Seasonal and Spatial Variation of Radiative Effects of Anthropogenic Sulfate Aerosol

On the basis of the emission data of the industrial sulphur dioxide (SO_2) and observed climate fields over East Asia, the distribution of anthropogenic sulfate aerosol(SO_4~2-) with seasonal variation in the troposphere is simulated and analyzed by a regional sulfur transport model, and the direct radiative effects of SO_4~2- under different weather conditions are also calculated using the discrete ordinate method. The results show that the concentration of SO_4~2- has significant seasonal and spatial variations resulting from the effects of SO_2 emission source and precipitation and wind fields. Both the concentration of SO_2 and its radiative forcing have the largest values in October and the lowest in July. SO_4~2- causes the decrease of the radiation flux absorbed by earth-atmosphere and the cooling of air temperature by scattering more solar radiation back into space. Besides, the radiative and climatic effects of SO_4~2- are related to the types and height and optical thickness, etc., of the clouds.

Characterizing ionic species in PM_(2.5) and PM_(10) in four Pearl River Delta cities,South China

PM2.5 and PM10 samples were collected at four major cities in the Pearl River Delta （PRD）, South China, during winter and summer in 2002. Six water-soluble ions, Na^＋, NH4＋, K^＋, Cl^-, NO3^- and SO4^2- were measured using ion chromatography. On average, ionic species accounted for 53.3% and 40.5% for PM2.5 and PM10, respectively in winter and 39.4% and 35.2%, respectively in summer. Secondary ions such as sulfate, nitrate and ammonium accounted for the major part of the total ionic species. Sulfate was the most abundant species followed by nitrate. Overall, a regional pollution tendency was shown that there were higher concentrations of sulfate, nitrate and ammonium in Guangzhou City than those in the other PRD cities. Significant seasonal variations were also observed with higher levels of species in winter but lower in summer. The Asian monsoon system was favorable for removal and diffusion of air pollutants in PRD in summer while highly loading of local industrial emissions tended to deteriorate the air quality as well. NO3^-/SO4^2- ratio indicated that mobile sources have considerably contribution to the urban aerosol, and stationary sources should not be neglected. Besides the primary emissions, complex atmospheric reactions under favorable weather conditions should be paid more attention for the control of primary emission in the PRD region.

Seasonal variation and size distribution of biogenic secondary organic aerosols at urban and continental background sites of China

Size-resolved biogenic secondary organic aerosols （BSOA） derived from isoprene and monoterpene photooxidation in Qinghai Lake, Tibetan Plateau （a continental background site） and five cities of China were measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry （GC/MS）. Concentrations of the determined BSOA are higher in the cities than in the background and are also higher in summer than in winter. Moreover, strong positive correlations （R^2 = 0.44-0.90） between BSOA and sulfate were found at the six sites, suggesting that anthropogenic pollution （i.e., sulfate） could enhance SOA formation, because sulfate provides a surface favorable for acid-catalyzed formation of BSOA. Size distribution measurements showed that most of the determined SOA tracers are enriched in the fine mode （〈3.3 μm） except for cis-pinic and cis-pinonic acids, both presented a comparable mass in the fine and coarse （〉3.3 μm） modes, respectively. Mass ratio of oxidation products derived from isoprene to those from monoterpene in the five urban regions during summer are much less than those in Qinghai Lake region. In addition, in the five urban regions relative abundances of monoterpene oxidation products to SOA are much higher than those of isoprene. Such phenomena suggest that BSOA derived from monoterpenes are more abundant than those from isoprene in Chinese urban areas.