Formation of Urban Fine Particulate Matter

Zhang, Renyi; Wang, Gehui; Guo, Song; Zamora, Misti Levy; Ying, Qi; Lin, Yun; Wang, Weigang; Hu, Min; Wang, Yuan

doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00067

Cited by 1,023 publications

(827 citation statements)

References 520 publications

(987 reference statements)

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“…sulfate aerosol | severe haze | pollution | human health | climate F ine particulate matter (PM), which typically contains a complex mixture of inorganic and organic species, has important implications for several environmental issues (1)(2)(3). Presently, the mechanisms leading to PM formation remain uncertain, particularly under highly polluted conditions, hindering efforts in developing effective mitigation policies to reduce their local, regional, and global impacts (1).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Presently, the mechanisms leading to PM formation remain uncertain, particularly under highly polluted conditions, hindering efforts in developing effective mitigation policies to reduce their local, regional, and global impacts (1). It is well established, though, that sulfate (SO 4 2− ) is ubiquitous and is a key PM constituent in the atmosphere.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…A major fraction of regional acid deposition is attributed to the sulfate content that exerts debilitating effects on acid-sensitive ecosystems (9). Furthermore, high levels of fine PM have been implicated in adverse human health issues (1), as exemplified by high fatality during the 1952 London Fog (1,10). Sulfur compounds are emitted globally from many natural and anthropogenic sources (1-3, 11), and there have been high SO 2 emissions from combustion of coal and petroleum products in developing countries (such as China) spurred on by fast economic development (12).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Several earlier experimental studies, in which gaseous NO 2 was exposed to bulk solutions containing sulfite (SO 3 2− ) and hydrogen sulfite (HSO 3 − ) ions prepared from Na 2 SO 3 , investigated the aqueous sulfur oxidation by NO 2 ; the measured rate constants differed by 1-2 orders of magnitude (17)(18)(19). Typically, this aqueous oxidation has been neglected in atmospheric models because of limited water solubility of NO 2 (1,13,20). A model simulation of dissolution of NO 2 in cloud droplets under NO x -rich environments has shown enhanced regional wintertime sulfate by up to 20%, resulting in better agreement between simulations and observations (13).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Typically, high sulfate levels during haze events in China occurred with concurrently elevated RH, NO x , and NH 3 (24,25), implicating an aqueous sulfur oxidation pathway. However, elucidation of the sulfur oxidation mechanisms from available atmospheric measurements remains challenging, particularly under polluted conditions because of multiple highly coemitted primary gaseous pollutants (1,21). In this work we investigated the sulfur oxidation mechanism and its role in severe haze formation, by combining field measurements of gaseous pollutants and aerosol particle properties in two Chinese megacities (Xi'an and Beijing) and complementary laboratory experiments (Materials and Methods and SI Appendix).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Persistent sulfate formation from London Fog to Chinese haze

Wang

Zhang

Gómez

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Sulfate aerosols exert profound impacts on human and ecosystem health, weather, and climate, but their formation mechanism remains uncertain. Atmospheric models consistently underpredict sulfate levels under diverse environmental conditions. From atmospheric measurements in two Chinese megacities and complementary laboratory experiments, we show that the aqueous oxidation of SO 2 by NO 2 is key to efficient sulfate formation but is only feasible under two atmospheric conditions: on fine aerosols with high relative humidity and NH 3 neutralization or under cloud conditions. Under polluted environments, this SO 2 oxidation process leads to large sulfate production rates and promotes formation of nitrate and organic matter on aqueous particles, exacerbating severe haze development. Effective haze mitigation is achievable by intervening in the sulfate formation process with enforced NH 3 and NO 2 control measures. In addition to explaining the polluted episodes currently occurring in China and during the 1952 London Fog, this sulfate production mechanism is widespread, and our results suggest a way to tackle this growing problem in China and much of the developing world.sulfate aerosol | severe haze | pollution | human health | climate

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Persistent sulfate formation from London Fog to Chinese haze

Wang

Zhang

Gómez

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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1,119

904

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Atmospheric responses to the redistribution of anthropogenic aerosols

Wang

Jiang

2015

JGR Atmospheres

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The geographical shift of global anthropogenic aerosols from the developed countries to the Asian continent since the 1980s could potentially perturb the regional and global climate due to aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions. We use an atmospheric general circulation model with different aerosol scenarios to investigate the radiative and microphysical effects of anthropogenic aerosols from different regions on the radiation budget, precipitation, and large-scale circulations. An experiment contrasting anthropogenic aerosol scenarios in 1970 and 2010 shows that the altered cloud reflectivity and solar extinction by aerosols results in regional surface temperature cooling in East and South Asia, and warming in the US and Europe, respectively. These aerosol-induced temperature changes are consistent with the relative temperature trends from 1980 to 2010 over different regions in the reanalysis data. A reduced meridional streamfunction and zonal winds over the tropics as well as a poleward shift of the jet stream suggest weakened and expanded tropical circulations, which are induced by the redistributed aerosols through a relaxing of the meridional temperature gradient. Consequently, precipitation is suppressed in the deep tropics and enhanced in the subtropics. Our assessments of the aerosol effects over the different regions suggest that the increasing Asian pollution accounts for the weakening of the tropics circulation, while the decreasing pollution in Europe and US tends to shift the circulation systems southward. Moreover, the aerosol indirect forcing is predominant over the total aerosol forcing in magnitude, while aerosol radiative and microphysical effects jointly shape the meridional energy distributions and modulate the circulation systems.

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Effects of amines on particle growth observed in new particle formation events

Tao

Jiang

et al. 2016

JGR Atmospheres

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Particle size distributions in the range of 0.01–10 µm were measured in urban Shanghai in the summer of 2013 using a Wide‐range Particle Spectrometer (WPS). Size‐segregated aerosol samples were collected concurrently using a Micro‐Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI), which aided our in‐depth understanding of the new particle formation (NPF) mechanism in the polluted Yangtze River Delta area. During the observations, 16 NPF events occurred at high temperatures (~34.7°C) on clear and sunny days. In the ammonium‐poor PM1.0 (particulate matter less than 1.0 µm), sulfate and ammonium accounted for 92% of the total water‐soluble inorganic species. Six aminiums were detected in these MOUDI samples, among which the group of diethylaminium and trimethylaminium (DEAH+ + TMAH+) was the most abundant. The very high level of aminiums (average concentration up to 86.4 ng m−3 in PM1.8), together with highly acidic aerosols, provided insight into the frequent NPF events. The high mass ratio of total aminiums to NH4+ (>0.2 for PM0.056) further highlighted the important role of amines in promoting NPF. The concentration of DEAH+ + TMAH+ in new particles below 180 nm was strongly correlated with aerosol phase acidity, indicating that acid‐base reactions dominated the aminium formation in NPF events. The unexpected enhancement of DEAH+ + TMAH+ on a nonevent day was attributed to the transportation of an SO2 plume. Our results reveal that the heterogeneous uptake of amines is dominated by the acid‐base reaction mechanism, which can effectively contribute to particle growth in NPF events.

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Formation of Urban Fine Particulate Matter

Cited by 1,023 publications

References 520 publications

Persistent sulfate formation from London Fog to Chinese haze

Persistent sulfate formation from London Fog to Chinese haze

Atmospheric responses to the redistribution of anthropogenic aerosols

Effects of amines on particle growth observed in new particle formation events

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