Quantifying the characteristics of particulate matters captured by urban plants using an automatic approach

It is widely accepted that urban plant leaves can capture airborne particles. Previous studies on the particle capture capacity of plant leaves have mostly focused on particle mass and/or size distribution. Fewer studies, however, have examined the particle density, and the size and shape characteristics of particles, which may have important implications for evaluating the particle capture efficiency of plants, and identifying the particle sources. In addition, the role of different vegetation types is as yet unclear. Here, we chose three species of different vegetation types, and firstly applied an object-based classification approach to automatically identify the particles from scanning electron microscope(SEM)micrographs. We then quantified the particle capture efficiency, and the major sources of particles were identified. We found(1) Rosa xanthina Lindl(shrub species) had greater retention efficiency than Broussonetia papyrifera(broadleaf species) and Pinus bungeana Zucc.(coniferous species), in terms of particle number and particle area cover.(2) 97.9% of the identified particles had diameter ≤10 μm, and 67.1% of them had diameter ≤2.5 μm. 89.8% of the particles had smooth boundaries, with 23.4% of them being nearly spherical.(3) 32.4%–74.1% of the particles were generated from bare soil and construction activities, and 15.5%–23.0% were mainly from vehicle exhaust and cooking fumes.     

可吸入颗粒物对我市环境空气质量的影响及对策建议

近年来,随着城市化建设进程的加速和环境保护工作的深入开展,城市环境空气质量的污染类型已由SO2与PMIO混合型污染,逐步转变为以扬尘为主要污染物的可吸入颗粒物污染,通过对我市市区空气质量状况、可吸入颗粒物污染成因分析,提出控制或削减可吸入颗粒物污染的对策建议。     

Composition of extractable organic matter in aerosols from urban areas of Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil

The hydrocarbon compositions of atmospheric particulate matter from urban areas of Rio de Janeiro city have been studied to assess the different pollution levels. Samples were acquired using a standard high-volume air sampler (Hi-Vol), extracts were prepared and fractionated into aliphatic and aromatic compounds. High-resolution gas chromatography and GC coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were used for the analysis of the organic matter. The results show that all samples contain n-alkanes, but the distributions are different for each sample, reflecting both the biogenic (vascular plant wax input) and fossil fuel contamination sources (vehicular exhaust). The fossil fuel biomarkers, hopanes and steranes, were also observed in all samples except in the Tijuca Forest, which is a mountain forest in the midst of the sea-level city. A decrease in the level of pollution was observed in the sequence for Rebouças Tunnel>Cinelândia (downtown)>Quinta da Boa Vista Park>Tijuca Forest, as expected from the traffic density. Unfortunately, all sites are polluted mainly from vehicular emissions, but at different degrees, with the lowest levels in Tijuca Forest.     

Distribution and chemical speciation of arsenic in different sized atmospheric particulate matters

The distribution and chemical speciation of arsenic (As) in different sized atmospheric particulate matters (PMs), including total suspended particles (TSP), PM₁₀, and PM_2.5, collected from Baoding, China were analyzed. The average total mass concentrations of As in TSP, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 were 31.5, 35.3, and 54.1 µg/g, respectively, with an order of PM_2.5 >PM ₁₀ > TSP, revealing that As is prone to accumulate on fine particles. Due to the divergent toxicities of different As species, speciation analysis of As in PMs is further conducted. Most of previous studies mainly focused on inorganic arsenite (iAs^III), inorganic arsenate (iAs^V), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) in PMs, while the identification and sensitive quantification of trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) were rarely reported. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry system was optimized for As speciation including TMAO in PMs. An anion exchange column was used to separate MMA, DMA and iAs^V, while a cation exchange column to separate TMAO and iAs^III. Results showed that iAs^V was the dominate component in all the samples, corresponding to a portion of 79.2% ± 9.3% of the total extractable species, while iAs^III, TMAO and DMA made up the remaining 21%. Our study demonstrated that iAs^III accounted for about 14.4% ± 11.4% of the total extracted species, with an average concentration of 1.7 ± 1.6 ng/m³. It is worth noting that TMAO was widely present in the samples (84 out of 97 samples), which supported the assumption that TMAO was ubiquitous in atmospheric particles.     

美国颗粒物污染防治政策对中国的启示

大气颗粒物污染可对公众健康和区域环境造成严重的不良影响,有效控制颗粒物排放是我国当前亟待突破的环境问题。美国颗粒物污染防治工作起步较早;联邦政府以推动空气质量达标为核心目标,分别针对电力、工业、机动车等不同排放源开展了一系列技术改造和总量控制的环境管制措施,目前颗粒物减排已取得了显著成效。回顾分析美国的颗粒物治理历程和相关经验,有助于探索和制定针对我国国情的颗粒物污染控制路线和措施,促进我国颗粒物有效减排、空气质量逐步改善。     

基于小光斑激光雷达数据的稀疏林地冠层高程重建

探讨在稀疏林地的条件下,利用小光斑激光雷达获取的多次回波点云数据估算冠层高度,研究不同的高度重建方法包括反距离权重、样条插值以及普通克里格等方法的冠层和地面高度重建的精度。研究发现,在地面和林冠层,不同的重建方法的表现是不一样的,其中样条方法在冠层重建中的精度较高,误差绝对值的平均值为0.95m,并且整体偏差也较小,方差为3.42。而在地面高程重建则是普通克里格方法具有较小的误差,误差绝对值的平均值为0.35m,而样条方法的整体偏差要优于其他两种方法,方差为0.48。经过综合考虑,利用样条方法重建的冠层高程和普通克里格方法重建的地面高程实现了实验区冠层高度的提取。     

Modelling assessment of PM10 exposure control policies in Northern Italy

To assess the impact of three different emission reduction scenarios on PM10 concentrations in Northern Italy, the TCAM multiphase model has been applied in the framework of the CityDelta III-CAFE EU project. The considered domain, that is characterized by high urban and industrial emissions and a dense road traffic, due to frequently stagnating meteorological conditions is often affected by severe PM10 levels, far from the European standard regulations. The impact evaluation has been performed in terms of both yearly mean values and 50 g/m³ exceedance days for the 2004 Base Case simulation. The results show that the three selected emission reduction scenarios up to 2020 improve air quality all over the domain, in particular, in the area with higher emission density.     

空气扰动对净化器去除香烟源颗粒物性能的影响

空气净化器可有效改善雾霾天气下室内空气质量,颗粒物去除效果与洁净空气量(CADR)是衡量其性能的主要参数。在典型室内环境下,以香烟源颗粒物为目标,开展空气扰动对净化器去除颗粒物效果和CADR的影响实验与评价分析。结果显示,在室内空气扰动下,净化器对粒径≥5μm的颗粒物去除率为75.6%,在无空气扰动情况下的去除率为46.6%。空气净化器对粒径0.3μm^5μm的颗粒物有较好的去除效果,而对于粒径10μm的较大颗粒物,空气扰动造成CADR增加。空气扰动在一定程度上提升了空气净化器的净化能力,同时在性能方面也存在影响。     

青岛市大气环境中颗粒物污染及防治对策

本文研究青岛市大气环境中颗粒物的污染状况及其发展趋势,并对污染原因进行了探索与分析.本文为青岛市大气环境中颗粒物污染防治,提供了科学的依据和有效的防治对策.     

Impacts of pollution heterogeneity on population exposure in dense urban areas using ultra-fine resolution air quality data

Traditional air quality data have a spatial resolution of 1 km or above, making it challenging to resolve detailed air pollution exposure in complex urban areas. Combining urban morphology, dynamic traffic emission, regional and local meteorology, physicochemical transformations in air quality models using big data fusion technology, an ultra-fine resolution modeling system was developed to provide air quality data down to street level. Based on one-year ultra-fine resolution data, this study investigated the effects of pollution heterogeneity on the individual and population exposure to particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone (O₃) in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated and urbanized cities. Sharp fine-scale variabilities in air pollution were revealed within individual city blocks. Using traditional 1 km average to represent individual exposure resulted in a positively skewed deviation of up to 200% for high-end exposure individuals. Citizens were disproportionally affected by air pollution, with annual pollutant concentrations varied by factors of 2 to 5 among 452 District Council Constituency Areas (DCCAs) in Hong Kong, indicating great environmental inequities among the population. Unfavorable city planning resulted in a positive spatial coincidence between pollution and population, which increased public exposure to air pollutants by as large as 46% among districts in Hong Kong. Our results highlight the importance of ultra-fine pollutant data in quantifying the heterogeneity in pollution exposure in the dense urban area and the critical role of smart urban planning in reducing exposure inequities.