Characteristics and seasonal variations of PM2.5, PM10, and TSP aerosol in Beijing.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the seasonal characteristics and the sources of elements and ions with different sizes in the aerosols in Beijing. METHODS Samples of particulate matters (PM2.5), PM10, and total suspended particle (TSP) aerosols were collected simultaneously in Beijing from July 2001 to April 2003. The aerosol was chemically characterized by measuring 23 elements and 18 water-soluble ions by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and ion chromatography (IC), respectively. RESULTS The samples were divided into four categories: spring non-dust, spring dust, summer dust, and winter dust. TSP, PM10, and PM2.5 were most abundant in the spring dust, and the least in summer dust. The average mass ratios of PM > 10, PM2.5-10, and PM2.5 to TSP confirmed that in the spring dust both the large coarse (PM > 10) and fine particles (PM2.5) contributed significantly in summer PM2.5, PM2.5-10, and PM > 10 contributed similar fractions to TSP, and in winter much PM2.5. The seasonal variation characteristics of the elements and ions were used to divide them into four groups: crustal, pollutant, mixed, and secondary. The highest levels of crustal elements, such as Al, Fe, and Ca, were found in the dust season, the highest levels of pollutant elements and ions, such as As, F-, and Cl-, were observed in winter, and the highest levels of secondary ions (SO4(2-), NO3-, and NH4+) were seen both in summer and in winter. The mixed group (Eu, Ni, and Cu) showed the characteristics of both crustal and pollutant elements. The mineral aerosol from outside Beijing contributed more than that from the local part in all the reasons but summer, estimated using a newly developed element tracer technique.

[1]  Kebin He,et al.  The characteristics of PM2.5 in Beijing, China , 2001 .

[2]  S. Twomey.  Pollution and the Planetary Albedo , 1974 .

[3]  Joel Schwartz,et al.  REVIEW OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF HEALTH EFFECTS OF PARTICULATE AIR POLLUTION , 1995 .

[4]  Y. Chan,et al.  Characterisation of chemical species in PM2.5 and PM10 aerosols in Brisbane, Australia , 1997 .

[5]  J. W. Winchester,et al.  Fine and coarse aerosol composition from a rural area in north China , 1981 .

[6]  Dongfang Wang,et al.  Characterization of soil dust aerosol in China and its transport and distribution during 2001 ACE‐Asia: 1. Network observations , 2003 .

[7]  C. Chan,et al.  Size distributions and formation of ionic species in atmospheric particulate pollutants in Beijing, China: 1-inorganic ions , 2003 .

[8]  A. Wexler,et al.  Size distributions of particulate sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium at a coastal site in Hong Kong , 1999 .

[9]  W. Wilson,et al.  Fine particles and coarse particles: concentration relationships relevant to epidemiologic studies. , 1997, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association.

[10]  S. C. Liu,et al.  Case study of the effects of atmospheric aerosols and regional haze on agriculture: an opportunity to enhance crop yields in China through emission controls? , 1999, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[11]  Ying Wang,et al.  The ion chemistry and the source of PM2.5 aerosol in Beijing , 2005 .

[12]  Zifa Wang,et al.  The air-borne particulate pollution in Beijing—concentration, composition, distribution and sources , 2004 .

[13]  Hui Yuan,et al.  The compositions, sources, and size distribution of the dust storm from China in spring of 2000 and its impact on the global environment , 2001 .

[14]  Chen Zonglian,et al.  Measurement and Analysis for Atmospheric Aerosol Particulates in Beijing , 1994 .

[15]  Ming Fang,et al.  Size distributions and formation of ionic species in atmospheric particulate pollutants in Beijing, China: 2—dicarboxylic acids , 2003 .

[16]  ZHUANGGuoshun,et al.  Characteristics and sources of 2002 super dust storm in Beijing , 2004 .

[17]  D. Dockery,et al.  An association between air pollution and mortality in six U.S. cities. , 1993, The New England journal of medicine.

[18]  Zifa Wang,et al.  Local and non-local sources of airborne particulate pollution at Beijing , 2005 .

[19]  B. Ostro,et al.  Air pollution and daily mortality in the Coachella Valley, California: a study of PM10 dominated by coarse particles. , 1999, Environmental research.

[20]  Jinwei Dong,et al.  Characteristics of air particulate matter and their sources in urban and rural area of Beijing, China. , 2000 .

[21]  G. Zhuang,et al.  A mechanism for the increase of pollution elements in dust storms in Beijing , 2004 .

[22]  Kebin He,et al.  The water-soluble ionic composition of PM2.5 in Shanghai and Beijing, China , 2002 .

[23]  J. W. Winchester,et al.  Fine and coarse aerosol composition in an urban setting: A case study in Beijing, China , 1984 .

[24]  S. Taylor,et al.  The continental crust: Its composition and evolution , 1985 .

[25]  T. Cahill.  Climate forcing by anthropogenic aerosols: the role for PIXE , 1996 .

[26]  Lidia Morawska,et al.  Submicrometer and Supermicrometer Particles from Diesel Vehicle Emissions , 1998 .

[27]  D. Dockery,et al.  Acute respiratory effects of particulate air pollution. , 1994, Annual review of public health.