Atmospheric oxidizing capacity in autumn Beijing:Analysis of the O_(3) and PM_(2.5) episodes based on observation-based model

Atmospheric oxidizing capacity(AOC)is the fundamental driving factors of chemistry process(e.g.,the formation of ozone(O_(3))and secondary organic aerosols(SOA))in the troposphere.However,accurate quantification of AOC still remains uncertainty.In this study,a comprehensive field campaign was conducted during autumn 2019 in downtown of Beijing,where O_(3) and PM_(2.5) episodes had been experienced successively.The observation-based model(OBM)is used to quantify the AOC at O_(3) and PM_(2.5) episodes.The strong intensity of AOC is found at O_(3) and PM2.5 episodes,and hydroxyl radical(OH)is the dominating daytime oxidant for both episodes.The photolysis of O_(3) is main source of OH at O_(3) episode;the photolysis of nitrous acid(HONO)and formaldehyde(HCHO)plays important role in OH formation at PM_(2.5) episode.The radicals loss routines vary according to precursor pollutants,resulting in different types of air pollution.O_(3) budgets and sensitivity analysis indicates that O_(3) production is transition regime(both VOC and NOx-limited)at O3 episode.The heterogeneous reaction of hydroperoxy radicals(HO_(2))on aerosol surfaces has significant influence on OH and O_(3) production rates.The HO_(2) uptake coefficient(γHO_(2))is the determining factor and required accurate measurement in real atmospheric environment.Our findings could provide the important bases for coordinated control of PM_(2.5) and O_(3) pollution.

Significant contribution of carbonyls to atmospheric oxidation capacity(AOC)during the winter haze pollution over North China Plain

Atmospheric carbonyl compounds play significant roles in the cycling of radicals and have exhibited surprisingly high levels in winter that were well correlated to particulate matter,for which the reason have not been clearly elucidated.Here we measured carbonyl compounds and other trace gasses together with PM_(2.5)over urban Jinan in North China Plain during the winter.Markedly higher carbonyl concentrations(average:14.63±4.21 ppbv)were found during wintertime haze pollution,about one to three-times relative to those on nonhaze days,with slight difference in chemical composition except formaldehyde(HCHO).HCHO(3.68 ppbv),acetone(3.17 ppbv),and acetaldehyde(CH_3CHO)(2.83 ppbv)were the three most abundant species,accounting for~75% of the total carbonylson both haze and non-haze days.Results from observational-based model(OBM)with atmospheric oxidation capacity(AOC)indicated that AOC significantly increased with the increasing carbonyls during the winter haze events.Carbonyl photolysis have supplied key oxidants such as RO_(2) and HO_(2),and thereby enhancing the formation of fine particles and secondary organic aerosols,elucidating the observed haze-carbonyls inter-correlation.Diurnal variation with carbonyls exhibiting peak values at early-noon and night highlighted the combined contribution of both secondary formation and primary diesel-fuel sources.1-butene was further confirmed to be the major precursor for HCHO.This study confirms the great contribution of carbonyls to AOC,and also suggests that reducing the emissions of carbonyls would be an effective way to mitigate haze pollution in urban area of the NCP region.

Atmospheric oxidation capacity and O_(3) formation in a coastal city of southeast China:Results from simulation based on four-season observation

The pollution of atmospheric ozone in China shows an obvious upward trend in the past decade.However,the studies on the atmospheric oxidation capacity and O_(3)formation in four seasons in the southeastern coastal region of China with the rapid urbanization remain limited.Here,a four-season field observation was carried out in a coastal city of southeast China,using an observation-based model combining with the Master Chemical Mechanism,to explore the atmospheric oxidation capacity(AOC),radical chemistry,O_(3)formation pathways and sensitivity.The results showed that the average net O_(3)production rate(14.55 ppbv/hr)in summer was the strongest,but the average O_(3)concentrations in autumn was higher.The AOC and ROx levels presented an obvious seasonal pattern with the maximum value in summer,while the OH reactivity in winter was the highest with an average value of 22.75 sec^(-1).The OH reactivity was dominated by oxygenated VOCs(OVOCs)(30.6%-42.8%),CO(23.2%-26.8%),NO_(2)(13.6%-22.0%),and alkenes(8.4%-12.5%)in different seasons.HONO photolysis dominated OH primary source on daytime in winter,while in other seasons,HONO photolysis in the morning and ozone photolysis in the afternoon contributed mostly.Sensitivity analysis indicated that O_(3)production was controlled by VOCs in spring,autumn and winter,but a VOC-limited and NOx-limited regime in summer,and alkene and aromatic species were the major controlling factors to O_(3)formation.Overall,the study characterized the atmospheric oxidation capacity and elucidated the controlling factors for O_(3)production in the coastal area with the rapid urbanization in China.

Progress in quantitative research on the relationship between atmospheric oxidation and air quality

Atmospheric oxidizing capacity(AOC)is an essential driving force of troposphere chemistry and self-cleaning,but the definition of AOC and its quantitative representation remain uncertain.Driven by national demand for air pollution control in recent years,Chinese scholars have carried out studies on theories of atmospheric chemistry and have made considerable progress in AOC research.This paper will give a brief review of these developments.First,AOC indexes were established that represent apparent atmospheric oxidizing ability(AOIe)and potential atmospheric oxidizing ability(AOIp)based on aspects of macrothermodynamics and microdynamics,respectively.A closed study refined the quantitative contributions of heterogeneous chemistry to AOC in Beijing,and these AOC methods were further applied in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and key areas across the country.In addition,the detection of ground or vertical profiles for atmospheric OH·,HO_(2)·,NO_(3)·radicals and reservoir molecules can now be obtained with domestic instruments in diverse environments.Moreover,laboratory smoke chamber simulations revealed heterogeneous processes involving reactions of O_(3)and NO_(2),which are typical oxidants in the surface/interface atmosphere,and the evolutionary and budgetary implications of atmospheric oxidants reacting under multispecies,multiphase and multi-interface conditions were obtained.Finally,based on the GRAPES-CUACE adjoint model improved by Chinese scholars,simulations of key substances affecting atmospheric oxidation and secondary organic and inorganic aerosol formation have been optimized.Normalized numerical simulations of AOIe and AOIp were performed,and regional coordination of AOC was adjusted.An optimized plan for controlling O_(3)and PM2.5was analyzed by scenario simulation.

NO_x Release from Snow and Ice Covered Surface in Polar Regions and the Tibetan Plateau

The exchanges of NOx between snow and air have significant impact on the atmospheric components and photochemical processes in the overlying boundary layer. Such exchanges increase the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere and may have a crucial impact on the air signals that are retrieved from ice cores. In the recent years, sunlit snow and ice have been demonstrated to be important NOx sources in the polar atmospheric boundary layer. This paper makes a thorough review on the release of NOx from snow and ice, including field observations and experimental evidences, release mechanisms and influential parameters that affect such a release process, polar NOx concentrations and fluxes, and environmental impacts of the chemical processes of NOx in the polar atmospheric boundary layer. In the Tibetan Plateau, the released NOx observed recently in the sunlit snow/ice-cover is 1-order magnitude more than that in polar regions, but further scientific research is still needed to reveal its impact on the atmospheric oxidizing capacity.

Response of organic aerosol characteristics to emission reduction in Yangtze River Delta region

Organic aerosol(OA)is a major component of atmospheric particulate matter(PM)with complex composition and formation processes influenced by various factors.Emission reduction can alter both precursors and oxidants which further affects secondary OA formation.Here we provide an observational analysis of secondary OA(SOA)variation properties in Yangtze River Delta(YRD)of eastern China in response to large scale of emission reduction during Chinese New Year(CNY)holidays from 2015 to 2020,and the COVID-19 pandemic period from January to March,2020.We found a 17%increase of SOA proportion during the COVID lockdown.The relative enrichment of SOA is also found during multi-year CNY holidays with dramatic reduction of anthropogenic emissions.Two types of oxygenated OA(OOA)influenced by mixed emissions and SOA formation were found to be the dominant components during the lockdown in YRD region.Our results highlight that these emission-reduction-induced changes in organic aerosol need to be considered in the future to optimize air pollution control measures.

Reactions with Criegee intermediates are the dominant gas-phase sink for formyl fluoride in the atmosphere

Atmospheric oxidation processes are of central importance in atmospheric climate models.It is often considered that volatile organic molecules are mainly removed by hydroxyl radical;however,the kinetics of some reactions of hydroxyl radical with volatile organic molecules are slow.Here we report rate constants for rapid reactions of formyl fluoride with Criegee intermediates.These rate constants are calculated by dual-level multistructural canonical variational transition state theory with small-curvature tunneling(DL-MS-CVT/SCT).The treatment contains beyond-CCSD(T)electronic structure calculations for transition state theory,and it employs validated density functional input for multistructural canonical variational transition state theory with small-curvature tunneling and for variable-reaction-coordinate variational transition state theory.We find that the M11-L density functional has higher accuracy than CCSD(T)/CBS for the HC(O)F+CH2OO and HC(O)F+anti-CH_(3)CHOO reactions.We find significant negative temperature dependence in the ratios of the rate constants for HC(O)F+CH2OO/anti-CH_(3)CHOO to the rate constant for HC(O)F+OH.We also find that different Criegee intermediates have different rate-determining-steps in their reactions with formyl fluoride,and we find that the dominant gas-phase removal mechanism for HC(O)F in the atmosphere is the reaction with CH2OO and/or anti-CH_(3)CHOO Criegee intermediates.