Using Natural Radionuclides to Trace Sources of Suspended Particles in the Lower Reaches of the Yellow River

Natural radionuclides are powerful tools for understanding the sources and fate of suspended particulate matter(SPM).Particulate matter with different particle sizes behaves differently with respect to adsorption and desorption.We analyzed the activi-ties and distribution characteristics of multiple natural radionuclides(238U,226Ra,40K,228Ra,7Be and 210Pbex)on size-fractionated SPM at the Lijin Hydrographic Station(Huanghe or Yellow River)every month over a one-year period.Results showed that medium silt(16–32µm)was the main component.As expected,the activity of each radionuclide decreased with an increase of particle size.We examined the sources of SPM with different particle sizes using activity ratios of 226Ra/238U,228Ra/226Ra,40K/238U and 7Be/210Pbex,and concluded that SPM with different particle sizes originated from different sources.Our results indicate that fine SPM(<32µm)was mainly from the erosion of soil along the lower reaches of the Yellow River,while coarse SPM(>32µm)was mainly derived from resuspension of riverbed sediment.During high runoff periods,the concentration of SPM increased significantly,and the pro-portion of fine particles originating upstream increased.Naturally occurring radioactive isotopes,especially on size-fractionated par-ticles,are therefore seen as useful tracers to understand the sources and behaviors of riverine particles transported from land to sea.

Electrically-driven ultrafast out-of-equilibrium light emission from hot electrons in suspended graphene/hBN heterostructures

Nanoscale light sources with high speed of electrical modulation and low energy consumption are key components for nanophotonics and optoelectronics.The record-high carrier mobility and ultrafast carrier dynamics of graphene make it promising as an atomically thin light emitter which can be further integrated into arbitrary platforms by van der Waals forces.However,due to the zero bandgap,graphene is difficult to emit light through the interband recombination of carriers like conventional semiconductors.Here,we demonstrate ultrafast thermal light emitters based on suspended graphene/hexagonal boron nitride(Gr/hBN)heterostructures.Electrons in biased graphene are significantly heated up to 2800 K at modest electric fields,emitting bright photons from the near-infrared to the visible spectral range.By eliminating the heat dissipation channel of the substrate,the radiation efficiency of the suspended Gr/hBN device is about two orders of magnitude greater than that of graphene devices supported on SiO2or hBN.Wefurther demonstrate that hot electrons and low-energy acoustic phonons in graphene are weakly coupled to each other and are not in full thermal equilibrium.Direct cooling ofhigh-temperature hot electrons to low-temperature acoustic phonons is enabled by the significant near-field heat transfer at the highly localized Gr/hBN interface,resulting in ultrafast thermal emission with up to 1 GHz bandwidth under electrical excitation.It is found thatsuspending the Gr/hBN heterostructures on the SiO2trenches significantly modifies the light emission due to the formation of the optical cavity and showed a~440%enhancement inintensity at the peak wavelength of 940 nm compared to the black-body thermal radiation.The demonstration of electrically driven ultrafast light emission from suspended Gr/hBNheterostructures sheds the light on applications of graphene heterostructures in photonicintegrated circuits,such as broadband light sources and ultrafast thermo-optic phase modulators.

The dissolution of total suspended solids and treatment strategy of tailwater in a Litopenaeus vannamei recirculating aquaculture system

In recirculating aquaculture systems(RASs),the effective treatment of aquaculture tailwater is essential to maintain the health of the RAS.This study investigated the optimal time and method for tailwater treatment during three periods of the aquaculture of the Litopenaeus vannamei:nursery(0–26 d),middle(27–57 d),and later(57–104 d).The variation of several water parameters during the dissolution of total suspended solid(TSS)in tailwater,applied with the effects of ozone on the microorganism and water quality parameters were investigated.Results showed that the TSS concentrations in tailwater decreased with time,although not significantly(P>0.05),whereas total ammonia nitrogen(TAN),nitrite(NO-2-N),and nitrate(NO_(3)^(-)-N)increased significantly(P<0.05).Therefore,TSS should be removed from the tailwater as early as possible,being most optimal within 4 h.Ozone removed 38.24%–48.95%of TSS,17.78%–90.14%of TAN,and 87.50%–98.90%of NO-2-N after 4 h of treatment.However,it resulted in the significant accumulation of NO_(3)^(-)-N.Moreover,the total number of Vibrio and bacterial counts in aquaculture tailwater was reduced completely by ozone within 4 h.Thus,these results provided technical details and data support for the effective treatment of tailwater from shrimp RAS.

Random vortex induced vibration response of suspended flexible cable to fluctuating wind

A popular dynamical model for the vortex induced vibration(VIV)of a suspended flexible cable consists of two coupled equations.The first equation is a partial differential equation governing the cable vibration.The second equation is a wake oscillator that models the lift coefficient acting on the cable.The incoming wind acting on the cable is usually assumed as the uniform wind with a constant velocity,which makes the VIV model be a deterministic one.In the real world,however,the wind velocity is randomly fluctuant and makes the VIV of a suspended flexible cable be treated as a random vibration.In the present paper,the deterministic VIV model of a suspended flexible cable is modified to a random one by introducing the fluctuating wind.Using the normal mode approach,the random VIV system is transformed into an infinite-dimensional modal vibration system.Depending on whether a modal frequency is close to the aeolian frequency or not,the corresponding modal vibration is characterized as a resonant vibration or a non-resonant vibration.By applying the stochastic averaging method of quasi Hamiltonian systems,the response of modal vibrations in the case of resonance or non-resonance can be analytically predicted.Then,the random VIV response of the whole cable can be approximately calculated by superimposing the response of the most influential modal vibrations.Some numerical simulation results confirm the obtained analytical results.It is found that the intensity of the resonant modal vibration is much higher than that of the non-resonant modal vibration.Thus,the analytical results of the resonant modal vibration can be used as a rough estimation for the whole response of a cable.

Numerical Simulation of Bed Load and Suspended Load Sediment Transport Using Well-Balanced Numerical Schemes

Sediment transport can be modelled using hydrodynamic models based on shallow water equations coupled with the sediment concentration conservation equation and the bed con-servation equation.The complete system of equations is made up of the energy balance law and the Exner equations.The numerical solution for this complete system is done in a seg-regated manner.First,the hyperbolic part of the system of balance laws is solved using a finite volume scheme.Three ways to compute the numerical flux have been considered,the Q-scheme of van Leer,the HLLCS approximate Riemann solver,and the last one takes into account the presence of non-conservative products in the model.The discretisation of the source terms is carried out according to the numerical flux chosen.In the second stage,the bed conservation equation is solved by using the approximation computed for the system of balance laws.The numerical schemes have been validated making comparisons between the obtained numerical results and the experimental data for some physical experiments.The numerical results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

3D bioprinting of complex biological structures with tunable elastic modulus and porosity using freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels

Three-dimensional(3D)bioprinting has been used widely for the construction of hard tissues such as bone and cartilage.However,constructing soft tissues with complex structures remains a challenge.In this study,complex structures characterized by both tunable elastic modulus and porosity were printed using freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels(FRESHs)printing methods.A mixture of alginate and gelatin was used as the main functional component of the bioink.Rheological analysis showed that this bioink possesses shear thinning and shear recovery properties,supporting both cryogenic and FRESH printing methods.Potential printing capabilities and limitations of cryogenic and FRESH printing were then analyzed by printability tests.A series of complex structures were printed by FRESH printing methods which could not be realized using conventional approaches.Mechanical tests and scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the printed structure is of excellent flexibility and could be applied in various conditions by adjusting its mechanical modulus and porosity.L929 fibroblast cells maintained cell viability in cell-laden-printed structures,and the addition of collagen further improved the hydrogels’biocompatibility.Overall,all results provided useful insight into the building of human soft tissue organ blocks.

Coastal Current Systems and the Movement and Expansion of Suspended Sediment from Changjiang River Estuary

This paper, with NOAA/AHHRR data for 2 years, discusses the expanding path and extent of suspended sediment from the Changjiang River, and the relationship between the suspended sediment expanding and coastal current systems by analyzing the thermal infrared imagery with the sediment imagery, which is acquired by correlating the atmosphere corrected AVHRR imagery with in-situ suspended sediment data. The coastal current systems affecting the sediment dispersal mainly include： the Taiwan Warm Current （TWC）, the Huanghai Sea Mixed Water （HSMW）, North Jiangsu near-shore current, and Zhejiang near-shore current etc. In winter, the current systems are stable. Their distribution affects the sediment from north Jiangsu expanding toward the Changjiang estuary in some degree .The front between Zhejiang coastal current and TWC blocks the expanding of sediment toward the sea. In the flood season, apart from the limitation by coastal current systems, the spatial and temporal distribution of suspended sediment is also affected by the runoff, which shows as the jet stream and fresh water. Spring and autumn are the transitional periods of the forming of expanding patterns of flood season and winter respectively. In addition, the re-suspended sediment caused by the wind wave may make the expanding range of near-shore sediment larger.

Characteristics of suspended planar-type gas sensor based on MEMS process

In order to simplify the fabrication process,distribute the temperature uniformly and reduce the power consumption of the micro-hotplate（MHP） gas sensor,a planar-type gas sensor based on SnO2 thin film with suspended structure is designed through a MEMS process.Steady-state thermal analysis of the gas sensor and the closed membrane type sensor where the membrane overlaps the Si substrate is carried out with the finite element model,and it is shown that the suspended planar-type gas sensor has a more homogeneous temperature distribution and a lower power consumption.When the maximum temperature on the sensor reaches 383℃,the power consumption is only 7 mW,and the temperature gradient across the thin film is less than 14℃.To overcome the fragility of the suspended beams,a novel fabrication process in which the deposition of the gas sensing film occurs prior to the formation of suspended beams is proposed.The back side of the Si substrate is etched through deep reactive ion etching（DRIE） to avoid chemical pollution of the front side.The fabrication steps in which only four masks are used for the photolithography are described in detail.The Fe doped SnO2 thin film synthesized by sol-gel spin-coating is used as the gas sensing element.The device is tested on hydrogen and exhibits satisfactory sensing performance.The sensitivity increases with the rise of the concentration from 50×10-6 to 2000×10-6,and reaches about 30 at 2000×10-6.

A New Method for Calculation of Natural Frequency of Suspended Pipeline

The buried pipelines are widely used in oil transportation. The pipelines become suspended in the river with flushing of floodwater. If the frequency of vortex shedding is near to the nature frequency of pipelines, it will cause resonance of the suspended pipeline and result in the damage of pipelines. In this paper, the buried parts of pipeline in soil are treated as the half unlimited long beam placed on the elastic foundations. The vibration partial differential equations of suspended pipe and the parts buried in soil are derived respectively. The iterative calculation method is then presented. The results obtained from the suggested method are proved to be identical with the measured values.

Dynamic response analysis of the submarine suspended pipeline impacted by dropped objects based on LS-DYNA

Based on ANSYS/LS-DYNA, the dynamics analysis software, and using nonlinear dynamic finite element method, the process of a submarine pipeline impacted by dropped objects is simulated, Some conclusions are drawn： First, the damage depth of suspended pipe is smaller than that of the bare pipe in case of the same fall energy, and with the increase of fall energy, the difference grows; Second, with the falling object＇s speed and mass rising, the deformation of pipeline intensifies at the impact site and the maximum vibration amplitude of submarine pipeline increases; Third, when the fall energy is equal, the smaller the contact area of falling objects and pipeline is, the greater the damage depth of pipeline becomes; Fourth, changes of seabed soil parameters （shear elastic modulus, internal friction angle, density） have less influence on the suspended pipeline＇s dent depths and maximum vibration amplitude,

Variations in tidal currents and suspended sediment concentration of the upper part of the North Channel of Changjiang Estuary over the past 10 years

The tidal current duration （TCD） and velocity （TCV） and suspended sediment concentration （SSC） were measured in the dry season in December, 2011 and in the flood season in June, 2012 at the upper part of the North Channel of Changjiang Estuary. They were assimilated with the measured data in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007, using the tidal range＇s proportion conversion. Variations in TCD and TCV, preferential flow and SSC have been calculated. Influences of typical engineering projects such as Qingcaosha fresh water reservoir, Yangtze River Bridge, and land reclamation on the ebb and flood TCD, TCV and SSC in the North Channel for the last 10 years are discussed. The results show that： （1） currently, in the upper part of North Channel, the ebb tide dominates; after the construction of the typical projects, ebb TCD and TCV tends to be larger and the vertical average ebb and flood SSC decrease during the flood season while SSC increases during the dry season; （2） changes in the vertical average TCV are mainly contributed by seasonal runoff variation during the flood season, which is larger in the flood season than that in the dry season; the controlling parameters of increasing ebb TCD and TCV are those large-scale engineering projects in the North Channel; variation in SSC may result mainly from the reduction of basin annual sediment loads, large-scale nearshore projects and so on.

MEMS Inductor Consisting of Suspended Thick Crystalline Silicon Spiral with Copper Surface Coating

A novel MEMS inductor consisting of a planar single crystalline silicon spiral with a copper surface coating as the conductor is presented. Using a silicon-glass anodic bonding and deep etching formation-and-release process,a 40μm-thick silicon spiral is formed, which is suspended on a glass substrate to eliminate substrate loss. The surfaces of the silicon spiral are coated with highly conformal copper by electroless plating to reduce the resis- tive loss in the conductor,with thin nickel film plated on the surface of the copper layer for final surface passivation. The fabricated inductor exhibits a self-resonance frequency higher than 15GHz,with a quality factor of about 40 and an inductance of over 5nil at 11.3GHz. Simulations based on a compact equivalent circuit model of the inductor and parameter extraction using a characteristic-function approach are carried out,and good agreement with measurements is obtained.

Heavy-metal contents in suspended solids of Meiliang Bay,Taihu Lake and its environmental significances

Surface water was taken from river mouth to the central area of Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake, a large shallow eutrophic lake in China. Suspended solids were condensed by centrifugation 25 L surface water samples from each selected site. Suspended solids and surface sediments were further freeze-dried and microwave digested before determining the metals by ICP-AES. Among the metals analyzed in suspended solids and sediments, contents of Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn in suspended solids were significantly higher than those in sediments while contents of Al, Ba, Be, Ca, Co, Fe, K, Mg, Pb, and V in suspended solids were 10%—30% higher than those in sediments. Sr and Ti contents in suspended solids and sediments were very similar. Na content in suspended solids was lower than that in sediments. Heavy metals were significantly accumulated in suspended solids. From the river mouth to the center of Meiliang Bay, contents of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn in suspended solids showed a gradual decreasing trend indicating the river(Zhihugang River) still discharged large quantity of heavy metals to Meiliang Bay. The study suggests that the geochemical behaviors and ecological effects of heavy metals in suspended solids may serve as a good indicator for the pollution of lake.

Analgesic action of suspended moxibustion in rats with chronic visceral hyperalgesia correlates with enkephalins in the spinal cord

Rats that modeled chronic visceral hyperalgesia received suspended moxibustion at bilateral Tianshu （ST25） and Shangjuxu （ST37） once daily over a period of 7 days. Results show that suspended moxibustion significantly depressed abdominal withdrawal reflex scores and increased enkephalin concentration in the spinal cord. The experimental findings suggest that spinal enkephalins contributed to the analgesic effect of suspended moxibustion in rats with chronic visceral hyperalgesia.

Effect of water-sediment regulation and its impact on coastline and suspended sediment concentration in Yellow River Estuary

Implementation of the water-sediment regulation(WSR) scheme, mainly focused on solving the sedimentation problems of reservoirs and the lower reaches of the Yellow River, has inevitably influenced the sediment distribution and coastal morphology of the Yellow River Estuary.Using coastline delineation and suspended sediment concentration(SSC) retrieval methods, this study investigated water and sediment changes,identified detailed inter-annual and intra-annual variations of the coastline and SSC in the normal period(NP: 1986-2001, before and after the flood season) and WSR period(WSRP: 2002-2013, before and after WSR). The results indicate that(1) the sedimentation in the low reaches of the Yellow River turned into erosion from 2002 onward;(2) the inter-annual coastline changes could be divided into an accretion stage(1986-1996), a slow erosion stage(1996-2002), and a slow accretion stage(2002-2013);(3) an intra-annual coastline extension occurred in the river mouth in most years of the WSRP; and(4) the mean intra-annual accretion area was 0.789 km^2 in the NP and 4.73 km2 in the WSRP,and the mean SSC increased from 238 mg/L to 293 mg/L in the NP and from 192 mg/L to 264 mg/L in the WSRP.

Chemical and Isotopic Characteristics of the Water and Suspended Particulate Materials in the Yangtze River and Their Geological and Environmental Implications

The chemical and isotopic characteristics of the water and suspended particulate materials（SPM） in the Yangtze River were investigated on the samples collected from 25 hydrological monitoring stations in the mainsteam and 13 hydrological monitoring stations in the major tributaries during 2003 to 2007. The water samples show a large variation in both δD（ 30‰ to 112‰） and δ18O（ 3.8‰ to 15.4‰） values. Both δD and δ18O values show a decrease from the river head to the Jinsha Jiang section and then increase downstream to the river mouth. It is found that the oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions of the Yangtze water are controlled by meteoric precipitation, evaporation, ice（and snow） melting and dam building. The Yangtze SPM concentrations show a large variation and are well corresponded to the spatial and temporal changes of flow speed, runoff and SPM supply, which are affected by the slope of the river bed, local precipitation rate, weathering intensity, erosion condition and anthropogenic activity. The Yangtze SPM consists of clay minerals, clastic silicate and carbonate minerals, heavy minerals, iron hydroxide and organic compounds. From the upper to lower reaches, the clay and clastic silicate components in SPM increase gradually, but the carbonate components decrease gradually, which may reflect changes of climate and weathering intensity in the drainage area. Compared to those of the upper crust rocks, the Yangtze SPM has lower contents of SiO2, CaO, K2 O and Na2 O and higher contents of TFe2 O3 and trace metals of Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd. The ΣREE in the Yangtze SPM is also slightly higher than that of the upper crust. From the upper to lower reaches, the CaO and MgO contents in SPM decrease gradually, but the SiO2 content increases gradually, corresponding to the increase of clay minerals and decrease of the carbonates. The δ30SiSPM values（ 1.1‰ to 0.3‰） of the Yangtze SPM are similar to those of the average shale, but lower than those of the granite rocks（ 0.3‰ to 0.3‰）, reflecting the effect of silicon isotope fractionation in silicate weathering process. The δ30SiSPM values of the Yangtze SPM show a decreasing trend from the upper to the middle and lower reaches, responding to the variation of the clay content. The major anions of the river water are HCO 3, SO 4 2, Cl, NO 3, SiO 4 4 and F and the major cations include Ca2＋, Na＋, Mg2＋, K＋ and Sr2＋. The good correlation between HCO3-content and the content of Ca2＋may suggest that carbonate dissolution is the dominate contributor to the total dissolved solid（TDS） of the Yangtze River. Very good correlations are also found among contents of Cl, SO4 2, Na＋, Mg2＋, K＋and Sr2＋, indicating the important contribution of evaporite dissolution to the TDS of the Yangtze River. High TDS contents are generally found in the head water, reflecting a strong effect of evaporation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A small increase of the TDS is generally observed in the river mouth, indicating the influence of tidal intrusion. The F and NO3 contents show a clear increase trend from the upstream to downstream, reflecting the contribution of pesticides and fertilizers in the Chuan Jiang section and the middle and lower reaches. The DSi shows a decrease trend from the upstream to downstream, reflecting the effect of rice and grass growth along the Chuan Jiang section and the middle and lower reaches. The dissolved Cu, Zn and Cd in the Yangtze water are all higher than those in world large rivers, reflecting the effect of intensive mining activity along the Yangtze drainage area. The Yangtze water generally shows similar REE distribution pattern to the global shale. The δ30SiDiss values of the dissolved silicon vary from 0.5‰ to 3.7‰, which is the highest among those of the rivers studied. The δ30SiDiss values of the water in the Yangtze mainsteam show an increase trend from the upper stream to downstream. Its DSi and δ30SiDiss are influenced by multiple processes, such as weathering process, phytolith growth in plants, evaporation, phytolith dissolution, growth of fresh water diatom, adsorption and desorption of aqueous monosilicic acid on iron oxide, precipitation of silcretes and formation of clays coatings in aquifers, and human activity. The δ34SSO4 values of the Yangtze water range from 1.7‰ to 9.0‰. The SO4 in the Yangtze water are mainly from the SO4 in meteoric water, the dissolved sulfate from evaporite, and oxidation of sulfide in rocks, coal and ore deposits. The sulfate reduction and precipitation process can also affect the sulfur isotope composition of the Yangtze water. The87Sr/86Sr ratios of the Yangtze water range from 0.70823 to 0.71590, with an average value of 0.71084. The87Sr/86Sr ratio and Sr concentration are primary controlled by mixing of various sources with different87Sr/86Sr ratios and Sr contents, including the limestone, evaporite and the silicate rocks. The atmospheric precipitation and anthropogenic inputs can also contribute some Sr to the river. The δ11B values of the dissolved B in the Yangtze water range from 2.0‰ to 18.3‰, which is affected by multifactors, such as silicate weathering, carbonate weathering, evaporite dissolution, atmospheric deposition, and anthropogenic inputs.

Shake table tests of suspended ceilings to simulate the observed damage in the M_s 7.0 Lushan earthquake, China

Severe damage to suspended ceilings of metal grids and lay-in panels was observed in public buildings during the 2013 M7.0 Lushan earthquake in China. Over the past several years, suspended ceilings have been widely used practice in public buildings throughout China, including government offices, schools and hospitals. To investigate the damage mechanism of suspended ceilings, a series of three-dimensional shake table tests was conducted to reproduce the observed damage. A full-scale reinforced concrete frame was constructed as the testing frame for the ceiling, which was single-story and infilled with brick masonry walls to represent the local construction of low-rise buildings. In general, the ceiling in the tests exhibited similar damage phenomena as the field observations, such as higher vulnerability of perimeter elements and extensive damage to the cross runners. However, it exhibited lower fragility in terms of peak ground/roof accelerations at the initiation of damage. Further investigations are needed to clarify the reasons for this behavior.

MIXING OF SALT WATER AND FRESH WATER IN THE CHANGJIANG RIVER ESTUARY AND ITS EFFECTS ON SUSPENDED SEDIMENT

Using field hydrological data, the relationship between the mixing of salt water and fresh water and the tidal range/ high tidal level in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary is discussed, and the transporting and concentrating of suspended sediment in the estuary were also analysed in respect to the circulation, flocculation and stratified interface resulting from mixing.The calculation results by two-dimentional box model have confirmed the effects of the circulation on the concentrating of suspended sediment in the estuary. The conclusions derived from this work have deepened the understanding on the mixing in the Changjiang River estuary and are of significance in bo’th theory and practice.

Temporal and spatial changes of suspended sediment concentration and resuspension in the Yangtze River estuary

A detailed analysis of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) variations over a year period is presented using the data from 8 stations in the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent waters, together with a discussion of the hydrodynamic regimes of the estuary. Spatially, the SSC from Xuliujing downwards to Hangzhou Bay increases almost constantly, and the suspended sediment in the inner estuary shows higher concentration in summer than in winter, while in the outer estuary it shows higher concentration in winter than in summer, and the magnitude is greater in the outer estuary than in the inner estuary, greater in the Hangzhou Bay than in the Yangtze River estuary. The sediments discharged by the Yangtze River into the sea are resuspended by marine dynamics included tidal currents and wind waves. Temporally, the SSC shows a pronounced neap-spring tidal cycle and seasonal variations. Furthermore, through the analysis of dynamic mechanism, it is concluded that wave and tidal current are two predominant factors of sediment resuspension and control the distribution and changes of SSC, in which tidal currents control neap-spring tidal cycles, and wind waves control seasonal variations. The ratio between river discharge and marine dynamics controls spatial distribution of SSC.

Characterization of organic matter in total suspended particles by thermodesorption and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The organic matter in tropospheric aerosol plays an important role in atmospheric physical and chemical processes. The bulk of organic matter, representing a significant proportion of the total suspended particulate （TSP） mass, is bound to polymeric material whose structure and properties are largely unknown. Here we used thermodesorption gas chromatography/mass spectrometry （Td-GC/MS） to study organic compounds of low molecular mass and pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry （Py-GC/MS） to characterize the chemical structure of macromolecules in TSP samples collected in different seasons from different sites in Guangzhou. n-Alkanes, fatty acids and nitriles were the predominant compounds in the thermodesorption products, whereas aromatics, fatty acids, nitriles and n-alkanes/alkenes were the major compounds in the pyrolysates. The results indicated that aromatics were main units in macromolecules. The fatty acids and nltriles formed from carboxylic ammonium salts were detected in both thermodesorption products and pyrolysates at a certain concentration, indicating the importance of these compounds in TSP formation. The TSP source mainly determined the occurrence of compounds in samples from urban, suburban and forest sites, whereas the TSP source and formation process maybe controlled the seasonal variation in compounds detected. High levels of nitriles in summer samples from suburban and forest sites coincide with the release of ammonium from the land and of fatty acids from vegetation at these sites.