Chemical Characteristics of Size-Resolved Aerosols in Coastal Areas during KORUS-AQ Campaign; Comparison of Ion Neutralization Model

Abstract

Measurements for size-resolved chemical composition were made at the Anmyeon Island station on the western coast of the Republic of Korea between May 28 and June 20, 2016. This study determined the main chemical compositions of size-resolved particulate matter (i.e., organic carbon, elemental carbon, water-soluble organic carbon, water-soluble ions, and benzene carboxylic acids) from a total of eight chemically size-resolved sets using micro-orifice uniform deposit impactors. The sum of the species presents a prominent accumulation mode peak at a diameter of 0.56 μm without the coarse mode peak. In the accumulation mode, SO42− (49.3%) was the dominant particle component in the size range of 0.1–1.8 μm. Organic carbon and elemental carbon accounted for 13.5% and 0.4%, respectively. Benzene carboxylic acids indicate the accumulation mode peak at the diameter of 0.56 μm. The size-resolved equivalent ion concentration ratios between all measured cations and anions and the ion neutralization model, which uses four major ions, were compared. As a result, the concentration of Na+ is of importance in the accumulation mode for the equivalent ion concentration.