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

Yusi Liu; Xingru Li; Guiqian Tang; Lili Wang; Bo Lv; Xueqing Guo; Yuesi Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jes.2018.11.009

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

J Environ Sci (China). 2019 Jun:80:107-115. doi: 10.1016/j.jes.2018.11.009. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Authors

Yusi Liu¹, Xingru Li², Guiqian Tang³, Lili Wang⁴, Bo Lv⁵, Xueqing Guo⁶, Yuesi Wang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Analytical and Testing Center, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China; State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather & Key Laboratory for Atmospheric Chemistry of China Meteorology Administration, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
² Department of Chemistry, Analytical and Testing Center, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China. Electronic address: lixr@cnu.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather & Key Laboratory for Atmospheric Chemistry of China Meteorology Administration, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; Center for Excellence in Urban Atmospheric Environment, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China. Electronic address: tgq@dq.cern.ac.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.
⁵ Jinan Environmental Monitoring Center, Jinan 250014, China.
⁶ Department of Chemistry, Analytical and Testing Center, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; Center for Excellence in Urban Atmospheric Environment, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China.

PMID: 30952328
DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2018.11.009

Abstract

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 PM_2.5 samples were analyzed for BSOA (isoprene (SOA_I) and monoterpenes (SOA_M)) and ASOA (aromatic (SOA_A)) tracers. The concentrations of the SOA_A tracer (1.1 ± 1.0 ng/m³) were lowest, and those of SOA_I tracers (41.8 ± 86.2 ng/m³) were highest, with the concentrations of SOA_M tracers (19.4 ± 9.9 ng/m³) being intermediate. The SOA_I tracers were more abundant in the summer and less abundant in the winter. Both SOA_I and SOA_M increased 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 SOA_A increase. These results indicate that reducing anthropogenic emissions is necessary to prevent SOA pollution, especially during heavy pollution episodes.

Keywords: Anthropogenic contributions; Biogenic secondary organic aerosols; Biomass burning; Seasonal variations.

MeSH terms

Aerosols
Air Pollutants / analysis*
Air Pollution / statistics & numerical data
China
Cities
Environmental Monitoring*
Particulate Matter / analysis*

Substances

Aerosols
Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter