Enhanced aqueous-phase formation of secondary organic aerosols due to the regional biomass burning over North China Plain

Jiayuan Wang; Gehui Wang; Can Wu; Jianjun Li; Cong Cao; Jin Li; Yuning Xie; Shuangshuang Ge; Jianmin Chen; Limin Zeng; Tong Zhu; Renjian Zhang; Kimitaka Kawamura

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113401

Enhanced aqueous-phase formation of secondary organic aerosols due to the regional biomass burning over North China Plain

Environ Pollut. 2020 Jan:256:113401. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113401. Epub 2019 Nov 12.

Authors

Jiayuan Wang¹, Gehui Wang², Can Wu³, Jianjun Li¹, Cong Cao¹, Jin Li¹, Yuning Xie⁴, Shuangshuang Ge⁴, Jianmin Chen⁵, Limin Zeng⁶, Tong Zhu⁶, Renjian Zhang⁷, Kimitaka Kawamura⁸

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Key Lab of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Key Lab of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; Key Lab of Geophysical Information System of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 210041, China; Institute of Eco-Chongming, 3663 N. Zhongshan Rd., Shanghai, 200062, China. Electronic address: ghwang@geo.ecnu.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Key Lab of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China; Key Lab of Geophysical Information System of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 210041, China.
⁴ Key Lab of Geophysical Information System of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 210041, China.
⁵ Institute of Eco-Chongming, 3663 N. Zhongshan Rd., Shanghai, 200062, China.
⁶ BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China.
⁷ Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
⁸ Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0891, Japan.

PMID: 31753639
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113401

Abstract

This study reveals the impact of biomass burning (BB) on secondary organic aerosols (SOA) formation in the North China Plain (NCP). Filter samples were analyzed for secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA), oxalic acid (C₂) and related aqueous-phase SOA compounds (aqSOA), stable carbon isotope composition of C₂ (δ¹³C(C₂)) and aerosol liquid water content (ALWC). Based on the PM_2.5 loadings, BB tracer concentrations, wildfire spots and air-mass back trajectories, we distinguished two episodes from the whole campaign, Episode I and Episode II, which were characteristic of regional and local BB, respectively. The abundances of PM_2.5 and organic matter in the two events were comparable, but concentrations and fractions of SIA, aqSOA during Episode I were much higher than those during Episode II, along with heavier δ¹³C(C₂), suggesting an enhanced aqSOA formation in the earlier period. We found that the enhancement of aqSOA formation during Episode I was caused by an increased ALWC, which was mainly driven by SIA during the regional BB event. Our work showed that intensive burning of crop residue in East Asia can sharply enhance aqSOA production on a large scale, which may have a significant impact on the regional climate and human health.

Keywords: Aerosol liquid water content; Aging process; Aqueous-phase formation; Dicarboxylic acids; Stable carbon isotopic composition.

MeSH terms

Aerosols / analysis*
Air Pollutants / analysis*
Asia, Eastern
Biomass
Carbon / analysis
Carbon Isotopes / analysis
China
Climate
Environmental Monitoring*
Organic Chemicals / analysis
Particulate Matter / analysis
Seasons
Water
Wildfires

Substances

Aerosols
Air Pollutants
Carbon Isotopes
Organic Chemicals
Particulate Matter
Water
Carbon