Characteristics of air pollution in Beijing during sand-dust storm periods |
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Authors: | Shaodong Xie Yuanhang Zhang Li Qi Xiaoyan Tang |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Environmental Science, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China |
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Abstract: | In the Beijing area, March and April have the highest frequency of sand-dust weather. Floating dust, blowing sand, and dust
storms, primarily from Mongolia, account for 71%, 20%, and 9% of sand-dust weather, respectively. Ambient air monitoring and
analysis of recent meteorological data from Beijing sand-dust storm periods revealed that PM10 mass concentrations during dust storm events remained at 1500 μg m−3, which is five to ten times higher than during non-dust storm periods, for fourteen hours on both April 6 and 25, 2000. During
the same period, the concentrations in urban areas were comparable to those in suburban areas, while the concentrations of
gaseous pollutants, such as SO2, NO
x
, NO2, and O3, remained at low levels, owing to strong winds. Furthermore, during sand-dust storm periods, aerosols were created that consisted
not only of many coarse particles, but also of a large quantity of fine particles. The PM2.5 concentration was approximately 230 μg m−3, accounting for 28% of the total PM10 mass concentration. Crustal elements accounted for 60–70% of the chemical composition of PM2.5, and sulfate and nitrate for much less, unlike the chemical composition of PM2.5 on pollution days, which was primarily composed of sulfates, nitrates, and organic material. Although the very large particle
specific surface area provided by dust storms would normally be conducive to heterogeneous reactions, the conversion rate
from SO2 to SO4
2− was very low, because the relative humidity, less than 30%, was not high enough. |
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Keywords: | dust storm air quality aerosol composition PM10 PM2 5 particulate matter |
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