Atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons near New England coastal waters

Wet and dry deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was measured at Nahant, Massachusetts, a peninsula jutting into Massachusetts Bay and Wolf Neck, a peninsula jutting into Casco Bay, Maine. Wet deposition (rain and snow) was collected in a funnel which drains into a shielded, temperature controlled receiving bottle. Dry deposition of gaseous and particulate PAHs was collected onto an exposed water surface. PAHs were analyzed by solid phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sixteen PAH species were analyzed, ranging from acenaphthylene to coronene. The mean wet deposition rate of the sum of the 16 species is 720 ng m⁻² cm⁻¹ precipitation at Nahant, and 831 ng m⁻² cm⁻¹ precipitation at Wolf Neck. Wet deposition is attributed to regional PAH emitting sources. Storm patterns appear to bring somewhat higher wet deposition of PAHs to Wolf Neck than to Nahant. The mean dry deposition rate is 95 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ at Nahant and 9.3 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ at Wolf Neck. The large difference is attributed to the fact that Nahant is close to the urban-industrial metropolitan Boston area and Logan International Airport, whereas Wolf Neck has no major PAH-emitting sources nearby. Individual measurements have an error bracket of ±30%. The Chemical Mass Balance model was used to apportion the dry deposition to source categories. At Nahant, nine samples gave valid statistical attributes with a mean apportionment: jet exhaust 35%, gasoline fueled vehicles 32%, diesel fueled vehicles 17%, wood combustion 13%, others 3%. At Wolf Neck, six samples yielded a mean apportionment: jet exhaust 30%, gasoline vehicles 28%, diesel vehicles 18%, wood combustion 16%, others 8%. There is a considerable variation between the samples. The apportionment is greatly dependent on the quality and selection of the model inputs, i.e. source signatures, which for PAHs are questionable.     

Urban geochemical mapping studies: how and why we do them

Geochemical mapping is a technique rooted in mineral exploration but has now found worldwide application in studies of the urban environment. Such studies, involving multidisciplinary teams including geochemists, have to present their results in a way that nongeochemists can comprehend. A legislatively driven demand for urban geochemical data in connection with the need to identify contaminated land and subsequent health risk assessments has given rise to a greater worldwide interest in the urban geochemical environment. Herein, the aims and objectives of some urban studies are reviewed and commonly used terms such as baseline and background are defined. Geochemists need to better consider what is meant by the term urban. Whilst the unique make up of every city precludes a single recommended approach to a geochemical mapping strategy, more should be done to standardise the sampling and analytical methods. How (from a strategic and presentational point of view) and why we do geochemical mapping studies is discussed.

Some characteristics of the distribution of heavy metals in urban topsoil of Xuzhou,China

An assessment is presented of distribution characteristics of heavy metals in the urban topsoil from the city of Xuzhou. The concentrations of Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pt, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, V and Zn have been determined from 21 soil samples. Examination of lognormal distribution plots indicates that the diagrams of Al, Be, Fe, Ga, Li, and V are almost linear suggesting that these metals are almost unaffected by anthropogenic activities while the plots for As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Pd, Pt, Se, Zn and others are not linear probably due to anthropogenic activities from which these metals are delivered to the soils. Al is used for mineralogical normalization of these data. An evaluation of background values for topsoil is also carried out by means of lognormal distribution plots. The results show our background values obtained from the lognormal distribution plots are comparable to those values of uncontaminated soils of Xuzhou obtained by previous work except for Cd and Hg. At present, no explanation for the exceptions Cd and Hg can be given.     

区域发展战略环境影响跟踪评价初步研究

本文依据区域发展战略环境影响跟踪评价内涵,结合我国实践需要,阐明区域发展战略环境影响跟踪评价技术路线和内容,并进一步提出相关政策建议。研究指出,开展区域发展战略环境影响跟踪评价应坚持基于生态环境需求优先的技术路线、提高跟踪评价的战略性和开展战略环境影响跟踪评价试点。     

移动通信基站项目EIA公众参与原则与方案设计

结合电磁辐射类项目特点及难点,阐述公众参与的环境知情权、环境参与权和环境司法请求权3原则。围绕原则梳理公众关心的主要问题,制订出信息公示内容及公众参与方案,并对公众参与制度提出合理建议,对开展移动通信基站项目公众参与具有理论指导和现实意义     

Review on recent progress in on-line monitoring technology for atmospheric pollution source emissions in China

Emissions from mobile sources and stationary sources contribute to atmospheric pollution in China, and its components, which include ultrafine particles (UFPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other reactive gases, such as NH₃ and NO_x, are the most harmful to human health. China has released various regulations and standards to address pollution from mobile and stationary sources. Thus, it is urgent to develop online monitoring technology for atmospheric pollution source emissions. This study provides an overview of the main progress in mobile and stationary source monitoring technology in China and describes the comprehensive application of some typical instruments in vital areas in recent years. These instruments have been applied to monitor emissions from motor vehicles, ships, airports, the chemical industry, and electric power generation. Not only has the level of atmospheric environment monitoring technology and equipment been improving, but relevant regulations and standards have also been constantly updated. Meanwhile, the developed instruments can provide scientific assistance for the successful implementation of regulations. According to the potential problem areas in atmospheric pollution in China, some research hotspots and future trends of atmospheric online monitoring technology are summarized. Furthermore, more advanced atmospheric online monitoring technology will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of atmospheric pollution and improve environmental monitoring capacity.     

Ten-year emission characteristics of atmospheric pollutants from incineration of sacrificial offerings in China

The incineration of sacrificial offerings is a significant widely practiced custom that is also a kind of neglected air pollution source in China. Our results showed that the emission factors of particulate matter, SO₂, CO, NO_x, and VOCs emitted from the incineration of sacrificial offerings with purification systems were reduced by 95%, 19%, 9%, 82%, and 42%, respectively, compared with those without a purification system, revealing a significant effect of the flue gas purification system on reducing particulate matter and gaseous pollutants. The emission level of air pollutants from the incineration of sacrificial offerings remained stable before 2013 and then showed a remarkable decrease after the implementation of China´s Air Pollution Prevention Action Plan in 2013. The emissions of TSP (total suspended particulate), PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and NO_x in 2009 were 8222, 6106, 5656 and 15,878 ton, respectively, obviously higher than 3434, 2551, 2305 and 8579 ton in 2019. Such trend was affected by both the quantity of incineration and the installation rate of purification systems after the Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Crematory (GB 13801-2015) issued in China. Distinct spatial distribution of atmospheric pollutants from incineration of sacrificial offerings was found with higher in the east and south of China than the west and north of China, which is proportional to the regional economy and population. The maximum ground-level concentration typically occurred at 0.12-0.2 km from the pollution source, posing potential health risks to people entering and exiting funeral and burial sites and nearby residents.     

Effectiveness of the policy of circular economy in China: A DEA-based analysis for the period of 11th five-year-plan

As a policy instrument for sustainable development, nationwide circular economy (CE) mode has been implemented for 7 years by the Chinese government, to overcome the dilemma among economic depression, energy shortage and environmental pollution. Unfortunately, few literatures contribute to checking the efficiency of regional CE and exploring the potential reasons in China, which will be practically helpful in guiding China's future development and providing reference for other developing countries that will adopt CE mode. Therefore, this paper puts forward the method of super-efficiency DEA window analysis to dynamically evaluate CE efficiency of 30 regions in China covering the period of 2005–2010. In line with the features of CE, the specific efficiency of three sub-systems, namely resource saving and pollutant reducing (RSPR) sub-system, waste reusing and resource recycling (WRRR) sub-system and pollution controlling and waste disposing (PCWD) sub-system, was assessed and compared regarding time series trend and spatial distribution, based on which, the comprehensive CE efficiency was totally ranked. The results show that, on the one hand, during the period of 2005–2010, Chinese CE efficiency slightly increased, implying a significant policy effect of CE; on the other hand, the efficiency of different sub-systems varies, with RSPR sub-system the lowest, and WRRR and PCWD sub-systems relatively higher. In terms of regional distribution, the efficiency of RSPR sub-system in the east area dominates during the whole period. However, for the other two sub-systems, from 2005 to 2007, the efficiency scores of the east fluctuate, then after 2007, the east area became more efficient than the central and the west areas. Throughout the study period, the RSPR sub-system in the central area stably maintains low efficiency, and so does the WRRR sub-system in the west area. The difference in regional efficiency of three sub-systems reflects the difficulty of carrying out CE policy in China comprehensively, which means that, promoting the adaptability of regional policy for local government and enhancing the coordination among various policies for China's central government are the key concerns for realizing sustainable development.     

Aerosol optical properties and the mixing state of black carbon at a background mountainous site in Eastern China

In-situ measurements of aerosol optical properties were conducted at Mt. Huang from September 23 to October 28, 2012. Low averages of 82.2, 10.9, and 14.1 Mm~(-1) for scattering coefficient(σ_(sp, neph, 550)), hemispheric backscattering coefficient(σ_(hbsp, neph, 550)), and absorption coefficient(σ_(ap, 550)), respectively, were obtained. Atmospheric aging process resulted in the increase of σap, 550 but the decrease of the single scattering albedo(ω_(550)) at constant aerosol concentration. However, the proportion of non-light-absorbing components(non-BCs) was getting higher during the aging process, resulting in the increase of aerosol diameter, which also contributed to relatively higher σ_(sp, neph, 550) and ω_(550). Diurnal cycles of σ_(sp, neph, 550) and σ_(ap, 550) with high values in the morning and low values in the afternoon were observed closely related to the development of the planetary boundary layer and the mountain-valley breeze. BC mixing state, represented by the volume fraction of externally mixed BC to total BC(r), was retrieved by using the modified Mie model.The results showed r reduced from about 70% to 50% when the externally mixed non-BCs were considered. The periodical change and different diurnal patterns of r were due to the atmospheric aging and different air sources under different synoptic systems. Local biomass burning emissions were also one of the influencing factors on r. Aerosol radiative forcing for different mixing state were evaluated by a "two-layer-single-wavelength" model,showing the cooling effect of aerosols weakened with BC mixing state changing from external to core-shell mixture.     

Physicochemical analysis of individual atmospheric fine particles based on effective surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Fine particles associated with haze pollution threaten the health of more than 400 million people in China. It is therefore of great importance to thoroughly investigate and understand their composition. To determine the physicochemical properties in atmospheric fine particles at the micrometer level, we described a sensitive and feasible surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) method using Ag foil as a substrate. This novel method enhanced the Raman signal intensities up to 10,000 a.u. for ν(NO_3~-) in fine particles.The SERS effect of Ag foil was further studied experimentally and theoretically and found to have an enhancement factor of the order of ～10~4. Size-fractionated real particle samples with aerodynamic diameters of 0.4–2.5 μm were successfully collected on a heavy haze day,allowing ready observation of morphology and identification of chemical components, such as soot, nitrates, and sulfates. These results suggest that the Ag-foil-based SERS technique can be effectively used to determine the microscopic characteristics of individual fine particles, which will help to understand haze formation mechanisms and formulate governance policies.