Fast increasing of surface ozone concentrations in Pearl River Delta characterized by a regional air quality monitoring network during 2006-2011

Based on the observation by a Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network including 16 monitoring stations, temporal and spatial variations of ozone(O3), NO2and total oxidant(Ox) were analyzed by both linear regression and cluster analysis. A fast increase of regional O3concentrations of 0.86 ppbV/yr was found for the annual averaged values from 2006 to 2011 in Guangdong, China. Such fast O3increase is accompanied by a correspondingly fast NOx reduction as indicated by a fast NO2 reduction rate of 0.61 ppbV/yr. Based on a cluster analysis, the monitoring stations were classified into two major categories – rural stations(non-urban) and suburban/urban stations. The O3concentrations at rural stations were relatively conserved while those at suburban/urban stations showed a fast increase rate of 2.0 ppbV/yr accompanied by a NO2 reduction rate of 1.2 ppbV/yr. Moreover, a rapid increase of the averaged O3 concentrations in springtime(13%/yr referred to 2006 level) was observed, which may result from the increase of solar duration, reduction of precipitation in Guangdong and transport from Eastern Central China. Application of smog production algorithm showed that the photochemical O3production is mainly volatile organic compounds(VOC)-controlled. However, the photochemical O3production is sensitive to both NOx and VOC for O3pollution episode. Accordingly, it is expected that a combined NOx and VOC reduction will be helpful for the reduction of the O3 pollution episodes in Pearl River Delta while stringent VOC emission control is in general required for the regional O3 pollution control.     

Surface ozone scenario and air quality in the north-central part of India

Tropospheric pollutants including surface ozone(O_3), nitrogen dioxide(NO_2), carbon monoxide(CO) and meteorological parameters were measured at a traffic junction(78°2′ E and 27°11′ N) in Agra, India from January 2012 to December 2012. Temporal analysis of pollutants suggests that annual average mixing ratios of tropospheric pollutants were: O_3— 22.97 ± 23.36 ppbV,NO_2— 19.84 ± 16.71 ppb V and CO — 0.91 ± 0.86 ppm V, with seasonal variations of O_3 having maximum mixing ratio during summer season(32.41 ± 19.31 ppbV), whereas lowest was found in post-monsoon season(8.74 ± 3.8 ppbV). O_3 precursors: NO_2 and CO, showed inverse relationship with O_3. Seasonal variation and high O_3 episodes during summer are associated with meteorological parameters such as high solar radiation, atmospheric temperature and transboundary transport. The interdependence of these variables showed a link between the daytime mixing ratios of O_3 with the nighttime level of NO_2. The mixing ratios of CO and NO_2 showed tight correlations, which confirms the influence of vehicular emissions combined with other anthropogenic activities due to office/working hours, shallowing, and widening of boundary layer. FLEXTRA backward trajectories for the O_3 episode days clearly indicate the transport from the NW and W to S/SE and SW direction at Agra in different seasons.     

Chemical characterization of size-resolved aerosols in four seasons and hazy days in the megacity Beijing of China

Size-resolved aerosol samples were collected by MOUDI in four seasons in 2007 in Beijing. The PM10 and PM1.8mass concentrations were 166.0 ± 120.5 and 91.6 ± 69.7 μg/m~3, respectively,throughout the measurement, with seasonal variation: nearly two times higher in autumn than in summer and spring. Serious fine particle pollution occurred in winter with the PM1.8/PM10 ratio of 0.63, which was higher than other seasons. The size distribution of PM showed obvious seasonal and diurnal variation, with a smaller fine mode peak in spring and in the daytime. OM(organic matter = 1.6 × OC(organic carbon)) and SIA(secondary inorganic aerosol) were major components of fine particles, while OM, SIA and Ca_2+were major components in coarse particles. Moreover, secondary components, mainly SOA(secondary organic aerosol) and SIA,accounted for 46%–96% of each size bin in fine particles, which meant that secondary pollution existed all year. Sulfates and nitrates, primarily in the form of(NH_4)_2SO_4, NH_4NO_3, Ca SO_4, Na_2SO_4 and K_2SO_4, calculated by the model ISORROPIA II, were major components of the solid phase in fine particles. The PM concentration and size distribution were similar in the four seasons on non-haze days, while large differences occurred on haze days, which indicated seasonal variation of PM concentration and size distribution were dominated by haze days. The SIA concentrations and fractions of nearly all size bins were higher on haze days than on non-haze days, which was attributed to heterogeneous aqueous reactions on haze days in the four seasons.     

Characteristics of ozone and ozone precursors (VOCs and NOx) around a petroleum refinery in Beijing, China

A field measurement campaign for ozone and ozone precursors(VOCs and NOx) was conducted in summer 2011 around a petroleum refinery in the Beijing rural region. Three observation sites were arranged, one at southwest of the refinery as the background, and two at northeast of the refinery as the downwind receptors. Monitoring data revealed the presence of serious surface O3 pollution with the characteristics of high average daily mean and maximum concentrations(64.0 and 145.4 ppbV in no-rain days, respectively) and multi-peak diurnal variation. For NOx, the average hourly concentrations of NO2 and NO were in the range of 20.5–46.1 and 1.8–6.4 ppbV, respectively. For VOC measurement, a total of 51 compounds were detected. Normally, TVOCs at the background site was only dozens of ppbC, while TVOCs at the downwind sites reached several hundreds of ppbC. By subtracting the VOC concentrations at background, chemical profiles of VOC emission from the refinery were obtained, mainly including alkanes(60.0% ± 4.3%), alkenes(21.1% ± 5.5%) and aromatics(18.9% ± 3.9%). Moreover, some differences in chemical profiles for the same measurement hours were observed between the downwind sites; the volume ratios of alkanes with low reactivity and those of alkenes with high reactivity respectively showed an increasing trend and a decreasing trend. Finally, based on temporal and spatial variations of VOC mixing ratios, their photochemical degradations and dispersion degradations were estimated to be 0.15–0.27 and 0.42–0.62, respectively, by the photochemical age calculation method, indicating stronger photochemical reactions around the refinery.     

Gravimetric analysis for PM2.5 mass concentration based on year-round monitoring at an urban site in Beijing

Daily PM_(2.5)(particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of below 2.5 μm) mass concentrations were measured by gravimetric analysis in Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences(CRAES), in the northern part of the Beijing urban area, from December 2013 to April 2015. Two pairs of Teflon(T1/T2) and Quartz(Q1/Q2) samples were obtained, for a total number of 1352 valid filters. Results showed elevated pollution in Beijing,with an annual mean PM_(2.5)mass concentration of 102 μg/m~3. According to the calculated PM_(2.5)mass concentration, 50% of our sampling days were acceptable(PM_(2.5) 75 μg/m~3), 30% had slight/medium pollution(75–150 μg/m~3), and 7% had severe pollution( 250 μg/m~3). Sampling interruption occurred frequently for the Teflon filter group(75%) in severe pollution periods,resulting in important data being missing. Further analysis showed that high PM_(2.5)combined with high relative humidity(RH) gave rise to the interruptions. The seasonal variation of PM_(2.5)was presented, with higher monthly average mass concentrations in winter(peak value in February, 422 μg/m~3), and lower in summer(7 μg/m~3 in June). From May to August, the typical summer period, least severe pollution events were observed, with high precipitation levels accelerating the process of wet deposition to remove PM_(2.5). The case of February presented the most serious pollution, with monthly averaged PM_(2.5)of 181 μg/m~3 and 32% of days with severe pollution. The abundance of PM_(2.5)in winter could be related to increased coal consumption for heating needs.     

Environmental impact and health risk assessment of volatile organic compound emissions during different seasons in Beijing

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major contributors to air pollution. Based on the emission characteristics of 99 VOCs that daily measured at 10 am in winter from 15 December 2015 to 17 January 2016 and in summer from 21 July to 25 August 2016 in Beijing, the environmental impact and health risk of VOC were assessed. In the winter polluted days, the secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAP) of VOC (199.70 ± 15.05 μg/m³) was significantly higher than that on other days. And aromatics were the primary contributor (98.03%) to the SOAP during the observation period. Additionally, the result of the ozone formation potential (OFP) showed that ethylene contributed the most to OFP in winter (26.00% and 27.64% on the normal and polluted days). In summer, however, acetaldehyde was the primary contributor to OFP (22.00% and 21.61% on the normal and polluted days). Simultaneously, study showed that hazard ratios and lifetime cancer risk values of acrolein, chloroform, benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, acetaldehyde and 1,3-butadiene exceeded the thresholds established by USEPA, thereby presenting a health risk to the residents. Besides, the ratio of toluene-to-benzene indicated that vehicle exhausts were the main source of VOC pollution in Beijing. The ratio of m-/p-xylene-to-ethylbenzene demonstrated that there were more prominent atmospheric photochemical reactions in summer than that in winter. Finally, according to the potential source contribution function (PSCF) results, compared with local pollution sources, the spread of pollution from long-distance VOCs had a greater impact on Beijing.     

Chemical characteristics and source apportionment of PM2.5 between heavily polluted days and other days in Zhengzhou, China

PM_(2.5) samples were collected in Zhengzhou during 3 years of observation, and chemical characteristics and source contribution were analyzed. Approximately 96% of the daily PM_(2.5) concentrations and annual average values exceeded the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Daily and Annual Standards, indicating serious PM_(2.5) pollution. The average concentration of water-soluble inorganic ions was 2.4 times higher in heavily polluted days(daily PM32.5 concentrations 250 μg/mand visibility 3 km) than that in other days, with sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium as major ions. According to the ratio of NO-3/SO2-4,stationary sources are still the dominant source of PM_(2.5) and vehicle emission could not be ignored. The ratio of secondary organic carbon to organic carbon indicated that photochemical reactivity in heavily polluted days was more intense than in other days.Crustal elements were the most abundant elements, accounting for more than 60% of 23 elements. Chemical Mass Balance results indicated that the contributions of major sources(i.e., nitrate, sulfate, biomass, carbon and refractory material, coal combustion, soil dust,vehicle, and industry) of PM_(2.5) were 13%, 16%, 12%, 2%, 14%, 8%, 7%, and 8% in heavily polluted days and 20%, 18%, 9%, 2%, 27%, 14%, 15%, and 9% in other days, respectively.Extensive combustion activities were the main sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during the episode(Jan 1-9, 2015) and the total benzo[a]pyrene equivalency concentrations in heavily polluted days present significant health threat. Because of the effect of regional transport, the pollution level of PM_(2.5) in the study area was aggravated.     

Seasonal and diurnal variations of atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate, peroxypropionyl nitrate, and carbon tetrachloride in Beijing

Atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate(PAN), peroxypropionyl nitrate(PPN), and carbon tetrachloride(CCl4) were measured from September 2010 to August 2011 in Beijing. PAN exhibited low values from mid-autumn to early spring(October to March) with monthly average concentrations ranging from 0.28 to 0.73 ppbV, and increased from early spring to summer(March to August), ranging from 1.37–3.79 ppbV. The monthly variation of PPN was similar to PAN, with low values(below detection limit to 0.18 ppbV) from mid-autumn to early spring, and a monthly maximum in September(1.14 ppbV). The monthly variation of CCl4was tightly related to the variation of temperature, exhibiting a minimum in winter(69.3 pptV) and a maximum of 180.6 pptV in summer. Due to weak solar intensity and short duration, PAN and O3showed no distinct diurnal patterns from morning to night during winter, whereas for other seasons, they both exhibited maximal values in the late afternoon(ca. 15:00 to 16:00 local time) and minimal values during early morning and midnight. Good linear correlations between PAN and PPN were found in autumn(R = 0.91), spring(R = 0.94), and summer(R = 0.81), with slopes of 0.130, 0.222, and 0.133, respectively, suggesting that anthropogenic hydrocarbons dominated the photochemical formation of PANs in Beijing. Positive correlation between PAN and O3 in summer with the low slopes( O3 / PAN) ranging from 9.92 to 18.0 indicated serious air pollution in Beijing, and strong negative correlation in winter reflected strong O3consumption by NO titration and less thermal decompositin of PAN.     

Secondary organic aerosols in Jinan, an urban site in North China: Significant anthropogenic contributions to heavy pollution

Secondary organic aerosols(SOAs) are an important component of particulates, but whether biogenic SOAs(BSOAs) or anthropogenic SOAs(ASOAs) are the dominant contributors to haze pollution remains poorly characterized. In this study, particulate samples were collected from September 2014 to August 2015 at an urban site in Jinan, which is the capital of Shandong Province and a typical city in the North China Plain. The PM2.5 samples were analyzed for BSOA(isoprene(SOAI) and monoterpenes(SOAM)) and ASOA(aromatic(SOAA)) tracers. The concentrations of the SOAAtracer(1.1 ± 1.0 ng/m3) were lowest, and those of SOAItracers(41.8 ± 86.2 ng/m3) were highest, with the concentrations of SOAMtracers(19.4 ± 9.9 ng/m3) being intermediate. The SOAItracers were more abundant in the summer and less abundant in the winter. Both SOAIand SOAMincreased with increasing ozone level but decreased with increasing NOx level. Correlation analysis revealed a good correlation between 2,3-dihydroxy-4-oxopentanoic acid and levoglucosan levels in three seasons. These results suggested that biomass burning activities occurring in the NCP can enhance the emissions of aromatics and should be controlled, especially in the autumn and winter. SOA tracers were classified according to pollution degree, and the results showed that as pollution increases, the contributions of SOAAincrease. These results indicate that reducing anthropogenic emissions is necessary to prevent SOA pollution, especially during heavy pollution episodes.     

Seasonal variation and sources of derivatized phenols in atmospheric fine particulate matter in North China Plain

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of derivatized phenols in Beijing and in Xinglong were performed from 2016 to 2017 using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.The results showed substantially more severe pollution in Beijing.Of the 14 compounds detected,the total average concentration was 100 ng/m~3 in Beijing,compared with 11.6 ng/m~3 in Xinglong.More specifically,concentration of nitro-aromatic compounds(NACs)(81.9 ng/m~3 in Beijing and 8.49 ng/m3 in Xinglong) was the highest,followed by aromatic acids(14.6 ng/m~3 in Beijing and 2.42 ng/m~3 in Xinglong) and aromatic aldehydes(3.62 ng/m~3 in Beijing and 0.681 ng/m~3 in Xinglong).In terms of seasonal variation,the highest concentrations were found for 4-nitrocatechol in winter in Beijing(79.1±63.9 ng/m~3) and 4-nitrophenol in winter in Xinglong(9.72±8.94 ng/m~3).The analysis also revealed diurnal variations across different seasons.Most compounds presented higher concentrations at night in winter because of the decreased boundary layer height and increased heating intensity.While some presented higher levels during the day,which attributed to the photo-oxidation process for summer and more biomass burning activities for autumn.Higher concentrations appeared in winter and autumn than in spring and summer,which resulted from more coal combustions and adverse meteorological conditions.The significant correlations among NACs indicated similar sources of pollution.Higher correlations presented within each subgroup than those between the subgroups.Good correlations between levoglucosan and nitrophenols,nitrocatechols,nitro salicylic acids,with correlation coefficients(r) of 0.66,0.69 and 0.69,respectively,indicating an important role of biomass burning among primary sources.     

Chemical characteristics of PM2:5 during a typical haze episode in Guangzhou

The chemical characteristics (water-soluble ions and carbonaceous species) of PM2:5 in Guangzhou were measured during a typical haze episode. Most of the chemical species in PM2:5 showed significant di erence between normal and haze days. The highest contributors to PM2:5 were organic carbon (OC), nitrate, and sulfate in haze days and were OC, sulfate, and elemental carbon (EC) in normal days. The concentrations of secondary species such as, NO3??, SO4 2??, and NH4 + in haze days were 6.5, 3.9, and 5.3 times higher than those in normal days, respectively, while primary species (EC, Ca2+, K+) show similar increase from normal to haze days by a factor about 2.2–2.4. OC/EC ratio ranged from 2.8 to 6.2 with an average of 4.7 and the estimation on a minimum OC/EC ratio showed that SOC (secondary organic carbon) accounted more than 36.6% for the total organic carbon in haze days. The significantly increase in the secondary species (SOC, NO3??, SO4 2??, and NH4 +), especially in NO3??, caused the worst air quality in this region. Simultaneously, the result illustrated that the serious air pollution in haze episodes was strongly correlated with the meteorological conditions. During the sampling periods, air pollution and visibility had a good relationship with the air mass transport distance; the shorter air masses transport distance, the worse air quality and visibility in Guangzhou, indicating the strong domination of local sources contributing to haze formation. High concentration of the secondary aerosol in haze episodes was likely due to the higher oxidation rates of sulfur and nitrogen species.     

Investigation of air pollution concentration in Kathmandu valley during winter season

The monthly concentrations of NO2, NOx, SO2 and O3 measured by a passive sampler from February 2003 to January 2004 showed that the air pollution during the winter season in Kathmandu valley was higher than the summer season. The O3 level was found the highest during April, May and June due to strong radiation. The hourly concentrations of NO2, NOx, O3 and suspended particulate matter（SPM） were also measured by automatic instruments on December 2003. Temperature at the height of 60 m and 400 m at Raniban Mountain in the northwest of Kathmandu valley was measured on February 2001 in the winter season and the average potential temperature gradient was estimated from observed temperature. Wind speed was also measured at the department of hydrology, airport section, from 18 February to 6 March 2001. It was found that the stable layer and the calm condition in the atmosphere strongly affected the appearance of the maximum concentrations of NO2 and SPM in the morning, and that the unstable layer and the windy condition in the atmosphere was considerably relevant to the decrease of air pollution concentrations at daytime. The emission amounts of NOx, HCs and total suspended particle（TSP） from transport sector in 2003 were estimated from the increasing rate of vehicles on the basis of the emission amounts in 1993 to be 3751 t/a, 30570 t/a and 1317 t/a, respectively. The diurnal concentrations in 2003 calculated by the two-layers box model reproduced the characteristics of air pollution in Kathmandu valley such as the maximum value of O3 and its time, the maximum value of NO in the morning, and the decrease of NO and NO2 at daytime. The comparison with the concentrations in 1993 calculated suggested that the main cause of air pollution was the emission from transport sector.     

Fast screening compositions of PM2.5 by ATR-FTIR: Comparison with results from IC andOC/EC analyzers

Chemical speciation of fine particles or PM_(2.5) collected on filters is still a costly and timeconsuming task. In this study, filter-based PM_(2.5) samples were collected during November–December 2013 at four sites in Guangzhou, and the major components were fast screened(~7 min per filter sample) by Attenuated Total Reflectance(ATR)-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic(FTIR) in comparison with that measured by Organic carbon/Element carbon(OC/EC) analyzer and Ion Chromatography(IC). The concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, sulfate,primary organic carbon(POC) and secondary organic carbon(SOC) measured by OC/EC and IC analyzers were better correlated with their infrared absorption peak heights at 1320 cm~(-1) for nitrate, 1435, 3045 and 3215 cm~(-1) for ammonium, 615 cm~(-1) for sulfate, 690, 760 and 890 cm~(-1) for POC and 1640 and 1660 cm~(-1) for SOC respectively, during polluted days(PM_(2.5) 75 μg/m~3) than during clean days(PM_(2.5)≤ 75 μg/m~3). With the evolution of a haze episode during our field campaign, the concentrations of the major PM_(2.5) components displayed consistent variations with their infrared absorption peak heights, suggesting ATR-FTIR could be a fast and useful technique to characterize filter-based PM_(2.5) compositions particularly during pollution events although cautions should be taken when PM_(2.5) levels are low. Notably, elevated PM_(2.5) mass concentrations occurred with enhanced ratios of [NO_(-3)]/[SO_4~(2-)] and [NH~(+4)]/[SO_4~(2-)], implying that nitrogenous components play vital roles in the PM_(2.5) pollution events in the study region.     

Air pollution characteristics and their relationship with emissions and meteorology in the Yangtze River Delta region during 2014–2016

With rapid economic growth and urbanization, the Yangtze River Delta(YRD) region in China has experienced serious air pollution challenges. In this study, we analyzed the air pollution characteristics and their relationship with emissions and meteorology in the YRD region during 2014–2016. In recent years, the concentrations of all air pollutants, except O_3,decreased. Spatially, the PM_(2.5), PM_(10), SO_2, and CO concentrations were higher in the northern YRD region, and NO_2 and O_3 were higher in the central YRD region. Based on the number of non-attainment days(i.e., days with air quality index greater than 100), PM_(2.5) was the largest contributor to air pollution in the YRD region, followed by O_3, PM_(10), and NO_2.However, particulate matter pollution has declined gradually, while O_3 pollution worsened.Meteorological conditions mainly influenced day-to-day variations in pollutant concentrations. PM_(2.5) concentration was inversely related to wind speed, while O_3 concentration was positively correlated with temperature and negatively correlated with relative humidity.The air quality improvement in recent years was mainly attributed to emission reductions.During 2014–2016, PM_(2.5), PM_(10), SO_2, NO_x, CO, NH_3, and volatile organic compound(VOC)emissions in the YRD region were reduced by 26.3%, 29.2%, 32.4%, 8.1%, 15.9%, 4.5%, and0.3%, respectively. Regional transport also contributed to the air pollution. During regional haze periods, pollutants from North China and East China aggravated the pollution in the YRD region. Our findings suggest that emission reduction and regional joint prevention and control helped to improve the air quality in the YRD region.     

Process analysis of PM2.5 pollution events in a coastal city of China using CMAQ

US EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system(CMAQ) with Process Analysis tool was used to simulate and quantify the contribution of individual atmospheric processes to PM_(2.5) concentration in Qingdao during three representative PM_(2.5) pollution events in the winter of 2015 and 2016. Compared with the observed surface PM_(2.5) concentrations, CMAQ could reasonably reproduce the temporal and spatial variations of PM_(2.5) during these three events. Process analysis results show that primary emissions accounted for 72.7%–93.2% of the accumulation of surface PM_(2.5) before and after the events.When the events occurred, primary emissions were still the major contributor to the increase of PM_(2.5) in Qingdao, however the contribution percentage reduced significantly,which only account for 51.4%–71.8%. Net contribution from horizontal and vertical transport to the accumulation of PM_(2.5) was also positive and its percentage increased when events occurred. Only 1.1%–4.6% of aerosol accumulation was due to PM processes and aqueous chemical processes before and after events. When the events occurred,contribution from PM processes and aqueous chemistry increased to 6.0%–11.8%. Loss of PM_(2.5) was mainly through horizontal transport, vertical transport and dry deposition, no matter during or outside the events. Wet deposition would become the main removal pathway of PM_(2.5), when precipitation occurred.     

First flush of storm runoff pollution from an urban catchment in China

Storm runoff pollution process was investigated in an urban catchment with an area of 1.3 km^2 in Wuhan City of China. The results indicate that the pollutant concentration peaks preceded the flow peaks in all of 8 monitored storm events. The intervals between pollution peak and flow peak were shorter in the rain events with higher intensity in the initial period than those with lower intensity. The fractions of pollution load transported by the first 30% of runoff volume （FF30） were 52.2%-72.1% for total suspended solids （TSS）, 53.0%-65.3% for chemical oxygen demand （COD）, 40.4%-50.6% for total nitrogen （TN）, and 45.8%-63.2% for total phosphorus （TP）, respectively. Runoff pollution was positively related to non-raining days before the rainfall. Intercepting the first 30% of runoff volume can remove 62.4% of TSS load, 59.4% of COD load, 46.8% of TN load, and 54.1% of TP load, respectively, according to all the storm events. It is suggested that controlling the first flush is a critical measure in reduction of urban stormwater pollution.     

Evolution of boundary layer ozone in Shijiazhuang, a suburban site on the North China Plain

The structure of the boundary layer affects the evolution of ozone(O_3), and research into this structure will provide important insights for understanding photochemical pollution.In this study, we conducted a one-month observation(from June 15 to July 14, 2016) of the boundary layer meteorological factors as well as O_3 and its precursors in Luancheng County,Shijiazhuang(37°53′N, 114°38′E). Our research showed that photochemical pollution in Shijiazhuang is serious, and the mean hourly maximum and mean 8-hr maximum O_3 concentrations are 97.9 ± 26.1 and 84.4 ± 22.4 ppbV, respectively. Meteorological factors play a significant role in the formation of O_3. High temperatures and southeasterly winds lead to elevated O_3 values, and at moderate relative humidity(40%–50%) and medium boundary layer heights(1200–1500 m), O_3 production sensitivity occurred in the transitional region between volatile organic compounds(VOC) and nitrogen oxides(NO_x) limitations,and the O_3 concentration was the highest. The vertical profiles of O_3 were also measured by a tethered balloon. The results showed that a large amount of O_3 was stored in the residual layer, and the concentration was positively correlated with the O_3 concentration measured the previous day. During the daytime of the following day, the contribution of O_3 stored in the residual layer to the boundary layer reached 27% ± 7% on average.     

Chemical characteristics of size-resolved aerosols in winter in Beijing

Size-resolved aerosols were continuously collected by a Nano Sampler for 13 days at an urban site in Beijing during winter 2012 to measure the chemical composition of ambient aerosol particles. Data collected by the Nano Sampler and an ACSM(Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor) were compared. Between the data sets,similar trends and strong correlations were observed,demonstrating the validity of the Nano Sampler. PM10 and PM2.5concentrations during the measurement were 150.5 ± 96.0 μg/m3(mean ± standard variation)and 106.9 ± 71.6 μg/m3,respectively. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio was 0.70 ± 0.10,indicating that PM2.5dominated PM10. The aerosol size distributions showed that three size bins of 0.5–1,1–2.5 and 2.5–10 μm contributed 21.8%,23.3% and 26.0% to the total mass concentration(TMC),respectively. OM(organic matter) and SIA(secondary ionic aerosol,mainly SO42-,NO3-and NH4+) were major components of PM2.5. Secondary compounds(SIA and secondary organic carbon) accounted for half of TMC(about 49.8%) in PM2.5,and suggested that secondary aerosols significantly contributed to the serious particulate matter pollution observed in winter. Coal burning,biomass combustion,vehicle emissions and SIA were found to be the main sources of PM2.5. Mass concentrations of water-soluble ions and undetected materials,as well as their fractions in TMC,strikingly increased with deteriorating particle pollution conditions,while OM and EC(elemental carbon) exhibited different variations,with mass concentrations slightly increasing but fractions in TMC decreasing.     

Distribution and transport characteristics of fine particulate matter in beijing with mobile lidar measurements from 2015 to 2018

Accurately quantifying the concentration and transport flux of atmospheric fine particulate matter(PM_2.5) is vital when attempting to thoroughly identify the pollution formation mechanism.In this study,the mobile lidar measurements in Beijing on heavily polluted days in December from 2015 to 2018 are presented.The lidar was mounted on a vehicle,which could perform measurements along designated routes.On the basis of mobile lidar measurements along closed circuits of the 6 th Ring Road...     

Concentrations and light absorption properties of PM2.5 organic and black carbon based on online measurements in Lanzhou,China

To elucidate the variations in mass concentrations of organic carbon(OC) and black carbon(BC) in PM_2.5and their light absorption characteristics in Lanzhou, we conducted one-year online measurements by using a newly developed total carbon analyzer(TCA08) coupled with an aethalometer(AE33) from July 2018 to July 2019. The mean OC and BC concentrations were 6.4 ± 4.4 and 2.0 ± 1.3 μg/m³, respectively. Clear seasonal variations were observed for both components, with winter ha...