Abstract
Abstract. The concentrations and solubility of twelve trace elements in PM2.5 at Mt. Lushan, southern China, were investigated during the summer of 2011 and the spring of 2012. The average PM2.5 mass was 55.2 ± 20.1 μg m−3 during the observation period. Temporal variations of all trace elements including total and water-soluble fractions with several dust storm spikes in total fractions of Al and Fe were observed. The enrichment factor (EF) values were 1 order of magnitude higher for the water-soluble fractions versus the total fractions of trace elements. Four major emission sources, namely nonferrous metal mining and smelting (for Cr, As, Ba and parts of Zn), coal combustion (for Pb, Zn, Se, Cu and Mn), crustal materials (for Al and Fe) and municipal solid waste incineration (for Cd and Mo), were classified by principal component analysis (PCA). Trajectory cluster analysis and the potential source contribution function (PSCF) consistently identified the Yangtze River delta (YRD), the Pearl River delta (PRD), and the neighbouring provinces of Mt. Lushan as the major source regions and transport pathways for anthropogenic elements. Northern China was identified as a major source region for crustal elements. It should be noted that apart from the YRD, the area around Mt. Lushan has become the most significant contributor to the solubility of most trace elements. Element solubility can be partially determined by emission sources. However, enhanced solubility of trace elements corresponding to increased concentrations of sulfate after the occurrence of cloud events indicated significant effects of cloud processing on aerosol element dissolution. Metal particles mixed with sulfate in cloud droplet residues were further investigated through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Irreversible alteration of particle morphology by cloud processing was confirmed to be highly responsible for the enhancement of trace element solubility. The findings from this study imply an important role of regional anthropogenic pollution and cloud processing in the evolution of aerosol trace element solubility during transport in the troposphere.
Highlights
Epidemiologic studies have associated long-term exposure to highly inhalable ambient fine particulate matter (≤ 2.5 μm, PM2.5) with many adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality, whether in urban or rural areas (Hoek et al, 2013; Cao et al, 2012; Weichenthal et al, 2014)
Sustained exposure to high concentrations of PM air pollution has been suggested to contribute to a decrease in life expectancy of approximately 3 years in China (Chen et al, 2013)
This paper provides a data set of the concentration and solubility of trace elements in fine particles at Mt
Summary
Epidemiologic studies have associated long-term exposure to highly inhalable ambient fine particulate matter (≤ 2.5 μm, PM2.5) with many adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality, whether in urban or rural areas (Hoek et al, 2013; Cao et al, 2012; Weichenthal et al, 2014). The long atmospheric lifetimes of days give fine particles opportunities to be subject to longrange transboundary or intercontinental transport in the air and to deposition toward remote areas, carrying abundant anthropogenic pollutants and affecting ecosystems (Mahowald, 2011). Li et al.: oncentrations and solubility of trace elements indirectly by changing cloud properties and precipitation acting as cloud condensation nuclei (Kaufman et al, 2002)
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