Abstract
In order to investigate the seasonal variations in the chemical characteristics of PM2.5 at the plateau slope of a mountain city in southwest China, 178 PM2.5 filters (89 quartz and 89 Teflon samples for PM2.5) were collected to sample the urban air of Wenshan in spring and autumn 2016 at three sites. The mass concentrations, water-soluble inorganic ions, organic and inorganic carbon concentrations, and inorganic elements constituting PM2.5 were determined, principal component analysis was used to identify potential sources of PM2.5, and the backward trajectory model was used to calculate the contribution of the long-distance transmission of air particles to the Wenshan area. The average concentration of PM2.5 in spring and autumn was 44.85 ± 10.99 μg/m3. Secondary inorganic aerosols contributed 21.82% and 16.50% of the total PM2.5 in spring and autumn, respectively. The daily mean value of OC/EC indicated that the measured SOC content was generated by the photochemical processes active during the sampling days. However, elements from anthropogenic sources (Ti, Si, Ca, Fe, Al, K, Mg, Na, Sb, Zn, P, Pb, Mn, As and Cu) accounted for 99.38% and 99.24% of the total inorganic elements in spring and autumn, respectively. Finally, source apportionment showed that SIA, dust, industry, biomass burning, motor vehicle emissions and copper smelting emissions constituted the major components in Wenshan. This study is the first to investigate the chemical characterizations and sources of PM2.5 in Wenshan, and it provides effective support for local governments formulating air pollution control policies.
Highlights
The overall concentration of PM2.5 is higher in spring than of PM2.5 ranged from 29.11 μg/m3 to 62.03 μg/m3 in spring and from 24.46 μg/m3 to that in autumn
The overall concentration of PM2.5 is higher in spring spring, which may be related to changes in meteorological conditions
2.5 pollution may be associated with city construction, and research, we found that the dust emission volume of Wenshan was 1164 t, accounting for 2 during 2016 in Wenshan
Summary
With rapid economic development, industrialization and urbanization in China, the number of motor vehicles and the total energy consumption have increased, and atmospheric particulate matter (PM) has become one of the most significant air contaminants [1,2,3]. PM, PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 mm), can exist in the atmosphere for a long time, which is conducive to its long-distance transport through the atmosphere and deposition towards remote areas. During long-range transport, PM2.5 carries abundant anthropogenic pollutants and has a serious impact on the global and regional climate, the visibility and composition of the atmosphere, the global biogeochemical cycle and the activation of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) [4,5,6]
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