Abstract
Air pollution is an increasing threat to human health in China. In this study, daily PM10 and PM2.5 samples were collected simultaneously at the Jinan Environmental Monitoring Station (EMS)in Jinan, China from 15 November 2016 to 15 March 2017. The aim of this work was to improve the understanding of the characteristics and sources of air particles and determine different levels of PM2.5 pollution and its constituent elements, water-soluble ions and carbonaceous species. Nitrate (NO3−), organic materials (OM) and sulfate (SO42−) were identified as the three main components of PM2.5 pollution. With increasing pollution level, the contributions of SO42−, NO3− and NH4+ increased at greater rates, unlike that of OM. The proportion of SO42− exceeded that of NO3− and became predominant in severe PM2.5 pollution (SP; 250 μg m−3 ≤ PM2.5 ≤ 500 μg m−3). This work demonstrates that SO42− has a dominant role in SP level and, consequently, requires greater research attention. It is demonstrated that relative humidity (RH) enhances the rate of sulfate formation more than that of nitrate. Therefore, under the current Chinese emergency response measures, it is necessary to further reduce emissions of SO2 and NO2. Four clusters of backward trajectories identified dominant pollution vectors originating from highly industrialized areas that exacerbate the poor air quality in Jinan. It is, therefore, necessary to undertake regional control measures to reduce pollutant emissions.
Highlights
In recent years there have been frequent heavy pollution days in the central and eastern regions ofChina
SO4 2− became the greatest constituent during the serious pollution event
Meteorological Conditions indicates that the regulation and reduction of SO4 2− gas precursors during heavy pollution events are speed (WS) and relative humidity (RH) are the most important meteorological factors extremely influencing theeight mass serious concentrations of PM2.5, days as demonstrated in previous studies
Summary
In recent years there have been frequent heavy pollution days in the central and eastern regions ofChina. In recent years there have been frequent heavy pollution days in the central and eastern regions of. Chinese authorities and the public are increasingly demanding more stringent prevention and control measures for atmospheric pollution [1]. China’s continuously severe air pollution (SP) has caused wide public concern [2]. There have been many studies on air pollution in major areas of China [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11], of which a large number have proven that secondary inorganic species play an important role in haze formation [3,4,9,10,11]. Jinan is located in central Shandong Province and is its capital city.
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