Effects of seed aerosols on the growth of secondary organic aerosols from the photooxidation of toluene

Hydroxyl radical （.OH）-initiated photooxidation reaction of toluene was carried out in a self-made smog chamber. Four individual seed aerosols such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, sodium silicate and calcium chloride, were introduced into the chamber to assess their influence on the growth of secondary organic aerosols （SOA）. It was found that the low concentration of seed aerosols might lead to high concentration of SOA particles. Seed aerosols would promote rates of SOA formation at the start of the reaction and inhibit its formation rate with prolonging the reaction time. In the case of ca. 9000 pt/cm^3 seed aerosol load, the addition of sodium silicate induced a same effect on the SOA formation as ammonium nitrate. The influence of the four individual seed aerosols on the generation of SOA decreased in the order of calcium chloride〉sodium silicate and ammonium nitrate〉ammonium sulfate.

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.

PM_(2.5)characterization of primary and secondary organic aerosols in two urban-industrial areas in the East Mediterranean

Primary and secondary organic aerosols in PM_(2.5)were investigated over a one-year campaign at Zouk Mikael and Fiaa,Lebanon.The n-alkanes concentrations were quite similar at both sites(26-29 ng/m^(3))and mainly explained by anthropogenic emissions rather than natural ones.The concentrations of total Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons(PAHs)were nearly three times higher at Zouk Mikael(2.56 ng/m^(3))compared to Fiaa(0.95 ng/m^(3)),especially for indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene linked to the presence of the power plant.A characteristic indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene/(indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene+benzo[g,h,i]perylene)ratio in the range0.8-1.0 was determined for heavy fuel oil combustion from the power plant.Fatty acids and hopanes were also investigated and were assigned to cooking activities and vehicular emissions respectively.Phthalates were identified for the first time in Lebanon with high concentrations at Zouk and Fiaa(106.88 and 97.68 ng/m^(3) respectively).Moreover,the biogenic secondary aerosols revealed higher concentrations in summer.The total terpene concentration varied between 131 ng/m^(3) at Zouk Mikael in winter to 469 ng/m3 at Fiaa in summer.Additionnally,the concentrations of the dicarboxylic acids especially for adipic and phthalic acids were more influenced by anthropogenic sources.The analysis of molecular markers and diagnostic ratios indicated that the sites were strongly affected by anthropogenic sources such as waste open burning,diesel private generators,cooking activities,road transport,power plant,and industrial emissions.Moreover,results showed different pattern during winter and summer seasons.Whereas,higher concentrations of biogenic markers were clearly encountered during the summer period.

Chemical composition and size distribution of secondary organic aerosol formed from the photooxidation of isoprene

Photooxidation of isoprene leads to the formation of secondary organic aerosol （SOA）. In this study, the chemical composition of SOA formed from OH-initiated photooxidation of isoprene has been investigated with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry （GC/MS） and a home-made aerosol time-of-fiight mass spectrometer. Sampling particles generated in a home-made smog chamber. The size distribution of SOA particles was detected by a TSI 3321 aerodynamic particle size spectrometer in real time. Results showed that SOA created by isoprene photooxidation was predominantly in the form of fine particles, which have diameters less than 2.5 μm. The obtained mass spectra of individual particles show that products of the OH-initiated oxidation of isoprene contain methyl vinyl ketone, methacrolein, formaldehyde, and some other hydroxycarbonyls. The possible reaction mechanisms leading to these products were also discussed.

Size distribution of the secondary organic aerosol particles from the photooxidation of toluene

In a smog chamber, the photooxidation of toluene was initiated by hydroxyl radical （OH.） under different experimental conditions. The size distribution of secondary organic aerosol（SOA） particles from the above reaction was measured using aerodynamic particle sizer spectrometer. It was found from our experimental results that the number of SOA particles increased with increasing the concentration of toluene. As the reaction time prolonged, the sum of SOA particles was also increased. After a reaction time of 130 min, the concentration of secondary organic aerosol particles would be kept constant at 2300 particles/cm^3. Increasing illumination power of blacklamps could significantly induce a higher concentration of secondary organic aerosol particle. The density of SOA particles would also be increased with increasing concentration of CH30NO, however, it would be decreased as soon as the concentration of CH30NO was larger than 225.2 ppm. Nitrogen oxide with initial concentration higher than 30. 1 ppm was also found to have little effect on the formation of secondary organic aerosol.

Effect of illumination intensity and light application time on secondary organic aerosol formation from the photooxidation of α-pinene

Secondary organic aerosol （SOA） formation from hydroxyl radical （OH.） initiated photooxidation of α-pinene was investigated in a home-made smog chamber. The size distribution of SOA particles was measured using aerodynamic particle sizer spectrometer. The effects of illumination intensity and light application time on SOA formation for α-pinene were evaluated. Experimental results show that the concentration of SOA particles increased significantly with an increasing of illumination intensity, and the light application time, the concentration, and the size of SOA particles were also increased. In addition, the factors influencing the formation of SOA were discussed. In addition, this article compared the effect of α-pinene with that of toluene, and discussed the contribution of α-pinene to SOA formation.

Anthropogenic Effects on Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

Anthropogenic emissions alter biogenic secondary organic aerosol(SOA)formation from naturally emitted volatileorganic compounds(BVOCs).We review the major laboratory and field findings with regard to effects of anthropogenicpollutants(NO_(x),anthropogenic aerosols,SO_(2),NH_(3))on biogenic SOA formation.NO_(x) participate in BVOC oxidationthrough changing the radical chemistry and oxidation capacity,leading to a complex SOA composition and yield sensitivitytowards NO_(x) level for different or even specific hydrocarbon precursors.Anthropogenic aerosols act as an importantintermedium for gas-particle partitioning and particle-phase reactions,processes of which are influenced by the particlephase state,acidity,water content and thus associated with biogenic SOA mass accumulation.SO_(2)modifies biogenic SOAformation mainly through sulfuric acid formation and accompanies new particle formation and acid-catalyzedheterogeneous reactions.Some new SO_(2)-involved mechanisms for organosulfate formation have also been proposed.NH_(3)/amines,as the most prevalent base species in the atmosphere,influence biogenic SOA composition and modify theoptical properties of SOA.The response of SOA formation behavior to these anthropogenic pollutants varies amongdifferent BVOCs precursors.Investigations on anthropogenic-biogenic interactions in some areas of China that aresimultaneously influenced by anthropogenic and biogenic emissions are summarized.Based on this review,somerecommendations are made for a more accurate assessment of controllable biogenic SOA formation and its contribution tothe total SOA budget.This study also highlights the importance of controlling anthropogenic pollutant emissions witheffective pollutant mitigation policies to reduce regional and global biogenic SOA formation.

Effects of NO_(2) and SO_(2) on the secondary organic aerosol formation fromβ-pinene photooxidation

Elucidating the effects of anthropogenic pollutants on the photooxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds is crucial to understanding the fundamental mechanisms of secondary organic aerosol(SOA)formation.Here,the impacts of NO_(2)and SO_(2)on SOA formation from the photooxidation of a representative monoterpene,β-pinene,were investigated by a number of laboratory studies.The results indicated NO_(2)enhanced the SOA mass concentrations and particle number concentrations under both low and highβ-pinene conditions.This could be rationalized that the increased O_(3)concentrations upon the NO_(x)photolysis was helpful for the generation of more amounts of O_(3)-oxidized products,which accelerated the SOA nucleation and growth.Combing with NO_(2),the promotion of the SOA yield by SO_(2)was mainly reflected in the increase of mass concentration,which might be due to the elimination of the newly formed particles by the initially formed particles.The observed low oxidation degree of SOA might be attributed to the fast growth of SOA,resulting in the uptake of less oxygenated gas-phase species onto the particle phase.The present findings have important implications for SOA formation affected by anthropogenic–biogenic interactions in the ambient atmosphere.

Second organic aerosol formation from the ozonolysis of α-pinene in the presence of dry submicron ammonium sulfate aerosol

An indoor chamber facility is described for investigation of atmospheric aerosol chemistry. Two sets of α-pinene ozonolysis experiments were conducted in the presence of dry ammonium sulfate seed particle: ozone limited experiments and α-pinene limited experiments. The concentration of gas phase and particle phase species was monitored continuously by on-line instruments and recorded automatically by data sampling system. The evolution of size distribution was measured by a scanning mobility particle sizer ...

Vertical Profiles of Volatile Organic Compounds in Suburban Shanghai

As Volatile Organic Compounds(VOCs)are one of the precursors of ozone,their distribution and variable concentrations are highly related to local ozone pollution control.In this study,we obtained vertical profiles of VOCs in Shanghai’s Jinshan district on 8 September and 9 September in 2016 to investigate their distribution and impact on local atmospheric oxidation in the near surface layer.Vertical samples were collected from heights between 50 m and 400 m by summa canisters using an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV).Concentrations of VOCs(VOCs refers to the 52 species measured in this study)varied minimally below 200 m,and decreased by 21.2%from 100 m to 400 m.The concentrations of VOCs above 200 m decreased significantly in comparison to those below 200 m.The proportions of alkanes and aromatics increased from 55.2%and 30.5%to 57.3%and 33.0%,respectively.Additionally,the proportion of alkenes decreased from 13.2%to 8.4%.Toluene and m/p-xylene were the key species in the formation of SOA and ozone.Principal component analysis(PCA)revealed that the VOCs measured in this study mainly originated from industrial emissions.

Photodegradation of xylene isomers:Kinetics,mechanism,secondary pollutant formation potential and health risk evaluation

Photodegradation technology has been widely applied in the purification of industrial aromatic hydrocarbons.However,whether this technology efficiently removes the pollutants to prevent secondary pollution and health risk is still unclear.Here,the photodegradation processes of three xylenes were compared under designed reaction atmospheres and light sources.Xe lamp showed poor photodegradation ability toward xylenes,no matter in N_(2) or N_(2)+O_(2)system,while much higher photodegradation performance of xylenes were obtained under ultraviolet(UV)and vacuum ultraviolet(VUV)irradiation,especially in N_(2)+O_(2)+VUV system,where 97.9%of m-xylene,99.0%of o-xylene or 87.5%of p-xylene with the initial concentration of 860 mg/m^(3) was removed within 240 min.The xylenes underwent three processes of photo-isomerization,photodecomposition and photo-oxidation to produce intermediates of aromatics,alkanes and carbonyls.Among them,the photo-isomerization products showed the highest concentration percentage(e.g.,≥50%in o-xylene system),confirming that photo-isomerization reaction was the dominated photodegradation process of xylenes.Moreover,these isomerized products not only contributed about 97%and91%to the formation potential of O3(OFP)and secondary organic aerosols(SOAFP),but also displayed obvious non-carcinogenic risk,although one of photodecomposition product—benzene showed the highest occupational exposure risk.Therefore,the secondary pollution and health risks of photodegradation products of xylenes were non-ignorable,although the OFP,SOAFP and health risks of the generated products reduced at least 4.5 times in comparison with that of the degraded xylenes.The findings are helpful for the appropriate application of this technology in the purification of industrial organic waste gas.

Review of the influencing factors of secondary organic aerosol formation and aging mechanism based on photochemical smog chamber simulation methods

The formation and aging mechanism of secondary organic aerosol(SOA)and its influencing factors have attracted increasing attention in recent years because of their effects on climate change,atmospheric quality and human health.However,there are still large errors between air quality model simulation results and field observations.The currently undetected components during the formation and aging of SOA due to the limitation of current monitoring techniques and the interactions among multiple SOA formation influencing factors might be the main reasons for the differences.In this paper,we present a detailed review of the complex dynamic physical and chemical processes and the corresponding influencing factors involved in SOA formation and aging.And all these results were mainly based the studies of photochemical smog chamber simulation.Although the properties of precursor volatile organic compounds(VOCs),oxidants(such as OH radicals),and atmospheric environmental factors(such as NOx,SO2,NH3,light intensity,temperature,humidity and seed aerosols)jointly influence the products and yield of SOA,the nucleation and vapor pressure of these products were found to be the most fundamental aspects when interpreting the dynamics of the SOA formation and aging process.The development of techniques for measuring intermediate species in SOA generation processes and the study of SOA generation and aging mechanism in complex systems should be important topics of future SOA research.

Competing esterification and oligomerization reactions of typical long-chain alcohols to secondary organic aerosol formation

Organosulfate (OSA) nanoparticles,as secondary organic aerosol (SOA) compositions,are ubiquitous in urban and rural environments.Hence,we systemically investigated the mechanisms and kinetics of aqueous-phase reactions of 1-butanol/1-decanol (BOL/DOL) and their roles in the formation of OSA nanoparticles by using quantum chemical and kinetic calculations.The mechanism results show that the aqueous-phase reactions of BOL/DOL start from initial protonation at alcoholic OH^(-)groups to form carbenium ions (CBs),which engage in the subsequent esterification or oligomerization reactions to form OSAs/organosulfites (OSIs) or dimers.The kinetic results reveal that dehydration to form CBs for BOL and DOL reaction systems is the rate-limiting step.Subsequently,about 18%of CBs occur via oligomerization to dimers,which are difficult to further oligomerize because all reactive sites are occupied.The rate constant of BOL reaction system is one order of magnitude larger than that of DOL reaction system,implying that relative short-chain alcohols are more prone to contribute OSAs/OSIs than long-chain alcohols.Our results reveal that typical long-chain alcohols contribute SOA formation via esterification rather than oligomerization because OSA/OSI produced by esterification engages in nanoparticle growth through enhancing hygroscopicity.

Role of secondary aerosols in haze formation in summer in the Megacity Beijing

A field experiment from 18 August to 8 September 2006 in Beijing, China, was carried out. A hazy day was defined as visibility 〈 10 km and RH（relative humidity） 〈 90%. Four haze episodes, which accounted for ～ 60% of the time during the whole campaign, were characterized by increases of SNA（sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium） and SOA（secondary organic aerosol） concentrations. The average values with standard deviation of SO2-＋4, NO-3, NH4 and SOA were 49.8（± 31.6）, 31.4（±22.3）, 25.8（±16.6） and 8.9（±4.1） μg/m3, respectively, during the haze episodes, which were 4.3, 3.4, 4.1, and 1.7 times those in the non-haze days. The SO2-4,NO-3, NH＋4, and SOA accounted for 15.8%, 8.8%, 7.3%, and 6.0% of the total mass concentration of PM10 during the non-haze days. The respective contributions of SNA species to PM10 rose to about27.2%, 15.9%, and 13.9% during the haze days, while the contributions of SOA maintained the same level with a slight decrease to about 4.9%. The observed mass concentrations of SNA and SOA increased with the increase of PM10 mass concentration, however, the rate of increase of SNA was much faster than that of the SOA. The SOR（sulfur oxidation ratio） and NOR（nitrogen oxidation ratio） increased from non-haze days to hazy days, and increased with the increase of RH. High concentrations of aerosols and water vapor favored the conversion of SO2 to SO2-4and NO2 to NO-3, which accelerated the accumulation of the aerosols and resulted in the formation of haze in Beijing.

Comparative investigation of coal-and oil-fired boilers based on emission factors,ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation potentials of VOCs

Volatile organic compounds(VOCs)are the important precursors of the tropospheric ozone(O3)and secondary organic aerosols(SOA),both of which are known to harm human health and disrupt the earth’s climate system.In this study,VOC emission factors,O3 and SOA formation potentials were estimated for two types of industrial boilers:coal-fired boilers(n=3)and oil-fired boilers(n=3).Results showed that EVOCs concentrations were more than nine times higher for oil-fire d boilers compared to those for coal-fired boilers.Emission factors ofΣVOCs were found to be higher for oil-fired boilers(9.26-32.83 mg-VOC/kg)than for coal-fired boilers(1.57-4.13 mg-VOC/kg).Alkanes and aromatics were obtained as the most abundant groups in coal-fired boilers,while oxygenated organics and aromatics were the most contributing groups in oil-fired boilers.Benzene,n-hexane and o-ethyl toluene were the abundant VOC species in coal-fired boiler emissions,whereas toluene was the most abundant VOC species emitted from oil-fired boilers.O3 and SOA formation potentials were found 12 and 18 times,respectively,higher for oil-fired than for coal-fired boilers.Total OFP ranged from 3.99 to 11.39 mg-O3/kg for coal-fired boilers.For oil-fired boilers,total OFP ranged from 36.16 to 131.93 mg-O3/kg.Moreover,total secondary organic aerosol potential(SOAP)ranged from 65.4 to 122.5 mg-SOA/kg and 779.9 to 2252.5 mg-SOA/kg for the coal-fired and oil-fired boilers,respectively.

Primary and secondary organic aerosol in an urban/industrial site: Sources, health implications and the role of plastic enriched waste burning

PM_(1)0 samples were collected from an urban/industrial site nearby Athens,where uncontrolled burning activities occur.PAHs,monocarboxylic,dicarboxylic,hydroxycarboxylic and aromatic acids,tracers from BVOC oxidation,biomass burning tracers and bisphenol A were determined.PAH,monocarboxylic acids,biomass burning tracers and bisphenol A were increased during autumn/winter,while BSOA tracers,dicarboxylic-and hydroxycarboxylic acids during summer.Regarding aromatic acids,different sources and formation mechanisms were indicated as benzoic,phthalic and trimellitic acids were peaked during summer whereas p-toluic,isophthalic and terephthalic were more abundant during autumn/winter.The Benzo[a]pyrene-equivalent carcinogenic power,carcinogenic and mutagenic activities were calculated showing significant(p<0.05)increases during the colder months.Palmitic,succinic and malic acids were the most abundant monocarboxylic,dicarboxylic and hydrocarboxylic acids during the entire sampling period.Isoprene oxidation was the most significant contributor to BSOA as the isoprene-SOA compounds were two times more abundant than the pinene-SOA(13.4±12.3 and 6.1±2.9 ng/m^3,respectively).Ozone has significant impact on the formation of many studied compounds showing significant correlations with:isoprene-SOA(r=0.77),hydrocarboxylic acids(r=0.69),pinene-SOA(r=0.63),dicarboxylic acids(r=0.58),and the sum of phthalic,benzoic and trimellitic acids(r=0.44).PCA demonstrated five factors that could explain sources including plastic enriched waste burning(30.8%),oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids(23.0%),vehicle missions and cooking(9.2%),biomass burning(7.7%)and oxidation of VOCs(5.8%).The results highlight the significant contribution of plastic waste uncontrolled burning to the overall air quality degradation.

Modeling of air quality with a modified two-dimensional Eulerian model: A case study in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region of China

A modified two-dimensional Eulerian air quality model was used to simulate both the gaseous and particulate pollutant concentrations during October 21-24, 2004 in the Pearl River Delta （PRD） region, China. The most significant improvement to the model is the added capability to predict the secondary organic aerosols （SOA） concentrations because of the inclusion of the SOA formation chemistry. The meteorological input data were prepared using the CALMET meteorological model. The concentrations of aerosol-bound species such as NO3^-, NH4^＋, SO4^2-, and SOA were calculated in the fine particle size range （〈2.5 μm）. The results of the two-dimensional model were compared to the measurements at the ground level during the PRD Intensive Monitoring Campaign （IMC）. Overall, there were good agreements between the measured and modeled concentrations of inorganic aerosol components and O3. Both the measured and the modeled results indicated that the maximum hourly O3 concentrations exceeded the China National Air Quality Standard. The predicted 24-h average SOA concentrations were in reasonable agreement with those predicted by the method of minimum OC/EC ratio.

Insights into the formation of secondary organic carbon in the summertime in urban Shanghai

To investigate formation mechanisms of secondary organic carbon（SOC） in Eastern China,measurements were conducted in an urban site in Shanghai in the summer of 2015. A period of high O3 concentrations（daily peak 〉 120 ppb） was observed, during which daily maximum SOC concentrations exceeding 9.0 μg/（C·m^3）. Diurnal variations of SOC concentration and SOC/organic carbon（OC） ratio exhibited both daytime and nighttime peaks. The SOC concentrations correlated well with Ox（= O3＋ NO2） and relative humidity in the daytime and nighttime, respectively, suggesting that secondary organic aerosol formation in Shanghai is driven by both photochemical production and aqueous phase reactions. Single particle mass spectrometry was used to examine the formation pathways of SOC. Along with the daytime increase of SOC, the number fraction of elemental carbon（EC） particles coated with OC quickly increased from 38.1% to 61.9% in the size range of 250–2000 nm, which was likely due to gas-to-particle partitioning of photochemically generated semi-volatile organic compounds onto EC particles. In the nighttime, particles rich in OC components were highly hygroscopic, and number fraction of these particles correlated well with relative humidity and SOC/OC nocturnal peaks. Meanwhile, as an aqueous-phase SOC tracer, particles that contained oxalate-Fe（III） complex also peaked at night. These observations suggested that aqueous-phase processes had an important contribution to the SOC nighttime formation. The influence of aerosol acidity on SOC formation was studied by both bulk and single particle level measurements, suggesting that the aqueous-phase formation of SOC was enhanced by particle acidity.

Characterization of products from photooxidation of toluene

Photooxidation reaction of toluene in smog chamber systems was initiated by the UV radiation of tolucne/CH5ONO/NOx mixtures. The products of the photooxidation reaction of toluene and its subsequent reactions were analyzed directly utilizing Fourier transform infrared spectrometer （FTIR）. Detailed assignments to FTIR spectrum of gas-phase products were given. The information of some important functional groups in the products, such as, carbonyl groups （C-O）, hydroxyl groups （-OH）, carboxylic acid （- COOH）, C-C bonding, N O bonding and C-H bonding （C H）, was got from this analysis. These results were compared to those analyzed by aerosol time of flight mass spectrometer （ATOFMS）. It was found that there are some differcnccs between FTIR analysis of gas-phase products and that of particle-phase, for example, the products with carbonyl groups, which were connected to unsaturated chemical bonds, was relatively higher in the gas phase, while kctoncs, aldehydes, carboxylic acid and organonitrates were the dominant functional groups in the aerosol-phase reaction products. The possible reaction pathways of some important products in the gas phase were also discussed.

WRF/CHEM modeling of impacts of weather conditions modified by urban expansion on secondary organic aerosol formation over Pearl River Delta

In this paper, the online Weather Research and Forecasting and Chemistry （WRF/CHEM） model, coupled with urban canopy （UCM） and biogenic-emission models, is used to explore impacts of urban expansion on secondary organic aerosols （SOA） formation. Two scenarios of urban maps are used in WRF/CHEM to represent early 1990s （pre-urbanization） and current urban distribution in the Pearl River Delta （PRD）. Month-long simulation results using the above land-use scenarios for March 2001 show： （1） urbanization can increase monthly averaged temperatures by about 0.63 ℃, decrease monthly averaged 10-m wind speeds by 38%, increase monthly averaged boundary-layer depths by 80 m, and decrease monthly aver- aged water mixing ratio by 0.2g/kg. （2） Changes in meteorological conditions can result in detectable concentration changes of NOx, VOC, O3 and NO3 radicals. Urbanization decreases surface NOx and VOC concentrations by a maximum of 4 ppbv and 1.5 ppbv, respectively. Surface O3 and NO3 radical concentrations over major cities increase by about 2-4 ppbv and 4-12 pptv, respectively; areas with increasing O3 and NO3 radical concentrations generally coincide with the areas of temperature increase and wind speed reduction where NOx and VOC decrease. （3） Urbanization can induce 9% increase of SOA in Foshan, Zhongshan and west Guangzhou and 3% decrease in Shenzhen and Dongguan. Over PRD major cities, SOA from Aitken mode reduces by 30% but with more than 70% SOA from accumulate mode. Urbanization has stronger influence on SOA formation from Aitken mode. （4） Over the PRD, 55-65% SOA comes from aromatics precursors. Urbanization has strongest influence on aromatics precursors to produce SOA （14% increase）, while there is less influence on alkane precursors. Alkene precursors have negative contribution to SOA formation under urbanization situation.