Influence of air masses on particle number concentration and size distribution at Mt. Waliguan, Qinghai Province, China

Particle size distribution of 12-500 nm was measured at Mt. Waliguan, China Global Atmosphere Watch Baseline Observatory, from Aug. in 2005 to May in 2007.72-hr back-trajectories at 100-m arrival height above ground level for the same period were calculated at 6：00, 12：00, and 21：00 （Beijing Time） for each day using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory （HYSPLIT-4） model developed by NOAA/ARL. It was found that air mass sources significantly impact particle number concentration and size distribution at Mt. Waliguan. Cluster analysis of back-trajectories show that higher Aitken mode particle number concentration was observed when air masses came from or passed by the northeastern section of Mt. Waliguan, with short trajectory length. High number concentration of nucleation mode was associated with air masses from clean regions, with long trajectory length.

Development of an integrating sphere calibration method for Cimel sunphotometers in China aerosol remote sensing network

Based on the integrating sphere traced from the National Institute of Standards and Technology （NIST, USA）, a sphere calibration method and protocol for the China aerosol remote sensing network （CARSNET） Cimel sun photometer was established. Four CE318 sun photometers were verified using the proposed cal- ibration method and operational protocol. The calibration results showed that the instrument coefficients differed by less than 3% for visible （-5% for infrared） wavelengths from the original ones stated by Cimel Electronique. In situ validation experiment data showed that radiances at ±6° measured by sun collimator （aureole） were consistent with those measured by sky collimator （sky）, under both almucantar （ALMUC） and principal plane （PPLAN） scenarios. Differences at all wavelengths were less than 1%, indicating that the method and protocol are suitable for CARSNET field sun photometer calibration, and would benefit improvement of data quality and accuracy of network observations.

Atmospheric Particle Hygroscopicity and the Influence by Oxidation State of Organic Aerosols in Urban Beijing

A hygroscopic tandem differentialmobility analyser(H-TDMA)was used to observe the sizeresolved hygroscopic characteristics of submicron particles in January and April 2018 in urban Beijing.The probability distribution of the hygroscopic growth factor(HGF-PDF)in winter and spring usually showed a bimodal pattern,with more hygroscopic mode(MH)being more dominant.The seasonal variation in particle hygroscopicity was related to the origin of air mass,which received polluted southerly air masses in spring and clean northwesterly air masses in winter.Particles showed stronger hygroscopic behaviour during heavy pollution episodes(HPEs)with elevated concentrations of secondary aerosols,especially higher mass fraction of nitrate,which were indicated using the PM2.5(particulate matter with diameter below 2.5μm)mass concentration normalised by CO mass concentration.The hygroscopic parameter(κ)values were calculated using H-TDMA(κhtdma)and chemical composition(κchem).The closure study showed thatκchem was overestimated in winter afternoon when compared withκhtdma,because the organic particle hygroscopic parameter(κorg)was overestimated in the calculations.It was influenced by the presence of a high concentration of hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol(HOA)with a weak water uptake ability.A positive relationship was observed betweenκorg and the ratio of oxygenated organic aerosol(OOA)and HOA,thereby indicating that the strong oxidation state enhanced the hygroscopicity of the particles.This study revealed the effect of local emission sources and secondary aerosol formation processes on particle hygroscopicity,which is of great significance for understanding the pollution formation mechanism in the North China Plain.

Relative Contributions of Boundary-Layer Meteorological Factors to the Explosive Growth of PM2.5 during the Red-Alert Heavy Pollution Episodes in Beijing in December 2016

Based on observations of urban mass concentration of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter （PM2.5）, ground meteorological data, vertical measurements of winds, temperature, and relative humidity （RH）, and ECMWF reanalysis data, the major changes in the vertical structures of meteorological factors in the boundary layer （BL） during the heavy aerosol pollution episodes （HPEs） that occurred in winter 2016 in the urban Beijing area were analyzed. The HPEs are divided into two stages： the transport of pollutants under prevailing southerly winds, known as the transport stage （TS）, and the PM2.5 explosive growth and pollution accumulation period characterized by a temperature inversion with low winds and high RH in the lower BL, known as the cumulative stage （CS）. During the TS, a surface high lies south of Beijing, and pollutants are transported northwards. During the CS, a stable BL forms and is characterized by weak winds, temperature inversion, and moisture accumulation. Stable atmospheric stratifica- tion featured with light/calm winds and accumulated moisture （RH 〉 80%） below 250 m at the beginning of the CS is closely associated with the inversion, which is strengthened by the considerable decrease in near-surface air temperat- ure due to the interaction between aerosols and radiation after the aerosol pollution occurs. A significant increase in the PLAM （Parameter Linking Aerosol Pollution and Meteorological Elements） index is found, which is linearly re- lated to PM mass change. During the first 10 h of the CS, the more stable BL contributes approximately 84% of the explosive growth of PM2.5 mass. Additional accumulated near-surface moisture caused by the ground temperature de- crease, weak turbulent diffusion, low BL height, and inhibited vertical mixing of water vapor is conducive to the sec- ondary aerosol formation through chemical reactions, including liquid phase and heterogeneous reactions, which fur- ther increases the PM2.5 concentration levels. The contribution of these reaction mechanisms to the explosive growth of PM2,5 mass during the early CS and subsequent pollution accumulation requires further investigation.

Carbonaceous particles in the atmosphere and precipitation of the Nam Co region, central Tibet

A continuous air and precipitation sampling for carbonaceous particles was conducted in a field observatory beside Nam Co, Central Tibetan Plateau during July of 2006 through January of 2007. Organic carbon （OC） was the dominant composition of the carbonaceous particles both in the atmosphere （1660 ng/m ^3 ） and precipitation （476 ng/g） in this area, while the average elemental carbon （BC） concentrations in the atmosphere and precipitation were only 82 ng/m 3 and 8 ng/g, respectively. Very high OC/BC ratio suggested local secondary organic carbon could be a dominant contribution to OC over the Nam Co region, while BC could be mainly originated from Southern Asia, as indicated by trajectory analysis and aerosol optical depth. Comparison between the BC concentrations measured in Lhasa, those at ＂Nepal Climate Observatory at Pyramid （NCO-P）＂ site on the southern slope of the Himalayas, and Nam Co suggested BC in the Nam Co region reflected a background with weak anthropogenic disturbances and the emissions from Lhasa might have little impact on the atmospheric environment here, while the pollutants from the Indo-Gangetic Basin of Southern Asia could be transported to the Nam Co region by both the summer monsoon and the westerly.

Biological Activity and Antibacterial Property of Nano-structured TiO_2 Coating Incorporated with Cu Prepared by Micro-arc Oxidation

Micro-arc oxidized Cu-incorporated TiO2 coatings （Cu-TiO2） were prepared in the Ca, P, Cu-containing electrolyte to obtain an implant material with superior biological activity and antibacterial property. The surface topography, phase, and element composition of the TiO2 and Cu-TiO2 coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDS）, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） was selected to evaluate the antibacterial property of the Cu-TiO2 coatings, whereas osteoblastic MG63 cells were cultured on the coatings to investigate the biological activity. The obtained results demonstrated that Cu element was successfully incorporated into the porous nano-structured TiO2 coatings, which did not alter apparently the surface topography and phase composition of the coatings as compared to the Cu-free TiO2 coatings. Moreover, the antibacterial studies suggested that the Cu-incorporated TiO2 coatings could significantly inhibit the adhesion of S. aureus. In addition, the in vitro biological evaluation displayed that the adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of MG63 cells on the Cu-incorporated coatings were enhanced as compared to those on the Cu-free coatings and Ti plates. In conclusion, the innovative Cu-incorporated nano-structured TiO2 coatings on Ti substrate with excellent antibacterial property and biological activity are promising candidates for orthopedic implant.

Key features of new particle formation events at background sites in China and their influence on cloud condensation nuclei

Long-term continuous measurements of particle number size distributions with mobility diameter sizes ranging from 3 to 800 nm were pertbrmed to study new particle formation （NPF） events at Shangdianzi （SDZ）, Mt. Tai （TS）, and Lin＇an （LAN） stations representing the background atmospheric conditions in the North China Plain （NCP） Central East China （CEC） and Yangtze River Delta （YRD） regions, respectively. The mean formation rate of 3-nm particles was 6.3, 3.7, and 5.8 cm -3 .s-1, and the mean particle growth rate was 3.6, 6.0, and 6.2 nm. h at SDZ, TS, and LAN, respectively. The NPF, event characteristics at the three sites indicate that there may be a stronger source of low volatile vapors and higher condensational sink of pre-existing particles in the YRD region. The formation rate of NPF events at these sites, as well as the condensation sink, is approximately 10 times higher than some results reported at rural/urban sites in western countries. However, the growth rates appear to be 1 2 times higher. Approximately 12%-17% of all NPF events with nucleated particles grow to a climate- relevant size （〉50 nm）. These kinds of NPF events were normally observed with higher growth rate than the other NPF cases. Generally, the cloud condensation nuclei （CCN） number concentration can be enhanced by approximately a factor of 2 6 on these event days. The mean value of the enhancement factor is lowest at LAN （2-3） and highest at SDZ （-4）. NPF events have also been found to have greater impact on CCN production in China at the regional scale than in the other background sites worldwide.

Enhanced Performance of Osteoblasts by Silicon Incorporated Porous TiO_2 Coating

Silicon （Si） incorporated porous TiO2 coating （Si-TiO2） prepared on titanium （Ti） by micro-arc oxidation （MAO） technique was demonstrated to be cytocompatible in previous studies. In view of the potential clinical applications, a detailed in vitro study of the biological activity of Si-Ti02 coating, in terms of osteoblast （MC3T3-EI cells） morphology, proliferation, differentiation and mineralization was performed. Immunofluo- rescent staining indicated that cells seeded on the Si-TiO2 coating showed improved adhesion with developing mature cytoskeletons, which contained numerous distinct and well-defined actin stress fibers in the cell mem- branes compared with those on the Ti02 coating and Ti plate. Results from proliferation assay showed that the proliferation rate of cells seeded on the Si-TiO2coating was significantly faster than that on the TiO2 coating and Ti plate. Furthermore, the analysis of osteogenic gene expression demonstrated that the Si-Ti02 coating stimulated the expression of osteoblast-related genes and promoted differentiation and mineralization of MC3T3-EI cells. In addition, the Si-TiO2 coating differentially regulated Wnt signaling pathway by up-regulating the expression of low-density lipoprotein （LDL） receptor-related protein 5 （LrpS）, and downregulating the expression of Dickkopf-1 （Dkkl）. All together, these results indicate that the investigated titanium with Si-TiO2 coating is biocompatible and a good candidate material used as implants.

Aerosol Hygroscopicity during the Haze Red-Alert Period in December 2016 at a Rural Site of the North China Plain

A humidification system was deployed to measure aerosol hygroscopicity at a rural site of the North China Plain during the haze red-alert period 17–22 December 2016. The aerosol scattering coefficients under dry [relative humidity（RH） 〈 30%] and wet（RH in the range of 40%–85%） conditions were simultaneously measured at wavelengths of450, 550, and 700 nm. It is found that the aerosol scattering coefficient and backscattering coefficient increased by only 29% and 10%, respectively when RH went up from 40% to 80%, while the hemispheric backscatter fraction went down by 14%, implying that the aerosol hygroscopicity represented by the aerosol scattering enhancement factor f（RH） is relatively low and RH exerted little effects on the aerosol light scattering in this case. The scattering enhancement factors do not show significant differences at the three wavelengths, only with an approximate 2% variation, suggesting that the aerosol hygroscopicity is independent of the wavelength. Aerosol hygroscopicity is highly dependent on the aerosol chemical composition. When there is a large mass fraction of inorganics and a small mass fraction of organic matter, f（RH） reaches a high value. The fraction of NO3^- was strongly correlated with the aerosol scattering coefficient at RH = 80%, which suggests that NO3^- played an important role in aerosol hygroscopic growth during the heavy pollution period.

Intensified wintertime secondary inorganic aerosol formation during heavy haze pollution episodes(HPEs) in Beijing,China

Air pollution in China is complex,and the formation mechanism of chemical components in particulate matter is still unclear.This study selected three consecutive heavy haze pollution episodes(HPEs)during winter in Beijing for continuous field observation,including an episode with heavy air pollution under red alert.Clean days during the observation period were selected for comparison.The HPE characteristics of Beijing in winter were:under the influence of adverse meteorological conditions such as high relative humidity,temperature inversion and low wind speed;and strengthening of secondary transformation reactions,which further intensified the accumulation of secondary aerosols and other pollutants,promoting the explosive growth of PM_(2.5).PM_(2.5)/CO values,as indicators of the contribution of secondary transformation in PM_(2.5),were approximately 2 times higher in the HPEs than the average PM_(2.5)/CO during the clean period.The secondary inorganic aerosols(sulfate nitrate and ammonium salt)were significantly enhanced during the HPEs,and the conversion coefficients were remarkably improved.In addition,it is interesting to observe that the production of sulfate tended to exceed that of nitrate in the late stage of all three HPEs.The existence of aqueous phase reactions led to the explosive growth sulfur oxidation ratio(SOR)and rapid generation of sulfate under high relative humidity(RH>70%).

Chemical Components, Variation, and Source Identification of PM1 during the Heavy Air Pollution Episodes in Beijing in December 2016

Air pollution is a current global concern. The heavy air pollution episodes（HPEs） in Beijing in December 2016 severely influenced visibility and public health. This study aims to survey the chemical compositions, sources, and formation processes of the HPEs. An aerodyne quadruple aerosol mass spectrometer（Q-AMS） was utilized to measure the non-refractory PM1（NR-PM1） mass concentration and size distributions of the main chemical components including organics, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and chloride in situ during 15–23 December 2016. The NR-PM1 mass concentration was found to increase from 6 to 188 μg m–3 within 5 days. During the most serious polluted episode, the PM1 mass concentration was about 2.6 times that during the first pollution stage and even 40 times that of the clean days. The formation rates of PM2.5 in the five pollution stages were 26, 22, 22, 32, and 67 μg m^（–3） h–1, respectively. Organics and nitrate occupied the largest proportion in the polluted episodes, whereas organics and sulfate dominated the submicron aerosol during the clean days. The size distribution of organics is always broader than those of other species, especially in the clean episodes. The peak sizes of the interested species grew gradually during different HPEs. Aqueous reaction might be important in forming sulfate and chloride, and nitrate was formed via oxidization and condensation processes. PMF（positive matrix factorization） analysis on AMS mass spectra was employed to separate the organics into different subtypes. Two types of secondary organic aerosol with different degrees of oxidation consisted of 43% of total organics. By contrast, primary organics from cooking, coal combustion, and traffic emissions comprised 57% of the organic aerosols during the HPEs.

Comparison of Submicron Particles at a Rural and an Urban Site in the North China Plain during the December 2016 Heavy Pollution Episodes

An extensive field experiment for measurement of physical and chemical properties of aerosols was conducted at an urban site in the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences（CAMS） in Beijing and at a rural site in Gucheng（GC）, Hebei Province in December 2016. This paper compares the number size distribution of submicron particle matter（PM1, diameter 〈 1 μm） between the two sites. The results show that the mean PM1 number concentration at GC was twice that at CAMS, and the mass concentration was three times the amount at CAMS. It is found that the accumulation mode（100–850 nm） particles constituted the largest fraction of PM1 at GC, which was significantly correlated with the local coal combustion, as confirmed by a significant relationship between the accumulation mode and the absorption coefficient of soot particles. The high PM1 concentration at GC prevented the occurrence of new particle formation（NPF） events, while eight such events were observed at CAMS. During the NPF events, the mass fraction of sulfate increased significantly, indicating that sulfate played an important role in NPF. The contribution of regional transport to PM1 mass concentration was approximately 50% at both sites, same as that of the local emission. However, during the red-alert period when emission control took place, the contribution of regional transport was notably higher.

Influence of High Relative Humidity on Secondary Organic Carbon: Observations at a Background Site in East China

To investigate the impacts of relative humidity(RH) on secondary organic aerosol(SOA) concentrations and chemical reactions, the carbonaceous aerosol components [i.e., organic carbon(OC) and element carbon(EC)] were quantified in daily PM2.5 samples collected at a background site in East China during summer 2015. Based on the method of EC-tracer, the concentration of secondary organic carbon(SOC) demonstrated an obvious negative relationship with RH higher than 60%. Moreover, the ratio of SOC/EC also exhibited obvious decreasing trends with increasing RH, indicating negative effects for chemical production of SOA under high RH conditions. Due to high RH,photochemistry was weakened, gaseous oxidant concentrations was lowered(e.g., significantly decreased O3 levels),and the production rates of SOA were relatively low. On the other hand, because of more water uptake under higher RH conditions, the aerosol droplet acidity was reduced and enhancement of SOA formation by acidity was accordingly absent. In addition, high RH also plays an important role in changing viscosity of pre-existing aerosol coatings,which can affect reactive uptake yield of SOA. Overall, the results from this study imply that SOA production may be more associated with photochemical processes, while aqueous-phase chemistry is not very important for some SOA formation in a moist ambient environment. In the ambient atmosphere, oxidant concentrations, reaction rates,airborne species, etc., are highly variable. How do these factors affect SOA yields under given ambient environment warrants further detailed investigations.