Simultaneous Measurements of Chemical Compositions of Fine Particles during Winter Haze Period in Urban Sites in China and Korea

Minhan Park,Enrique Mikhael R Cosep,Moonhee Park,Haebum Lee,Hyunok Maeng,Ilhwa Seo,Hangyul Song,Yujue Wang,Mira Choi,Sanghee Park,Ma Cristine Faye J Denna,Shiyi Chen,Nohhyeon Kwak,Lucille Joanna S Borlaza,Jong-Sik Ryu,Kihong Park,Min Hu,Young Hwan Kim,Jihyo Chong,Kyoung‐Soon Jang ,Jaewon Jang ,Min‐Suk Bae

doi:10.3390/atmos11030292

Abstract

We performed simultaneous measurements of chemical compositions of fine particles in Beijing, China and Gwangju, Korea to better understand their sources during winter haze period. We identified PM2.5 events in Beijing, possibly caused by a combination of multiple primary combustion sources (biomass burning, coal burning, and vehicle emissions) and secondary aerosol formation under stagnant conditions and/or dust sources under high wind speeds. During the PM2.5 events in Gwangju, the contribution of biomass burning and secondary formation of nitrate and organics to the fine particles content significantly increased under stagnant conditions. We commonly observed the increases of nitrogen-containing organic compounds and biomass burning inorganic (K+) and organic (levoglucosan) markers, suggesting the importance of biomass burning sources during the winter haze events (except dust event cases) at both sites. Pb isotope ratios indicated that the fraction of Pb originated from possibly industry and coal combustion sources increased during the PM2.5 events in Gwangju, relative to nonevent days.

Highlights

Atmospheric fine particles, which are defined as particulate matter of sizes less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5 ), are of particular concern due to their effects on climate change and human health [1,2,3,4,5,6]
For the determination of organic molecular markers, the quartz filter sample was extracted by sonication using dichloromethane for nonpolar organic compounds (NPOrC) and water or methanol for polar organic compounds (POrC)
Our data suggests that the contents of PM2.5 during winter PM2.5 events in Beijing are predominantly influenced by multiple primary combustion sources and secondary formation sources under stagnant conditions and/or dust sources under high wind speeds

Summary

Introduction

Atmospheric fine particles, which are defined as particulate matter of sizes less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5 ), are of particular concern due to their effects on climate change (radiation balance and cloud formation) and human health [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Various measurement methods and nonsimultaneous measurements in different locations (i.e., measurements at different times) in China and Korea and insufficient chemical data made it difficult to directly compare characteristics of fine particles and their sources during the winter haze period in China and Korea. In-depth chemical composition data, including organic compounds, molecular composition of organic carbons (high-resolution mass), and isotope ratios, can be used to better identify the variability in PM2.5 characteristics and sources in different locations. Simultaneous measurements of ions, elements, elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), organic compounds, and Pb isotopes of ambient PM2.5 in different urban sites (Beijing, China and Gwangju, Korea) were conducted during the winter of 2018.

Experimental Methods

Results and Discussion

Daily massmass concentrations and average of PM