scholarly journals Characteristics of Carbonaceous PM2.5 in a Small Residential City in Korea

Atmosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong-Min Park ◽  
Young-Ji Han ◽  
Sung-Hwan Cho ◽  
Hyun-Woong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Biomass Combustion ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Water Soluble Organic Carbon ◽  
Ambient Air Quality Standard

PM2.5 has been a serious issue in South Korea not only in urban and industrial areas but also in rural and background areas. In this study, PM2.5 and its carbonaceous compounds including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were collected and analyzed in a small residential city. The PM2.5 concentration frequently exceeded the national ambient air quality standard during the spring and the winter, which often occurred concurrently with fog and mist events. Over the whole sampling period, both OC and the OC/EC ratio were considerably higher than the ratios in other cities in Korea, which suggests that sources other than vehicular emissions were important. The top 10% of OC/EC ratio samples could be explained by regional and long-range transport because there was a strong correlation between primary and secondary organic carbon. However, biomass combustion was likely to account for the consistently high OC concentration due to a strong correlation between WSOC and primary OC as well as the diagnostic ratio results of PAHs.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Locally Occurring High PM2.5 Concentration Episodes in a Small City in South Korea

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Su-Yeon Choi ◽  
Sung-Won Park ◽  
Jin-Yeo Byun ◽  
Young-Ji Han
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Secondary Formation ◽  
Ambient Air Quality Standard ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

In this study, the ionic and carbonaceous compounds in PM2.5 were analysed in the small residential city of Chuncheon, Korea. To identify the local sources that substantially influence PM2.5 concentrations, the samples were divided into two groups: samples with PM2.5 concentrations higher than those in the upwind metropolitan area (Seoul) and samples with lower PM2.5 concentrations. During the sampling period (December 2016–August 2018), the average PM2.5 was 23.2 μg m−3, which exceeds the annual national ambient air quality standard (15 μg m−3). When the PM2.5 concentrations were higher in Chuncheon than in Seoul, the organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations increased the most among all the PM2.5 components measured in this study. This is attributable to secondary formation and biomass burning, because secondary OC was enhanced and water soluble OC was strongly correlated with K+, EC, and OC. A principal component analysis identified four factors contributing to PM2.5: fossil-fuel combustion, secondary inorganic and organic reactions in biomass burning plumes, crustal dust, and secondary NH4+ formation.

scholarly journals Composition and mass size distribution of nitrated and oxygenated aromatic compounds in ambient particulate matter from southern and central Europe – implications for origin

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoran Kitanovski ◽  
Pourya Shahpoury ◽  
Constantini Samara ◽  
Aristeidis Voliotis ◽  
Gerhard Lammel
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Size Fraction ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Mass Size ◽  
Water Soluble Organic Carbon ◽  
Soluble Organic Carbon ◽  
The Individual

Abstract. Nitro-monoaromatic hydrocarbons (NMAHs), such as nitrocatechols, nitrophenols and nitrosalicylic acids, are important constituents of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and humic-like substances (HULIS). Nitrated and oxygenated derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs, OPAHs) are toxic and ubiquitous in the ambient air; due to their light absorption properties, together with NMAHs they are part of aerosol brown carbon (BrC). We investigated the winter concentrations of these substance classes in size-resolved particulate matter (PM) from two urban sites in central and southern Europe, i.e. Mainz (MZ), Germany and Thessaloniki (TK), Greece. ∑11NMAH concentrations in PM10 and total PM were 0.51–8.38 and 12.1–72.1 ng m−3 at MZ and TK site, respectively, whereas ∑8OPAHs were 47–1636 and 858–4306 pg m−3, and ∑17NPAHs were ≤ 90 and 76–578 pg m−3, respectively. NMAHs and the water-soluble OPAHs contributed 0.4 and 1.8 %, and 0.0001 and 0.0002 % to the HULIS mass, at MZ and TK, respectively. The mass size distributions of the individual substances generally peaked in the smallest or second smallest size fraction i.e.,

scholarly journals High PM2.5 Concentrations in a Small Residential City with Low Anthropogenic Emissions in South Korea

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Yeo Byun ◽  
Hekap Kim ◽  
Young-Ji Han ◽  
Sang-Deok Lee ◽  
Sung-Won Park
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Chemical Components ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
City Water

High particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations have been considered a serious environmental issue in South Korea. Recent studies have focused mostly on metropolitan and industrial cities; however, high PM2.5 episodes have also been frequently observed even in small– and middle-sized cities. Thus, in this study, PM2.5 and its major chemical components were measured in a small residential city with low anthropogenic emissions for 2 years to identify the factors affecting the PM2.5 concentrations. Overall, the average PM2.5 concentration was 29.4 μg m−3: about two times higher than the annual ambient air quality standard value. In winter, when the PM2.5 concentrations were generally higher, relative humidity (RH) was significantly correlated with both PM2.5 mass and the PM2.5/PM10 ratio, suggesting that high RH promoted the formation of secondary PM2.5. In addition, SO42−and NO3− were found to be correlated with both NH4+ and K+ in winter, indicating that biomass burning was an important source in this city. Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) was also highly correlated with elemental carbon (EC) and K+ in fall and winter, when the burning of agricultural residues actively occurred. During high concentration episodes, NO3− exhibited the highest increase; nevertheless, other components (e.g., K+ and organic carbon) also significantly increased.

scholarly journals Size-Segregated Atmospheric Humic-Like Substances (HULIS) in Shanghai: Abundance, Seasonal Variation, and Source Identification

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 526
Author(s):  
Tianming Sun ◽  
Rui Li ◽  
Ya Meng ◽  
Yu Han ◽  
Hanyun Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽  
Biomass Combustion ◽  
Vehicle Exhaust ◽  
Total Suspended Particulates ◽  
Condensation Mode ◽  
Water Soluble Organic Carbon

Humic-like substances (HULIS) are of great interest due to their optical and chemical characteristics. In this study, a total of 180 samples of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) of different sizes were collected from summer 2018 to spring 2019, in order to analyze the size distribution, to investigate the seasonal variation and then to identify the key sources of HULIS. The annual mean concentration of HULIS in the total suspended particulates reached 5.12 ± 1.42 μg/m3. The HULIS concentration was extremely higher in winter (8.35 ± 2.06 μg/m3) than in autumn (4.88 ± 0.95 μg/m3), in summer (3.62 ± 1.68 μg/m3) and in spring (3.36 ± 0.99 μg/m3). The average annual ratio of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) to OC and the ratio of HULIS to WSOC reached 0.546 ± 0.092 and 0.56 ± 0.06, respectively. Throughout the whole year, the size distributions of WSOC and HULIS-C were relatively smooth. The peaks of WSOC appeared at 1.8~3.2 μm and 0.56~1.0 μm, while the peaks of HULIS-C were located at 3.2~5.6 μm, 1.0~1.8 μm and 0.18~0.32 μm. The distribution of the HULIS particle mode was similar in spring, summer and autumn, while there was a lower proportion of the coarse mode and a higher proportion of the condensation mode in winter. By using the comprehensive analysis of principal component analysis (PCA), air mass backward trajectories (AMBTs) and fire point maps, key sources of WSOC and HULIS in Shanghai were identified as biomass combustion (48.42%), coal combustion (17.49%), secondary formation (16.07%) and vehicle exhaust (5.37%). The remaining part might be contributed by crustal dust sources, marine sources and/or other possible sources. This study provides new insight into the characteristics and size distribution of HULIS in Shanghai, thereby providing a practical base for further modeling.

scholarly journals Winter Ozone Pollution in Utah’s Uinta Basin is Attenuating

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Marc L. Mansfield ◽  
Seth N. Lyman
Keyword(s):  
Ground Level ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Ozone Pollution ◽  
Uinta Basin ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Previous Decade ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Ambient Air Quality Standard ◽  
Ozone Precursor

High concentrations of ground-level ozone have been observed during wintertime in the Uinta Basin of western Utah, USA, beginning in 2010. We analyze existing ozone and ozone precursor concentration data from 38 sites over 11 winter seasons and conclude that there has been a statistically significant (p < 0.02) decline in ozone concentration over the previous decade. Daily exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone (70 ppb) have been trending downward at the rate of nearly four per year. Ozone and NOx concentrations have been trending downward at the rates of about 3 and 0.3 ppb per year, respectively. Concentrations of organics in 2018 were at about 30% of their values in 2012 or 2013. Several markers, annual ozone exceedance counts and median ozone and NOx concentrations, were at their largest values in the period 2010 to 2013 and have never recovered since then. We attribute the decline to (1) weakening global demand for oil and natural gas and (2) more stringent pollution regulations and controls, both of which have occurred over the previous decade. We also see evidence of ozone titration when snow cover is absent.

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