Temporal Variability of Source-Specific Solvent-Extractable Organic Compounds in Coastal Aerosols over Xiamen, China

Shuqin Tao,Shuhui Zhao,Liqi Chen,Xijie Yin,Liping Jiao

doi:10.3390/atmos8020033

Shuqin Tao, Shuhui Zhao + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos8020033

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Journal: Atmosphere	Publication Date: Feb 8, 2017
Citations: 12	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: First Institute of Oceanography, Xiamen University

Abstract

This study describes an analysis of ambient aerosols in a southeastern coastal city of China (Xiamen) in order to assess the temporal variability in the concentrations and sources of organic aerosols (OA). Molecular-level measurements based on a series of solvent extractable lipid compounds reveal inherent heterogeneity in OA, in which the concentration and relative contribution of at least three distinct components (terrestrial plant wax derived, marine/microbial and fossil fuel derived organic matter (OM)) exhibited distinct and systematic temporal variability. Plant wax lipids and associated terrestrial OM are influenced by seasonal variability in plant growth; marine/microbial lipids and associated marine OM are modulated by sea spill and temperature change, whereas fossil fuel derived OM reflects the anthropogenic utilization of fossil fuels originated from petroleum-derived sources and its temporal variation is strongly controlled by meteorological conditions (e.g., the thermal inversion layer), which is analogous to other air organic pollutions. A comparative study among different coastal cities was applied to estimate the supply of different sources of OM to ambient aerosols in different regions, where it was found that biogenic OM in aerosols over Xiamen was much lower than that of other cities; however, petroleum-derived OM exhibited a high level of contribution with a higher concentration of unresolved complex matters (UCM) and higher a ratio between UCM and resolved alkanes (UCM/R).

Highlights

Air particulate pollution resulting from ambient aerosols has long been recognized as a serious nation-wide problem in China
Severe air particulate pollution causes a reduction in visibility, and create adverse effects on human health, with the organic matter (OM) in the aerosols partly to blame for these health problems [1]
A series of solvent extractable source-specific lipids were determined in 12 total suspended particulate (TSP) aerosol samples collected from May 2015 to April 2016 in order to better characterize seasonal variations in the different organic components

Summary

Introduction

Air particulate pollution resulting from ambient aerosols has long been recognized as a serious nation-wide problem in China. Severe air particulate pollution causes a reduction in visibility, and create adverse effects on human health, with the organic matter (OM) in the aerosols partly to blame for these health problems [1]. Organic aerosols (OA) are a major constituent of ambient aerosols, accounting for 20%–90% by mass [2,3,4]. Solvent-extractable organic matters (SOM), known as lipid compounds (e.g., n-alkanes, n-alkanols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)), have been found to be cytotoxic and to cause DNA lesions even at non-toxic dosages [1]. The degree of cytotoxicity of these SOM have been

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