Modeling study on the roles of the deposition and transport of PM2.5 in air quality changes over central-eastern China

The role of PM_2.5 (particles with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 2.5 µm) deposition in air quality changes over China remains unclear. By using the three-year (2013, 2015, and 2017) simulation results of the WRF/CUACE v1.0 model from a previous work (Zhang et al., 2021), a non-linear relationship between the deposition of PM_2.5 and anthropogenic emissions over central-eastern China in cold seasons as well as in different life stages of haze events was unraveled. PM_2.5 deposition is spatially distributed differently from PM_2.5 concentrations and anthropogenic emissions over China. The North China Plain (NCP) is typically characterized by higher anthropogenic emissions compared to southern China, such as the middle-low reaches of Yangtze River (MLYR), which includes parts of the Yangtze River Delta and the Midwest. However, PM_2.5 deposition in the NCP is significantly lower than that in the MLYR region, suggesting that in addition to meteorology and emissions, lower deposition is another important factor in the increase in haze levels. Regional transport of pollution in central-eastern China acts as a moderator of pollution levels in different regions, for example by bringing pollution from the NCP to the MLYR region in cold seasons. It was found that in typical haze events the deposition flux of PM_2.5 during the removal stages is substantially higher than that in accumulation stages, with most of the PM_2.5 being transported southward and deposited to the MLYR and Sichuan Basin region, corresponding to a latitude range of about 24°N-31°N.     

Arsenic mobilization from soils in the presence of herbicides

Arsenic(As) mobilization in soils is a fundamental step controlling its transport and fate,especially in the presence of the co-existing components. In this study, the effect of two commonly used herbicides, glyphosate(PMG) and dicamba, and two competing ions including phosphate and humic acid, on As desorption and release was investigated using batch and column experiments. The batch kinetics results showed that As desorption in the presence of competing factors conformed to the pseudo-second order kinetics at pH range of 5–9. The impact of phosphate on desorption was greatest, followed by PMG. The competitive effect of dicamba and humic acid was at the same level with electrolyte solution. In situ flow cell ATR-FTIR analysis was performed to explore the mechanism of phosphate and PMG impact on As mobilization. The results showed that PMG promoted As(Ⅲ) desorption by competiting for available adsorption sites with no change in As(Ⅲ)complexing structure. On the other hand, phophate changed As(Ⅲ) surface complexes from bidentate to monodentate structures, exhibiting the most siginficant effect on As(Ⅲ)desorption. As(Ⅴ) surface complexes remained unchanged in the presence of PMG and phosphate, implying that the competitive effect for As(Ⅴ) desorption was primarily determined by the available adsorption sites. Long-term(10 days) soil column experiments suggested that the effect of humic acid on As mobilization became pronounced from 3 days(18 PVs). The insights of this study help us understand the transport and fate of As due to herbicides application.     

Potential factors and mechanism of particulate matters explosive increase induced by free radicals oxidation

Atmospheric particulate pollution in China has attracted much public attention. Occasionally, the particle number concentration increases sharply in a short time period, which is defined as a “particulate matter explosive increase”. Heavy particulate matter pollution not only reduces visibility but also has an adverse effect on human health. Hence, there is an urgent need to discover the causes of particulate matter explosive increase. During this campaign, the particle number concentration and free radicals were measured at a tall building on the campus of Lanzhou University of Technology. Additionally, we examined a series of chemicals to reproduce the observed particulate matter explosive increase in a smog chamber to determine its potential factors. Then, we analyzed the mechanism of particulate matter explosive increase in the presence of free radicals. We found that, among the potential inorganic and organic sources analyzed, a mixture of organic and SO₂ in the research region had a major effect on particulate matter explosive increase. Moreover, free radical oxidation has a large effect, especially in the formation of organic particulates.     

疲劳损伤谱时域、频域计算方法及其等效性验证

目的 验证疲劳损伤谱时域计算方法与频域计算方法的等效性.方法 将疲劳损伤谱的时域方法与频域方法编写为MATLAB程序,以典型载荷加速度功率谱为例,反推其加速度时程,分别用加速度功率谱、加速度时程数据通过频域及时域方法计算疲劳损伤谱,对比疲劳损伤谱曲线,从而验证时域算法与频域算法的等效性.结果 疲劳损伤谱的低频部分,时域方法得到的疲劳损伤大于频域结果;高频部分,时域算法与频域算法得到的曲线结果基本一致.结论 疲劳损伤谱的时域算法与频域算法具有等效性.     

Ecological wetland paradigm drives water source improvement in the stream network of Yangtze River Delta

Jiaxing created a precedent using bypass riparian marshes to purify micro-polluted water sources in China. Pond-wetland complex with constructed root channel technology becomes a paradigm which can be analogized as “human-body wetland model” based on bionics or biomimetics. Heterogeneous plant-bed/ditch system with highly active land/water ecotone interfaces, especially meandering boundaries, breeds many biochemical reactions “living areas”. Optimization of hydraulic regulation promotes redox environment alternations and wetland treatment efficiency. Here we reported a series of upgrades and performances in Guanjinggang wetland after the Shijiuyang prototype. Morphological reform of plant-bed/ditch system played a vital role. Spatially root channel zone was main force of wetland purification, and temporally the treatment effect was higher in low-temperature seasons indicating non-temperature dependent mechanisms worked. Water pollution comprehensive index improved steadily from IV to III, and comprehensive pollution load was reduced by ca. 40%–60%. Comprehensive evaluation function value further showed the gradients purification effect of the upgraded wetland. Ecological wetlands ameliorated source water quality, and reduced drinking water treatment reagents, thereby bringing about economic benefits. Through wetlands operation, people can see how the micro-polluted surface water becomes clear and clean, so promoting a significant social benefit. As a viable component of urban green space, wetlands could beautify regional eco-environment, freshen the air, increase urban ecological taste, and enhance the eco-environmental protection publicity. Thus, the multifunctional service values and indirect benefits are substantial. Jiaxing ecological wetlands provide a typical paradigm for water pollution remediation in developing countries and plays a leading role in technology engineering radiation effect.     

Water environment protection and sustainable development in townlet of China: A case study in Taicang

The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) model was applied to investigate the relationship between economic growth and water environment quality based on panel data of Taicang during 2010–2017. The typical inversed-U shaped relationship has been obtained between GDP (gross domestic product) and indicators of ammonia, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), respectively. The EKC turning point appeared when the GDP per capita was around US$2270, which was much lower than those in some developed countries (US$11,200). However, the decoupling between chemical oxygen demand (COD) and GDP per capita occurred even before this period, which should be attributed to the strict COD emission regulation being implemented since 2010. Further, analysis based on the Tapio decoupling coefficient elasticity model analyzed the ammonia nitrogen and economic development of each industry. We found that the agriculture no-point was strong decoupling in 2011–2014, then came to Recessive decoupling. The domestic wastewater had been in a strong decoupling state; Both urban non-point and industry experienced expansive negative decoupling, due to strict policy that prioritizes the environment over development and the investment in improvement of environment and techniques, both of them gradually came to strong decoupling. The result demonstrated that the EKC turning point could be appear in earlier economic stage and the decoupling coefficient elasticity could be improved through taking strong regulation measures.     

柴油机排气颗粒表面特征与吸附能力分析

利用全自动比表面积与孔隙分析仪和光学接触角测量仪,分别对炭黑和柴油机排气颗粒的比表面积与孔隙以及接触角等表面特征参数进行了测量,并对炭黑和柴油机排气颗粒的分形维数和表面张力进行了计算,对比分析了炭黑和柴油机排气颗粒的吸附能力,探讨了柴油机排气颗粒表面特征参数与吸附能力之间的关系.通过检测与分析,炭黑和柴油机排气颗粒的比表面积分别为78.003和65.408m²/g,平均孔径分别为13.845和14.483nm,分形维数分别为2.5885和2.5515,在0.985s时刻的表面张力分别为51.1和56.6mJ/m²,结果表明炭黑与柴油机排气颗粒的比表面积,孔径分布,分形维数和表面张力均相似.炭黑和柴油机排气颗粒均表现了极强的亲油性,轻微亲水性.柴油机排气颗粒亲水性略强,表面更为光滑,吸附能力略低于炭黑.     

Mercury accumulation and dynamics in montane forests along an elevation gradient in Southwest China

Understanding atmospheric mercury (Hg) accumulation in remote montane forests is critical to assess the Hg ecological risk to wildlife and human health. To quantify impacts of vegetation, climatic and topographic factors on Hg accumulation in montane forests, we assessed the Hg distribution and stoichiometric relations among Hg, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) in four forest types along the elevation of Mt. Gongga. Our results show that Hg concentration in plant tissues follows the descending order of litter > leaf, bark > root > branch > bole wood, indicating the importance of atmospheric Hg uptake by foliage for Hg accumulation in plants. The foliar Hg/C (from 237.0 ± 171.4 to 56.8 ± 27.7 µg/kg) and Hg/N (from 7.5 ± 3.9 to 2.5 ± 1.2 mg/kg) both decrease along the elevation. These elevation gradients are caused by the heterogeneity of vegetation uptake of atmospheric Hg and the variation of atmospheric Hg° concentrations at different altitudes. Organic soil Hg accumulation is controlled by forest types, topographic and climatic factors, with the highest concentration in the mixed forest (244.9 ± 55.7 µg/kg) and the lowest value in the alpine forest (151.9 ± 44.5 µg/kg). Further analysis suggests that soil Hg is positively correlated to C (r² = 0.66) and N (r² = 0.57), and Hg/C and Hg/N both increase with the soil depth. These stoichiometric relations highlight the combined effects from environmental and climatic factors which mediating legacy Hg accumulation and selective Hg absorption during processes of organic soil mineralization.     

Improved atmospheric mercury simulation using updated gas-particle partition and organic aerosol concentrations

The gaseous or particulate forms of divalent mercury (Hg^II) significantly impact the spatial distribution of atmospheric mercury concentration and deposition flux (FLX). In the new nested-grid GEOS-Chem model, we try to modify the Hg^II gas-particle partitioning relationship with synchronous and hourly observations at four sites in China. Observations of gaseous oxidized Hg (GOM), particulate-bound Hg (PBM), and PM_2.5 were used to derive an empirical gas-particle partitioning coefficient as a function of temperature (T) and organic aerosol (OA) concentrations under different relative humidity (RH). Results showed that with increasing RH, the dominant process of Hg^II gas-particle partitioning changed from physical adsorption to chemical desorption. And the dominant factor of Hg^II gas-particle partitioning changed from T to OA concentrations. We thus improved the simulated OA concentration field by introducing intermediate-volatility and semi-volatile organic compounds (I/SVOCs) emission inventory into the model framework and refining the volatile distributions of I/SVOCs according to new filed tests in the recent literatures. Finally, normalized mean biases (NMBs) of monthly gaseous element mercury (GEM), GOM, PBM, WFLX were reduced from −33%–29%, 95%–300%, 64%–261%, 117%–122% to −13%–0%, −20%–80%, −31%–50%, −17%–23%. The improved model explains 69%–98% of the observed atmospheric Hg decrease during 2013–2020 and can serve as a useful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.     

Effects of fulvic acid and humic acid from different sources on Hg methylation in soil and accumulation in rice

Humus is often used as an organic modifier to reduce the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in plants, but the effects of different humus components from different sources on the fate of mercury (Hg) in paddy fields are still unclear. Here, fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA) extracted from composted straw (CS), composted cow dung (CCD), peat soil (PM) and lignite coal (LC) were used to understand their effects on the methylation and bioaccumulation of Hg in paddy soil by pot experiments. Amendments of both FA and HA largely increased the abundance of Hg-methylating microbes and low-molecular-weight organic matters (e.g, cysteine) in paddy soil. They were also found to change the aromaticity, molecular size and Chromophoric DOM concentration of DOM, and resulted in heterogeneous effects on migration and transformation of Hg. All the FA-amended treatments increased the mobility and methylation of Hg in soil and its absorption in roots. Nevertheless, FA from different sources have heterogeneous effects on transport of Hg between rice tissues. FA-CCD and FA-PM promoted the translocation of MeHg from roots to rice grains by 32.95% and 41.12%, while FA-CS and FA-LC significantly inhibited the translocation of inorganic Hg (IHg) by 52.65% and 66.06% and of MeHg by 46.65% and 36.23%, respectively. In contrast, all HA-amended treatments reduced the mobility of soil Hg, but promoted Hg methylation in soil. Among which, HA-CCD and HA-PM promoted the translocation of MeHg in rice tissues by 88.95% and 64.10%, while its accumulation in rice grains by 28.43% and 28.69%, respectively. In general, the application of some FA and HA as organic modifiers to reduce Hg bioaccumulation in rice is not feasible.