Size Distributions and Seasonal Variations of Water-Soluble Inorganic Particulate Matter at a Suburban Site in Nanjing, China
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 25, Issue 4
Abstract
Size-resolved aerosol mass concentrations and concentrations of inorganic water-soluble ions (WSIs) were measured in four seasons, from December 22, 2016 to November 28, 2017, in Nanjing, China. Water-soluble ions were the main components of the atmospheric particles in Nanjing. The WSIs mainly comprised fine particles, especially in the 0.5–1-μm size range. Sulfate , nitrate , and ammonium (SNA) were the major WSI components. The secondary transformation products of the SNA WSIs were mainly distributed in the fine component of the total WSIs, while the coarse component contained a large amount of soluble mineral dust, comprising calcium (Ca2+), sodium (Na+), and magnesium (Mg2+). The mass concentrations of the total WSIs showed clear seasonal variations, with much higher concentrations in autumn and winter than in spring and summer. The mass concentrations of the WSIs increased significantly during pollution episodes, especially in the fine particle size component. The increases in the mass concentrations of WSIs on polluted days were mainly driven by the accumulation of secondary ions (i.e., SNA) in the fine component, while the contribution of the primary ions (Ca2+, Na+, and Mg2+) was relatively small. Ion charge-balance analysis showed that, for the inorganic WSIs, the charge concentration of the cations was greater than that of the anions in all seasons, with this phenomenon being strongest in spring and weakest in winter and strongest on nonpolluted days and weakest on heavily polluted days.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42007187 and 41975162), and the Postgraduate Research and Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (SJKY19_0970).
References
Chen, C., P. Zhu, L. Lan, L. Zhou, R. Liu, Q. Sun, J. Ban, W. Wang, D. Xu, and T. Li. 2018. “Short-term exposures to PM2.5 and cause-specific mortality of cardiovascular health in China.” Environ. Res. 161: 188–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2017.10.046.
Chen, P., T. Wang, X. Lu, Y. Yu, M. Kasoar, M. Xie, and B. Zhuang. 2017. “Source apportionment of size-fractionated particles during the 2013 Asian Youth Games and the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.” Sci. Total Environ. 579: 860–870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.014.
Gao, J. J., et al. 2015. “The variation of chemical characteristics of PM2.5 and PM10 and formation causes during two haze pollution events in urban Beijing, China.” Atmos. Environ. 107: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.02.022.
Ge, X. L., et al. 2017. “Aerosol characteristics and sources in Yangzhou, China resolved by offline aerosol mass spectrometry and other techniques.” Environ. Pollut. 225: 74–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.03.044.
Gustafsson, Ö, and V. Ramanathan. 2016. “Convergence on climate warming by black carbon aerosols.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 113 (16): 4243–4245. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1603570113.
Hu, J. L., L. Huang, M. D. Chen, H. Liao, H. L. Zhang, S. X. Wang, Q. Zhang, and Q. Ying. 2017. “Premature mortality attributable to particulate matter in China: Source contributions and responses to reductions.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 51 (17): 9950–9959. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b03193.
Hu, J. L., Y. Wang, Q. Ying, and H. Zhang. 2014. “Spatial and temporal variability of PM2.5 and PM10 over the North China Plain and the Yangtze River Delta, China.” Atmos. Environ. 95: 598–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.07.019.
Huang, L., M. Chen, and J. Hu. 2016. “Twelve-year trends of PM10 and visibility in the Hefei Metropolitan Area of China.” Adv. Meteorol. 2016: 4810796. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/4810796.
Lelieveld, J., J. S. Evans, M. Fnais, D. Giannadaki, and A. Pozzer. 2015. “The contribution of outdoor air pollution sources to premature mortality on a global scale.” Nature 525: 367–371. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature15371.
Li, B., J. Zhang, Y. Zhao, S. Yuan, Q. Zhao, G. Shen, and H. Wu. 2015. “Seasonal variation of urban carbonaceous aerosols in a typical city Nanjing in Yangtze River Delta, China.” Atmos. Environ. 106: 223–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.01.064.
Li, L., et al. 2020. “Modelling air quality during the EXPLORE-YRD campaign—Part II. Regional source apportionment of ozone and PM2.5.” Atmos. Environ. 247: 118063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.118063.
Li, Z., et al. 2016. “Aerosol and monsoon climate interactions over Asia.” Rev. Geophys. 54 (4): 866–929. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015RG000500.
Liu, X. Y., et al. 2019. “Evaluation of particulate matter deposition in the human respiratory tract during winter in Nanjing using size and chemically resolved ambient measurements.” Air Qual. Atmos. Health 12 (5): 529–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-019-00663-2.
Ostro, B., J. Hu, D. Goldberg, P. Reynolds, A. Hertz, L. Bernstein, and M. J. Kleeman. 2015. “Associations of mortality with long-term exposures to fine and ultrafine particles, species and sources: Results from the California teachers study cohort.” Environ. Health Perspect. 123 (6): 549–556. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408565.
Ostro, B., M. Lipsett, P. Reynolds, D. Goldberg, A. Hertz, C. Garcia, K. D. Henderson, and L. Bernstein. 2010. “Long-term exposure to constituents of fine particulate air pollution and mortality: Results from the California teachers study.” Environ. Health Perspect. 118 (3): 363–369. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.0901181.
Qin, X. 2015. Characterization and sources analysis of heavy metal aerosols in north suburb of Nanjing. Nanjing, China: Nanjing Univ. of Information Science and Technology.
Rohr, A. C., and R. E. Wyzga. 2012. “Attributing health effects to individual particulate matter constituents.” Atmos. Environ. 62: 130–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2012.07.036.
Segersson, D., K. Eneroth, L. Gidhagen, C. Johansson, G. Omstedt, A. E. Nylén, and B. Forsberg. 2017. “Health impact of PM10, PM2.5 and black carbon exposure due to different source sectors in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Umea, Sweden.” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 14 (7): 742. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070742.
Sun, J. J., et al. 2019. “Investigating the PM2.5 mass concentration growth processes during 2013–2016 in Beijing and Shanghai.” Chemosphere 221: 452–463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.12.200.
Sun, K., et al. 2014. “Chemical characteristics of size-resolved aerosols in winter in Beijing.” J. Environ. Sci. 26 (8): 1641–1650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2014.06.004.
Sun, K., X. G. Liu, J. W. Gu, Y. P. Li, Y. Qu, J. L. An, J. L. Wang, Y. H. Zhang, M. Hu, and F. Zhang. 2015. “Chemical characterization of size-resolved aerosols in four seasons and hazy days in the megacity Beijing of China.” J. Environ. Sci. 32: 155–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2014.12.020.
Sun, Y. L., et al. 2016. “Primary and secondary aerosols in Beijing in winter: sources, variations and processes.” Atmos. Chem. Phys. 16 (13): 8309–8329. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8309-2016.
Tang, L., et al. 2014. “Components and optical properties of submicron aerosol during the lasting haze period in Nanjing.” Chin. Sci. Bull. 59 (20): 1955–1966. https://doi.org/10.1360/972013-1098.
Wang, H., J. An, M. Cheng, L. Shen, B. Zhu, Y. Li, Y. Wang, Q. Duan, A. Sullivan, and L. Xia. 2016. “One year online measurements of water-soluble ions at the industrially polluted town of Nanjing, China: Sources, seasonal and diurnal variations.” Chemosphere 148: 526–536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.01.066.
Wang, X., et al. 2020a. “Modelling air quality during the EXPLORE-YRD campaign—Part I. Model performance evaluation and impacts of meteorological inputs and grid resolutions.” Atmos. Environ. 246: 118131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.118131.
Wang, Y., Z. H. Shi, F. Z. Shen, J. J. Sun, L. Huang, H. L. Zhang, C. Chen, T. T. Li, and J. L. Hu. 2019. “Associations of daily mortality with short-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents in Shanghai, China.” Chemosphere 233: 879–887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.05.249.
Wang, Y., O. Wild, H. Chen, M. Gao, Q. Wu, Y. Qi, X. Chen, and Z. Wang. 2020b. “Acute and chronic health impacts of PM2.5 in China and the influence of interannual meteorological variability.” Atmos. Environ. 229: 117397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117397.
Wang, Y., Q. Ying, J. Hu, and H. Zhang. 2014. “Spatial and temporal variations of six criteria air pollutants in 31 provincial capital cities in China during 2013–2014.” Environ. Int. 73: 413–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2014.08.016.
Yadav, S., O. D. Praveen, and P. G. Satsangi. 2015. “The effect of climate and meteorological changes on particulate matter in Pune, India.” Environ. Monit. Assess. 187 (7): 402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4634-z.
Yang, J., M. Zhou, M. Li, P. Yin, J. Hu, C. Zhang, H. Wang, Q. Liu, and B. Wang. 2020. “Fine particulate matter constituents and cause-specific mortality in China: A nationwide modelling study.” Environ. Int. 143: 105927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105927.
Yang, Y. R., et al. 2015. “Characteristics and formation mechanism of continuous hazes in China: A case study during the autumn of 2014 in the North China Plain.” Atmos. Chem. Phys. 15 (14): 8165–8178. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-8165-2015.
Yin, L. 2016. Seasonal and spatial variations and potential sources of carbon fractions in fine particle matters in Nanjing. Nanjing, China: Nanjing Univ.
Yin, P., et al. 2020. “Higher risk of cardiovascular disease associated with smaller size-fractioned particulate matter.” Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 7 (2): 95–101. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.9b00735.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 25 • Issue 4 • October 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 21, 2021
Accepted: Jun 6, 2021
Published online: Jul 8, 2021
Published in print: Oct 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Dec 8, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.