Abstract: Economic growth is considered to be leading causes of ecological crisis. With rapid industrialization and urbanization, environmental problems inevitably have become the important factors that affect regional sustainable development. Recently, the spatio-temporal pattern of environmental pollution caused by industrial development and economic growth became a hot topic in geography. In this paper, we took Shandong Province as an example, selected SO₂ and dust as two indicators of atmospheric pollution, and used LMDI model, decomposition model and geographic (spatial) analysis to investigate the spatio-temporal pattern of industrial growth and atmospheric pollution in Shandong Province from 1991 to 2011, and drew conclusions as follows. (1) SO₂ emission showed a trend of a downward-upward cycle, followed by a second downward-upward cycle, with the inflection points in 1997, 2002, and 2005, respectively, and, generally speaking, the dust increased first and then decreased, with the inflection point in 1997. The two atmospheric pollutants basically changed from relatively decoupled to absolutely decoupled, indicating an overall improvement of the atmospheric environment. (2) The results of the overall total amount and annual amounts of pollutants indicate that the overall scale of industrial and economic activities is the main cause of atmospheric pollution with SO₂ and dust, the effect of technical efficiency is the main reason for the reduction of total pollutants, and the structure effect played certain, but limited, roles in the reduction of pollutants. So adjustment of industrial structures, especially reducing the pollution-intensive industries, is the main approach to pollution control. (3) Overall pattern of SO₂ and dust pollution suggested that the situation of pollution control was getting better. SO₂ emissions per unit area are high mainly in Laiwu, Zibo, Zaozhuang and other areas, and relatively low in Heze, Linyi and other western and southern areas. Dust emissions per unit area are mainly high in Ji'nan, Zibo, Laiwu, Yantai and Zaozhuang of the middle, southern, and western areas. Based on the above research results, we propose that different regional policies need to be implemented, industrial layout optimized, environmental management measures innovated, environmental information disclosure, in addition to other relevant countermeasures. In order to solve the current atmospheric\ environmental problems, this research is of practical significance for the establishment of atmospheric environmental governance and the mechanism of sustainable regional development in Shandong Province, and promotion of the coordination between regional economic growth and environmental protection.

Key words: atmospheric pollution, dust, industrial growth, Shandong Province, SO₂, spatio-temporal pattern