breakpoint in the trend of the concentration change. The spatial analysis results reveal that the annual mean PM2.5 concentration in the north was lower than that in the south, and there was a significant difference between the east and the west. In addition, springtime biomass burning in Southeast Asia was found to be the main cause of PM2.5 pollution in Yunnan Province in spring. [Display omitted] •The PM2.5 concentration exhibits heterogeneity due to human activities and the natural environment.•Springtime biomass burning has a significant influence on the surrounding air quality.•The air quality of Yunnan Province improved after 2013.