Aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western Yangtze River Delta of China: 2 years of measurements at the SORPES station
Aerosol particles play important roles in regional air quality and global climate change. In this study, we analyzed 2 years (2011–2013) of measurements of submicron particles (6–800 nm) at a suburban site in the western Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of eastern China. The number concentrations (NCs) of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2015-11-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/15/12445/2015/acp-15-12445-2015.pdf |
| _version_ | 1819062716621389824 |
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| author | X. M. Qi A. J. Ding W. Nie T. Petäjä V.-M. Kerminen E. Herrmann Y. N. Xie L. F. Zheng H. Manninen P. Aalto J. N. Sun Z. N. Xu X. G. Chi X. Huang M. Boy A. Virkkula X.-Q. Yang C. B. Fu M. Kulmala |
| author_facet | X. M. Qi A. J. Ding W. Nie T. Petäjä V.-M. Kerminen E. Herrmann Y. N. Xie L. F. Zheng H. Manninen P. Aalto J. N. Sun Z. N. Xu X. G. Chi X. Huang M. Boy A. Virkkula X.-Q. Yang C. B. Fu M. Kulmala |
| author_sort | X. M. Qi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aerosol particles play important roles in regional air
quality and global climate change. In this study, we analyzed 2 years
(2011–2013) of measurements of submicron particles (6–800 nm) at a suburban
site in the western Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of eastern China. The number
concentrations (NCs) of particles in the nucleation, Aitken and accumulation
modes were 5300 ± 5500, 8000 ± 4400,
5800 ± 3200 cm<sup>−3</sup>, respectively. The NCs of total particles are
comparable to those at urban/suburban sites in other Chinese megacities, such
as Beijing, but about 10 times higher than in the remote western China.
Long-range and regional transport largely influenced number
concentrations and size distributions of submicron particles. The highest and
lowest accumulation-mode particle number concentrations were observed in air
masses from the YRD and coastal regions, respectively. Continental air masses from
inland brought the highest concentrations of nucleation-mode particles. New
particle formation (NPF) events, apparent in 44 % of the effective
measurement days, occurred frequently in all the seasons except winter. The
frequency of NPF in spring, summer and autumn is much higher than other
measurement sites in China. Sulfuric acid was found to be the main driver of
NPF events. The particle formation rate was the highest in spring
(3.6 ± 2.4 cm<sup>−3</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>), whereas the particle growth rate had
the highest values in summer (12.8 ± 4.4 nm h<sup>−1</sup>). The formation
rate was typically high in relatively clean air masses, whereas the growth
rate tended to be high in the polluted YRD air masses. The frequency of NPF
events and the particle growth rates showed a strong year-to-year difference.
In the summer of 2013, associated with a multi-week heat wave and strong
photochemical processes, NPF events occurred with larger frequency and higher
growth rates compared with the same period in 2012. The difference in the
location and strength of the subtropical high pressure system, which influences
the air mass transport pathways and solar radiation, seems to be the cause
for year-to-year differences. This study reports, up to now, the longest
continuous measurement records of submicron particles in eastern China and
helps to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the main factors controlling the
seasonal and year-to-year variation of the aerosol size distribution and NPF
in this region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T15:03:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ddf711a11dc445a9b188bbb04d220c1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T15:03:12Z |
| publishDate | 2015-11-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ddf711a11dc445a9b188bbb04d220c12022-12-21T18:59:31ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242015-11-011521124451246410.5194/acp-15-12445-2015Aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western Yangtze River Delta of China: 2 years of measurements at the SORPES stationX. M. Qi0A. J. Ding1W. Nie2T. Petäjä3V.-M. Kerminen4E. Herrmann5Y. N. Xie6L. F. Zheng7H. Manninen8P. Aalto9J. N. Sun10Z. N. Xu11X. G. Chi12X. Huang13M. Boy14A. Virkkula15X.-Q. Yang16C. B. Fu17M. Kulmala18Institute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Physics, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Physics, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Physics, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Physics, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Physics, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute for Climate and Global Change Research & School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Physics, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandAerosol particles play important roles in regional air quality and global climate change. In this study, we analyzed 2 years (2011–2013) of measurements of submicron particles (6–800 nm) at a suburban site in the western Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of eastern China. The number concentrations (NCs) of particles in the nucleation, Aitken and accumulation modes were 5300 ± 5500, 8000 ± 4400, 5800 ± 3200 cm<sup>−3</sup>, respectively. The NCs of total particles are comparable to those at urban/suburban sites in other Chinese megacities, such as Beijing, but about 10 times higher than in the remote western China. Long-range and regional transport largely influenced number concentrations and size distributions of submicron particles. The highest and lowest accumulation-mode particle number concentrations were observed in air masses from the YRD and coastal regions, respectively. Continental air masses from inland brought the highest concentrations of nucleation-mode particles. New particle formation (NPF) events, apparent in 44 % of the effective measurement days, occurred frequently in all the seasons except winter. The frequency of NPF in spring, summer and autumn is much higher than other measurement sites in China. Sulfuric acid was found to be the main driver of NPF events. The particle formation rate was the highest in spring (3.6 ± 2.4 cm<sup>−3</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>), whereas the particle growth rate had the highest values in summer (12.8 ± 4.4 nm h<sup>−1</sup>). The formation rate was typically high in relatively clean air masses, whereas the growth rate tended to be high in the polluted YRD air masses. The frequency of NPF events and the particle growth rates showed a strong year-to-year difference. In the summer of 2013, associated with a multi-week heat wave and strong photochemical processes, NPF events occurred with larger frequency and higher growth rates compared with the same period in 2012. The difference in the location and strength of the subtropical high pressure system, which influences the air mass transport pathways and solar radiation, seems to be the cause for year-to-year differences. This study reports, up to now, the longest continuous measurement records of submicron particles in eastern China and helps to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the main factors controlling the seasonal and year-to-year variation of the aerosol size distribution and NPF in this region.http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/15/12445/2015/acp-15-12445-2015.pdf |
| spellingShingle | X. M. Qi A. J. Ding W. Nie T. Petäjä V.-M. Kerminen E. Herrmann Y. N. Xie L. F. Zheng H. Manninen P. Aalto J. N. Sun Z. N. Xu X. G. Chi X. Huang M. Boy A. Virkkula X.-Q. Yang C. B. Fu M. Kulmala Aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western Yangtze River Delta of China: 2 years of measurements at the SORPES station Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| title | Aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western Yangtze River Delta of China: 2 years of measurements at the SORPES station |
| title_full | Aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western Yangtze River Delta of China: 2 years of measurements at the SORPES station |
| title_fullStr | Aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western Yangtze River Delta of China: 2 years of measurements at the SORPES station |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western Yangtze River Delta of China: 2 years of measurements at the SORPES station |
| title_short | Aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western Yangtze River Delta of China: 2 years of measurements at the SORPES station |
| title_sort | aerosol size distribution and new particle formation in the western yangtze river delta of china 2 years of measurements at the sorpes station |
| url | http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/15/12445/2015/acp-15-12445-2015.pdf |
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