Abstract
ABSTRACT The size and composition of individual atmospheric particles were assessed using a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer in Ningbo, China, from 30 December 2016 to 12 January 2017. The particles were primarily carbonaceous and inorganic, with the majority (60%) being carbonaceous. All of the major particle types contained internally mixed secondary species, such as nitrate and sulfate. The temporal trends of the particle number concentrations and PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm) mass concentrations indicated that secondary formation in Ningbo severely affected the air quality. The sampling period was divided into three subperiods according to the PM2.5 mass concentration. During Period I, local emission and secondary formation were the primary contributors of the pollution, and during Periods II and III, the abundance of particles occurring with high-speed winds indicated that regional transport was a primary factor in these two pollution processes. Additionally, high PM2.5 mass concentrations were often observed at night during high relative humidity and low temperatures across the entire sampling period. These results demonstrate that stagnant meteorological conditions increase pollution during winter. Overall, this study enhances our understanding of particulate pollution in the southern Yangtze River Delta region and provides useful information on the formation and growth of atmospheric aerosols.
Highlights
IntroductionPM2.5 (particles with diameter < 2.5 μm) has profound impacts on human health, atmospheric visibility, and global climate (Kanakidou et al, 2005; Tie et al, 2009). The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, which includes areas+ These authors contributed to this work.Information on aerosol particle size and chemicalYang et al, Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 19: 1697–1707, 2019 species is crucial for monitoring and characterizing air pollution
PM2.5 has profound impacts on human health, atmospheric visibility, and global climate (Kanakidou et al, 2005; Tie et al, 2009)
To obtain a thorough understanding of the single particle size distribution, chemical composition, and mixing state of aerosol particles, Bi et al (2011) studied the mixing state of aerosol particles in the urban area of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and revealed that 90% of biomass burning particles are internally mixed with secondary inorganic species
Summary
PM2.5 (particles with diameter < 2.5 μm) has profound impacts on human health, atmospheric visibility, and global climate (Kanakidou et al, 2005; Tie et al, 2009). The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, which includes areas+ These authors contributed to this work.Information on aerosol particle size and chemicalYang et al, Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 19: 1697–1707, 2019 species is crucial for monitoring and characterizing air pollution. A single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) was invented based on time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and SPAMS provides continuous, real-time, and size-resolved information on the mixing state and chemical composition of single particles (Li et al, 2017). It is a powerful instrument for capturing information on the chemical and physical properties, mixing states, sources, and atmospheric processing of single particles (Zhou et al, 2016; Zhao et al, 2017). To obtain a thorough understanding of the single particle size distribution, chemical composition, and mixing state of aerosol particles, Bi et al (2011) studied the mixing state of aerosol particles in the urban area of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and revealed that 90% of biomass burning particles are internally mixed with secondary inorganic species. Wang et al (2016) reported that the amount of elemental carbon (EC) particles in the environment with a diameter range of 0.65–1.4 μm increased to 25% of all particles on hazy days in Nanjing. Yang et al (2012) studied heavy haze periods in the YRD region and indicated that carbon signals were associated with ammonium nitrate, which changed the mixing state of particles, enhanced light extinction, and degraded visibility
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