Characteristics of Single Aerosol Particles during Pollution in Winter in an Urban Area of Ningbo, China

Meng-Rong Yang ； Jun Zhou ； Xiao-Rong Dai ； Dominik van Pinxteren ； Ming-Yang Cao ； Mei Li ； Hang Xiao

《Aerosol and Air Quality Research》 19卷8期 (2019/08) Pp. 1697-1707+ap1-2

https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2019.01.0038

摘要

The size and composition of individual atmospheric particles were assessed using a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer in Ningbo, China, from 30 December 2016 to 12 January 2017. The particles were primarily carbonaceous and inorganic, with the majority (60%) being carbonaceous. All of the major particle types contained internally mixed secondary species, such as nitrate and sulfate. The temporal trends of the particle number concentrations and PM_(2.5) (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ＜ 2.5 μm) mass concentrations indicated that secondary formation in Ningbo severely affected the air quality. The sampling period was divided into three subperiods according to the PM_(2.5) mass concentration. During Period I, local emission and secondary formation were the primary contributors of the pollution, and during Periods II and III, the abundance of particles occurring with high-speed winds indicated that regional transport was a primary factor in these two pollution processes. Additionally, high PM_(2.5) mass concentrations were often observed at night during high relative humidity and low temperatures across the entire sampling period. These results demonstrate that stagnant meteorological conditions increase pollution during winter. Overall, this study enhances our understanding of particulate pollution in the southern Yangtze River Delta region and provides useful information on the formation and growth of atmospheric aerosols.

關鍵字

Particulate matter ； Mixing state ； Mass spectral characteristics ； Size distribution