Organic molecular compositions and temporal variations of summertime mountain aerosols over Mt. Tai, North China Plain

Abstract

Total suspended particles (TSP) were collected at the summit of Mt. Tai (1534 m above sea level) on a daytime and nighttime basis during a summertime campaign (May–June 2006) and were characterized for organic molecular compositions using solvent extraction/derivatization and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry technique. The n‐Alkanes, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, sugars, glycerol and polyacids, and phthalate esters were found as major organic compound classes, whereas lignin and resin products, sterols, aromatic acids, hopanes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected as minor classes. Sugars (49.8–2115 ng m−3, average 640 ng m−3 in daytime; 18.1–4348 ng m−3, 799 ng m−3 in nighttime) were found to be the dominant compound class. Levoglucosan, a specific cellulose pyrolysis product, was detected as the most abundant single compound, followed by C28 fatty alcohol, diisobutyl and di‐n‐butyl phthalates, C29n‐alkane, C16 and C28 fatty acids, and malic acid. By grouping organic compounds based on their sources, we found that emission of terrestrial plant waxes was the most significant source (30–34%) of the TSP, followed by biomass burning products (25–27%) (e.g., levoglucosan and lignin and resin products), soil resuspension (15–18%) due to agricultural activities, secondary oxidation products (8–10%), plastic emission (3–10%), marine/microbial sources (6%), and urban/industrial emissions from fossil fuel use (4%). However, low molecular weight dicarboxylic acids (such as oxalic acid) of photochemical origin were not included in this study. Malic acid was found to be much higher than those reported in the ground level, suggesting an enhanced photochemical production in the free troposphere over mountain areas. Temporal variations of biomass burning tracers (e.g., levoglucosan, galactosan, mannosan) and some higher plant wax derived compound classes suggested that there were two major (E1 and E2) and one minor (E3) biomass‐burning events during this campaign. Most of the compound classes showed higher concentrations in nighttime samples when organic aerosols can be long‐range transported from different source regions to the summit of Mt. Tai above the planetary boundary layer (PBL). This study also demonstrates that the free troposphere over Mt. Tai is heavily influenced by field burning of agricultural wastes such as wheat straws in the North China Plain during the harvest season in early summer.