Spatial-temporal variations and mineral dust fractions in particulate matter mass concentrations in an urban area of northwestern China

Qingyu Guan; Fuchun Li; Liqin Yang; Rui Zhao; Yanyan Yang; Haiping Luo

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.05.064

Spatial-temporal variations and mineral dust fractions in particulate matter mass concentrations in an urban area of northwestern China

J Environ Manage. 2018 Sep 15:222:95-103. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.05.064. Epub 2018 May 25.

Authors

Qingyu Guan¹, Fuchun Li², Liqin Yang², Rui Zhao², Yanyan Yang², Haiping Luo²

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education) and Gansu Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Prediction and Control, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China. Electronic address: guanqy@lzu.edu.cn.
² Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education) and Gansu Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Prediction and Control, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.

PMID: 29804037
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.05.064

Abstract

PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentration data were collected from five air-quality monitoring sites in Lanzhou from October 2014 to October 2015, revealing the spatial-temporal behavior of local particulate matter (PM). The Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) and the PM_2.5-to-PM₁₀ ratio model were used to investigate the primary transport path, potential source areas and contributions of the East Asian sandstorm to PM in Lanzhou. The analysis in three functional areas of the city indicated that the monthly variation in PM_2.5 displayed a unimodal U pattern (the highest value was during the heating period), whereas that of PM₁₀ displayed a bimodal pattern (the primary peak appeared in the spring, and the secondary peak appeared in the winter). These two patterns originated from different PM sources. The PM_2.5 was primarily affected by human activities, and the PM₁₀ was influenced by both natural and anthropogenic activities, but the relative contributions of these activities were associated with spatial-temporal variations. The daily PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentration variations displayed a bimodal pattern in the three functional areas: the peak values appeared at 11:00-13:00 and 22:00-1:00, respectively, and the lowest values appeared at 4:00-6:00 and 16:00-18:00, respectively. On the monthly, seasonal and daily scales, the PM concentrations exhibited similar patterns in the industrial, urban and rural areas, indicating that they were partly controlled by the regional natural environment. Meanwhile, due to anthropogenic factors, considerable PM amounts were discharged into the external environment, leading to maximum and minimum concentrations of PM appearing in the industrial and rural areas, respectively. The HYSPLIT model showed that dust storms from the northwest desert and Gobi regions affected Lanzhou three times in March 2015 and contributed 68% and 40% of the total mass of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, respectively.

Keywords: Mineral dust; Numerical model; PM(10); PM(2.5); Spatial-temporal variations.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants*
China
Cities*
Dust
Environmental Monitoring*
Humans
Minerals
Particle Size
Particulate Matter
Seasons

Substances

Air Pollutants
Dust
Minerals
Particulate Matter