Impacts of dust events on chemical characterization and associated source contributions of atmospheric particulate matter in northern China

Ruiyu Li; Miao Zhang; Yuming Du; Guixia Wang; Chunlin Shang; Yao Liu; Min Zhang; Qingpeng Meng; Min Cui; Caiqing Yan

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120597

Impacts of dust events on chemical characterization and associated source contributions of atmospheric particulate matter in northern China

Environ Pollut. 2023 Jan 1;316(Pt 2):120597. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120597. Epub 2022 Nov 4.

Authors

Ruiyu Li¹, Miao Zhang², Yuming Du³, Guixia Wang², Chunlin Shang³, Yao Liu³, Min Zhang³, Qingpeng Meng⁴, Min Cui⁵, Caiqing Yan⁶

Affiliations

¹ Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
² Shandong Provincial Eco-Environment Monitoring Center, Jinan, 250101, China.
³ Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Environmental Monitoring Center, Wuhai Branch, Wuhai, 016000, China.
⁴ Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
⁵ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
⁶ Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China. Electronic address: cyan0325@sdu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36343856
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120597

Abstract

Sand and dust have significant impacts on air quality, climate, and human health. To investigate the influences of dust storms on chemical characterization and source contributions of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in areas with different distances from dust source regions, PM_2.5 and associated chemical composition were measured in two industrial cities with one near sand sources (i.e., Wuhai) and the other far from sand sources (i.e., Jinan) in northern China in March 2021. Results showed that PM mass concentrations significantly increased and exceeded the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality standard during the dust events, with absolute concentrations and fractional contributions of PM_2.5-bound crustal and trace elements increased while secondary inorganic ions decreased at both sites. Crustal materials dominated the increased PM_2.5 mass from non-dust period to dust period in both cities. These were further evidenced by PM_2.5 source apportionment results from positive matrix factorization model. During the dust events, dust sources contributed up to 88% of PM_2.5 mass in Wuhai and ∼38% of PM_2.5 mass in Jinan, a city about thousands of kilometers away from the sand source. Besides, the measurement data indicated that dust from northwest China may also bring along with high abundance of organic matter and vanadium. Secondary and traffic sources were two of the most important source contributors to PM_2.5 in both cities during the non-dust periods. However, the near sand source city was more susceptible to the aggravating effects of dust and minerals, with much higher contributions by crustal materials (∼47%, from the aspect of chemical components) and dust-related sources (∼26%, from the aspect of sources) to PM_2.5 mass even during non-dust periods. This study highlighted the urgent need for more action and effective control of sand sources to reduce the impact on air quality in downstream regions.

Keywords: Chemical composition; Crustal materials; Dust event; PMF model; Particulate matter; Sources.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
China
Dust / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Particulate Matter* / analysis
Sand
Seasons
Vehicle Emissions / analysis

Substances

Particulate Matter
Dust
Air Pollutants
Sand
Vehicle Emissions