Impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban Beijing, China: insights gained from long-term measurement
<p>As major chemical components of airborne fine particulate matter (PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span>), organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) have vital impacts on air quality, climate change, and human health. Because OC and EC are...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/19/8569/2019/acp-19-8569-2019.pdf |
| _version_ | 1819141935890169856 |
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| author | D. Ji D. Ji W. Gao W. Gao W. Maenhaut J. He Z. Wang Z. Wang J. Li J. Li W. Du L. Wang L. Wang Y. Sun Y. Sun J. Xin J. Xin B. Hu B. Hu Y. Wang Y. Wang |
| author_facet | D. Ji D. Ji W. Gao W. Gao W. Maenhaut J. He Z. Wang Z. Wang J. Li J. Li W. Du L. Wang L. Wang Y. Sun Y. Sun J. Xin J. Xin B. Hu B. Hu Y. Wang Y. Wang |
| author_sort | D. Ji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>As major chemical components of airborne fine particulate
matter (PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span>), organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) have
vital impacts on air quality, climate change, and human health. Because OC
and EC are closely associated with fuel combustion, it is helpful for the
scientific community and policymakers assessing the efficacy of air
pollution control measures to study the impact of control measures
and regional transport on OC and EC levels. In this study, hourly mass
concentrations of OC and EC associated with PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> were
semi-continuously measured from March 2013 to February 2018. The results
showed that annual mean OC and EC concentrations declined from 14.0 to 7.7 <span class="inline-formula">µg m<sup>−3</sup></span> and from 4.0 to 2.6 <span class="inline-formula">µg m<sup>−3</sup></span>, respectively, from
March 2013 to February 2018. In combination with the data of OC and EC in
previous studies, an obvious decreasing trend in OC and EC concentrations
was found, which was caused by clean energy policies and effective air
pollution control measures. However, no obvious change in the ratios of OC
and EC to the PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> mass (on average, 0.164 and 0.049, respectively)
was recorded, suggesting that inorganic ions still contributed a lot
to PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span>. Based on the seasonal variations in OC and EC, it appeared
that higher OC and EC concentrations were still observed in the winter
months, with the exception of winter of 2017–2018. Traffic policies executed
in Beijing resulted in nighttime peaks of OC and EC, caused by heavy-duty
vehicles and heavy-duty diesel vehicles being permitted to operate from 00:00
to 06:00 (China standard time, UTC<span class="inline-formula">+</span>8, for all times throughout the paper). In addition, the fact that there was no traffic restriction in
weekends led to higher concentrations on weekends compared to weekdays.
Significant correlations between OC and EC were observed throughout the
study period, suggesting that OC and EC originated from common emission
sources, such as exhaust of vehicles and fuel combustion. OC and EC levels
increased with enhanced <span class="inline-formula">SO<sub>2</sub></span>, CO, and <span class="inline-formula">NO<sub><i>x</i></sub></span> concentrations while the
<span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span> and OC levels were enhanced simultaneously when <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span> concentrations
were higher than 50 <span class="inline-formula">µg m<sup>−3</sup></span>. Non-parametric wind regression analysis
was performed to examine the sources of OC and EC in the Beijing area. It
was found that there were distinct hot spots in the northeast wind sector at
wind speeds of approximately 0–6 km h<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, as well as diffuse signals in the
southwestern wind sectors.<span id="page8570"/> Source areas further away from Beijing were
assessed by potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis. A
high-potential source area was precisely pinpointed, which was located in
the northwestern and southern areas of Beijing in 2017 instead of solely in
the southern areas of Beijing in 2013. This work shows that improvement of
the air quality in Beijing benefits from strict control measures; however,
joint prevention and control of regional air pollution in the regions is
needed for further improving the air quality. The results provide a
reference for controlling air pollution caused by rapid economic development
in developing countries.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T12:02:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-618adb5553144623ad7e5bcc24d0046d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T12:02:22Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-618adb5553144623ad7e5bcc24d0046d2022-12-21T18:26:32ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242019-07-01198569859010.5194/acp-19-8569-2019Impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban Beijing, China: insights gained from long-term measurementD. Ji0D. Ji1W. Gao2W. Gao3W. Maenhaut4J. He5Z. Wang6Z. Wang7J. Li8J. Li9W. Du10L. Wang11L. Wang12Y. Sun13Y. Sun14J. Xin15J. Xin16B. Hu17B. Hu18Y. Wang19Y. Wang20State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaAtmosphere Sub-Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaAtmosphere Sub-Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaDepartment of Chemistry, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, BelgiumNatural Resources and Environment Research Group, International Doctoral Innovation Centre, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, 315100, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaResearch Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 816-8580, JapanState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China Beijing Municipal Climate Center, Beijing, 100089, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaAtmosphere Sub-Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaAtmosphere Sub-Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaAtmosphere Sub-Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaAtmosphere Sub-Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, ChinaAtmosphere Sub-Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100191, China<p>As major chemical components of airborne fine particulate matter (PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span>), organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) have vital impacts on air quality, climate change, and human health. Because OC and EC are closely associated with fuel combustion, it is helpful for the scientific community and policymakers assessing the efficacy of air pollution control measures to study the impact of control measures and regional transport on OC and EC levels. In this study, hourly mass concentrations of OC and EC associated with PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> were semi-continuously measured from March 2013 to February 2018. The results showed that annual mean OC and EC concentrations declined from 14.0 to 7.7 <span class="inline-formula">µg m<sup>−3</sup></span> and from 4.0 to 2.6 <span class="inline-formula">µg m<sup>−3</sup></span>, respectively, from March 2013 to February 2018. In combination with the data of OC and EC in previous studies, an obvious decreasing trend in OC and EC concentrations was found, which was caused by clean energy policies and effective air pollution control measures. However, no obvious change in the ratios of OC and EC to the PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> mass (on average, 0.164 and 0.049, respectively) was recorded, suggesting that inorganic ions still contributed a lot to PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span>. Based on the seasonal variations in OC and EC, it appeared that higher OC and EC concentrations were still observed in the winter months, with the exception of winter of 2017–2018. Traffic policies executed in Beijing resulted in nighttime peaks of OC and EC, caused by heavy-duty vehicles and heavy-duty diesel vehicles being permitted to operate from 00:00 to 06:00 (China standard time, UTC<span class="inline-formula">+</span>8, for all times throughout the paper). In addition, the fact that there was no traffic restriction in weekends led to higher concentrations on weekends compared to weekdays. Significant correlations between OC and EC were observed throughout the study period, suggesting that OC and EC originated from common emission sources, such as exhaust of vehicles and fuel combustion. OC and EC levels increased with enhanced <span class="inline-formula">SO<sub>2</sub></span>, CO, and <span class="inline-formula">NO<sub><i>x</i></sub></span> concentrations while the <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span> and OC levels were enhanced simultaneously when <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span> concentrations were higher than 50 <span class="inline-formula">µg m<sup>−3</sup></span>. Non-parametric wind regression analysis was performed to examine the sources of OC and EC in the Beijing area. It was found that there were distinct hot spots in the northeast wind sector at wind speeds of approximately 0–6 km h<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, as well as diffuse signals in the southwestern wind sectors.<span id="page8570"/> Source areas further away from Beijing were assessed by potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis. A high-potential source area was precisely pinpointed, which was located in the northwestern and southern areas of Beijing in 2017 instead of solely in the southern areas of Beijing in 2013. This work shows that improvement of the air quality in Beijing benefits from strict control measures; however, joint prevention and control of regional air pollution in the regions is needed for further improving the air quality. The results provide a reference for controlling air pollution caused by rapid economic development in developing countries.</p>https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/19/8569/2019/acp-19-8569-2019.pdf |
| spellingShingle | D. Ji D. Ji W. Gao W. Gao W. Maenhaut J. He Z. Wang Z. Wang J. Li J. Li W. Du L. Wang L. Wang Y. Sun Y. Sun J. Xin J. Xin B. Hu B. Hu Y. Wang Y. Wang Impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban Beijing, China: insights gained from long-term measurement Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| title | Impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban Beijing, China: insights gained from long-term measurement |
| title_full | Impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban Beijing, China: insights gained from long-term measurement |
| title_fullStr | Impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban Beijing, China: insights gained from long-term measurement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban Beijing, China: insights gained from long-term measurement |
| title_short | Impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban Beijing, China: insights gained from long-term measurement |
| title_sort | impact of air pollution control measures and regional transport on carbonaceous aerosols in fine particulate matter in urban beijing china insights gained from long term measurement |
| url | https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/19/8569/2019/acp-19-8569-2019.pdf |
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