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Abstract. We simulated elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) aerosols in China and compared model results to surface measurements at Chinese rural and background sites, with the goal of deriving "top-down" emission estimates of EC and OC, as well as better quantifying the secondary sources of OC. We included in the model state-of-the-science Chinese "bottom-up" emission inventories for EC (1.92 TgC yr −1 ) and OC (3.95 TgC yr −1 ), as well as updated secondary OC formation pathways. The average simulated annual mean EC concentration at rural and background sites was 1.1 µgC m −3 , 56 % lower than the observed 2.5 µgC m −3 . The average simulated annual mean OC concentration at rural and background sites was 3.4 µgC m −3 , 76 % lower than the observed 14 µgC m −3 . Multiple regression to fit surface monthly mean EC observations at rural and background sites yielded the best estimate of Chinese EC source of 3.05 ± 0.78 TgC yr −1 . Based on the topdown EC emission estimate and observed seasonal primary OC/EC ratios, we estimated Chinese OC emissions to be 6.67 ± 1.30 TgC yr −1 . Using these top-down estimates, the simulated average annual mean EC concentration at rural and background sites was significantly improved to 1.9 µgC m −3 . However, the model still significantly underestimated observed OC in all seasons (simulated average annual mean OC at rural and background sites was 5.4 µgC m −3 ), with little skill in capturing the spatiotemporal variability. Secondary formation accounts for 21 % of Chinese annual mean surface OC in the model, with isoprene being the most important precursor. In summer, as high as 62 % of the observed surface OC may be due to secondary formation in eastern China. Our analysis points to four shortcomings in the current bottom-up inventories of Chinese carbonaceous aerosols: (1) the anthropogenic source is underestimated on a national scale, particularly for OC; (2) the spatiotemporal distributions of emissions are misrepresented; (3) there is a missing source in western China, likely associated with the use of biofuels or other low-quality fuels for heating; and (4) sources in fall are not well represented, either because the seasonal shifting of Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. T.-M. Fu et al.: Carbonaceous aerosols in Chinaemissions and/or secondary formation are poorly captured or because specific fall emission events are missing. In addition, secondary production of OC in China is severely underestimated. More regional measurements with better spatiotemporal coverage are needed to resolve these shortcomings.

Abstract. Sea salt aerosols (SSA) are dominant particles in the Arctic atmosphere and determine the polar radiative balance. SSA react with acidic pollutants that lead to changes in physical and chemical properties of their surface, which in turn alter their hygroscopic and optical properties. Transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry was used to analyze morphology, composition, size, and mixing state of individual SSA at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, in summertime. Individual fresh SSA contained cubic NaCl coated by certain amounts of MgCl2 and CaSO4. Individual partially aged SSA contained irregular NaCl coated by a mixture of NaNO3, Na2SO4, Mg(NO3)2, and MgSO4. The comparison suggests the hydrophilic MgCl2 coating in fresh SSA likely intrigued the heterogeneous reactions at the beginning of SSA and acidic gases. Individual fully aged SSA normally had Na2SO4 cores and an amorphous coating of NaNO3. Elemental mappings of individual SSA particles revealed that as the particles ageing Cl gradually decreased, the C, N, O, and S content increased. 12C- mapping from nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry indicates that organic matter increased in the aged SSA compared with the fresh SSA. 12C- line scan further shows that organic matter was mainly concentrated on the aged SSA surface. These new findings indicate that this mixture of organic matter and NaNO3 on particle surfaces likely determines their hygroscopic and optical properties. These abundant SSA as reactive surfaces adsorbing inorganic and organic acidic gases can shorten acidic gas lifetime and influence the possible gaseous reactions in the Arctic atmosphere, which need to be incorporated into atmospheric chemical models in the Arctic troposphere.

Abstract. Since there have been individual reports of persistent haze-fog events in January 2013 in central-eastern China, questions on factors causing the drastic differences in changes in 2013 from changes in adjacent years have been raised. Changes in major chemical components of aerosol particles over the years also remain unclear. The extent of meteorological factors contributing to such changes is yet to be determined. The study intends to present the changes in daily based major water-soluble constituents, carbonaceous species, and mineral aerosol in PM 10 at 13 stations within different haze regions in China from 2006 to 2013, which are associated with specific meteorological conditions that are highly related to aerosol pollution (parameterized as an index called Parameter Linking Aerosol Pollution and Meteorological Elements -PLAM). No obvious changes were found in annual mean concentrations of these various chemical components and PM 10 in 2013, relative to 2012. By contrast, wintertime mass of these components was quite different. In Hua Bei Plain (HBP), sulfate, organic carbon (OC), nitrate, ammonium, element carbon (EC), and mineral dust concentrations in winter were approximately 43, 55, 28, 23, 21, and 130 µg m −3 , respectively; these masses were approximately 2 to 4 times higher than those in background mass, which also exhibited a decline during 2006 to 2010 and then a rise till 2013. The mass of these concentrations and PM 10 , except minerals, respectively, increased by approximately 28 to 117 % and 25 % in January 2013 compared with that in January 2012. Thus, persistent haze-fog events occurred in January 2013, and approximately 60 % of this increase in component concentrations from 2012 to 2013 can be attributed to severe meteorological conditions in the winter of 2013. In the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) area, winter masses of these components, unlike HBP, have not significantly increase since 2010; PLAM were also maintained at a similar level without significant changes. In the Pearl River Delta (PRD) area, the regional background concentrations of the major chemical components were similar to those in the YRD, accounting for approximately 60-80 % of those in HBP. Since 2010, a decline has been found for winter concentrations, which can be partially attributable to persistently improving meteorological conditions and emission cutting with an emphasis on coal combustion in this area.

We investigate projected 2000–2050 changes in concentrations of aerosols in China and the associated transboundary aerosol transport by using the chemical transport model GEOS-Chem driven by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM) 3 at 4° × 5° resolution. Future changes in climate and emissions projected by the IPCC A1B scenario are imposed separately and together through sensitivity simulations. Accounting for sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, black carbon (BC), and organic carbon (OC) aerosols, concentrations of individual aerosol species change by −1.5 to +0.8 μg m⁻³, and PM_2.5 levels are projected to change by about 10–20% in eastern China as a result of 2000–2050 change in climate alone. With future changes in anthropogenic emissions alone, concentrations of sulfate, BC, and OC are simulated to decrease because of assumed reductions in emissions, and those of nitrate are predicted to increase because of higher NO_x emissions combined with decreases in sulfate. The net result is a predicted reduction of seasonal mean PM_2.5 concentrations in eastern China by 1–8 μg m⁻³ (or 10–40%) over 2000–2050. It is noted that current emission inventories for BC and OC over China are judged to be inadequate at present. Transboundary fluxes of different aerosol species show different sensitivities to future changes in climate and emissions. The annual outflow of PM_2.5 from eastern China to the western Pacific is estimated to change by −7.0%, −0.7%, and −9.0% over 2000–2050 owing to climate change alone, changes in emissions alone, and changes in both climate and emissions, respectively. The fluxes of nitrate and ammonium aerosols from Europe and Central Asia into western China increase over 2000–2050 in response to projected changes in emissions, leading to a 10.5% increase in annual inflow of PM_2.5 to western China with future changes in both emissions and climate. Fluxes of BC and OC from South Asia to China in spring contribute a large fraction of the annual inflow of PM_2.5. The annual inflow of PM_2.5 from South Asia and Southeast Asia to China is estimated to change by −8%, +281%, and +227% over 2000–2050 owing to climate change alone, changes in emissions alone, and changes in both climate and emissions, respectively. While the 4° × 5° spatial resolution is a limitation of the present study, the direction of predicted changes in aerosol levels and transboundary fluxes still provides valuable insight into future air quality

Abstract. New observational evidence of the trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust and its contribution to the ambient particulate matter (PM) levels in North America was revealed, based on the interannual variations between Asian dust storms and the ambient PM levels in western North America from year 2000 to 2006. A high correlation was found between them with an R2 value of 0.83. From analysis of the differences in the correlation between 2005 and 2006, three factors explain the variation of trans-Pacific transport and influences of Asian dust storms on PM levels in western North America. These were identified by modeling results and the re-analysis data. They were 1) Strength of frontal cyclones from Mongolia to north eastern China: The frontal cyclones in East Asia not only bring strong cold air outbreaks, generating dust storms in East Asia, but also lift Asian dust into westerly winds of the free troposphere for trans-Pacific transport; 2) Pattern of transport pathway over the North Pacific: The circulation patterns of westerlies over the North Pacific govern the trans-Pacific transport pattern. Strong zonal airflow of the westerly jet in the free troposphere over the North Pacific favor significant trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust; 3) Variation of precipitation in the North Pacific: The scavenging of Asian dust particles by precipitation is a major process of dust removal on the trans-Pacific transport pathway. Therefore, variation of precipitation in the North Pacific could affect trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust.

A parameterized method is developed to diagnose the air quality in Beijing and other cities with an index termed (parameters linking air-quality to meteorological elements PLAM) derived from a correlation between PM10and relevant weather elements based on the data between 2000 and 2007. Key weather factors for diagnosing the air pollution intensity are identified and included in PLAM that include atmospheric condensation of water vapour, wet potential equivalent temperature, and wind velocity. It is found that the poor air quality days with elevated PM10are usually associated with higher PLAM values, featuring higher temperature, humidity, lower wind velocity, and higher stability compared to the averaged values in the same period. Both 24 h and 72 h forecasts provided useful services for the day of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games and subsequent sport events. A correlation coefficient of 0.82 was achieved between the forecasts and (air pollution index API) and 0.59 between the forecasts and observed PM10, all reaching the significant level of 0.001, for the summer period. A correction factor was also introduced to enable the PLAM to diagnose the observed PM10concentrations all year round.

We simulate elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) aerosols in China and compare model results to surface measurements at Chinese rural and background sites, with the goal of deriving "top-down" emission estimates of EC and OC, as well as better quantifying the secondary sources of OC. We include in the model state-of-the-science Chinese "bottom-up" emission inventories for EC (1.92 Tg C yr^−1) and OC (3.95 Tg C yr^−1), as well as updated secondary OC formation pathways. The average simulated annual mean EC concentration at rural and background site is 1.1 μg C m^−3, 56% lower than the observed 2.5 μg C m^−3. The average simulated annual mean OC concentration at rural and background sites is 3.4 μg C m⁻³, 76% lower than the observed 14 μg C m^−3. Multiple regression to fit surface monthly mean EC observations at rural and background sites yields best estimate of Chinese EC source of 3.05 ± 0.78 Tg C yr^−1. Based on the top-down EC emission estimate and observed seasonal primary OC/EC ratios, we estimate Chinese OC total emissions to be 6.67 ± 1.30 Tg C yr^−1. Using these top-down estimates, the simulated average annual mean EC concentration at rural and background sites significantly improved to 1.9 μg C m^−3. However, the model still significantly underestimates observed OC in all seasons (simulated average annual mean OC at rural and background sites is 5.4 μg C m^−3), with little skill in capturing the spatiotemporal variability. Secondary formation accounts for 21% of Chinese annual mean surface OC in the model, with isoprene being the most important precursor. In summer, as high as 62% of the observed surface OC may be due to secondary formation in eastern China. Our analysis points to three shortcomings in the current bottom-up inventories of Chinese carbonaceous aerosols: (1) the anthropogenic source is severely underestimated, particularly for OC; (2) there is a missing source in western China, likely associated with the use of biofuels or other low-quality fuels for heating; and (3) sources in fall are not well represented, either because the seasonal shifting of emissions and/or secondary formation are poorly captured or because specific fall emission events are missing. More regional measurements with better spatiotemporal coverage are needed to resolve these shortcomings