The vertical variability of ammonia in urban Beijing, China

Abstract. Weekly vertical profiles of ammonia (NH3) were measured at 16 heights on the Beijing 325 m meteorological tower for 1 year from March 2016 to March 2017. The average NH3 concentrations exceeded 4 µg m−3 at all heights with an overall average (±1σ) value of 13.3 (±4.8) µg m−3. The highest NH3 concentrations along the vertical profiles mostly occurred from 32 to 63 m, decreasing both towards the surface and at higher altitudes. Significant decreases in NH3 concentrations were only found at the top two heights (280 and 320 m). These results suggest an NH3 rich atmosphere during all seasons in urban Beijing, from the ground to at least 320 m. The highest seasonal NH3 concentrations across the profile were observed in summer (18.2 µg m−3) with high temperature, followed by spring (13.4 µg m−3), autumn (12.1 µg m−3) and winter (8.3 µg m−3). A significant vertical variation in the NH3 concentration was only found in summer. Source region analyses suggest that air masses from intensive agricultural regions to the south contribute most to the high NH3 concentrations in Beijing. Local sources such as traffic emissions also appear to be important contributors to atmospheric NH3 in this urban environment.

[1]  Yuesi Wang,et al.  Isotopic evidence for enhanced fossil fuel sources of aerosol ammonium in the urban atmosphere. , 2018, Environmental pollution.

[2]  Qiang Zhang,et al.  Identifying Ammonia Hotspots in China Using a National Observation Network. , 2018, Environmental science & technology.

[3]  E. Fischer,et al.  Tall Tower Vertical Profiles and Diurnal Trends of Ammonia in the Colorado Front Range , 2017 .

[4]  M. Schaap,et al.  Measuring atmospheric ammonia with remote sensing campaign: Part 1: Characterisation of vertical ammonia concentration profile in the centre of The Netherlands , 2017 .

[5]  P. Coheur,et al.  Ammonia Emissions May Be Substantially Underestimated in China. , 2017, Environmental science & technology.

[6]  Xuejun Liu,et al.  Agricultural ammonia emissions in China: reconciling bottom-up and top-down estimates , 2017 .

[7]  X. Yao,et al.  Identification of Major Sources of Atmospheric NH3 in an Urban Environment in Northern China During Wintertime. , 2017, Environmental science & technology.

[8]  Shuxiao Wang,et al.  Increasing Ammonia Concentrations Reduce the Effectiveness of Particle Pollution Control Achieved via SO2 and NOX Emissions Reduction in East China , 2017 .

[9]  Tong Zhu,et al.  Vehicle Emissions as an Important Urban Ammonia Source in the United States and China. , 2017, Environmental science & technology.

[10]  P. Coheur,et al.  Temporal and spatial variability of ammonia in urban and agricultural regions of northern Colorado, United States , 2016 .

[11]  Stefan Reis,et al.  PM2.5 pollution is substantially affected by ammonia emissions in China. , 2016, Environmental pollution.

[12]  Xuejun Liu,et al.  Source apportionment of atmospheric ammonia before, during, and after the2014 APEC summit in Beijing using stable nitrogen isotope signatures , 2016 .

[13]  Fusuo Zhang,et al.  Air quality improvement in a megacity: implications from 2015 Beijing Parade Blue pollution control actions , 2016 .

[14]  Qi Zhang,et al.  Primary and secondary aerosols in Beijing in winter: sources, variations andprocesses , 2016 .

[15]  C. Nielsen,et al.  Benefits of China's efforts in gaseous pollutant control indicated by the bottom-up emissions and satellite observations 2000–2014 , 2016 .

[16]  J. Collett,et al.  The role of dew as a night-time reservoir and morning source for atmospheric ammonia , 2016 .

[17]  Yu Song,et al.  High-resolution ammonia emissions inventories in China from 1 1980–2012 2 , 2016 .

[18]  Jinyuan Xin,et al.  Impact of emission controls on air quality in Beijing during APEC 2014: lidar ceilometer observations , 2015 .

[19]  Ke Li,et al.  Quantifying atmospheric nitrogen deposition through a nationwide monitoring network across China , 2015 .

[20]  David J. Miller,et al.  Open-path eddy covariance measurements of ammonia fluxes from a beef cattle feedlot , 2015 .

[21]  Song Gao,et al.  Atmospheric ammonia and its impacts on regional air quality over the megacity of Shanghai, China , 2015, Scientific Reports.

[22]  Xin Huang,et al.  High-resolution ammonia emissions inventories in China from 1980 to 2012 , 2015 .

[23]  Shaocai Yu,et al.  Reinstate regional transport of PM2.5 as a major cause of severe haze in Beijing , 2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[24]  Karen Cady-Pereira,et al.  Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) satellite observations of tropospheric ammonia , 2015 .

[25]  Yuan Cheng,et al.  Exploring the severe winter haze in Beijing: the impact of synoptic weather, regional transport and heterogeneous reactions , 2015 .

[26]  Mark A. Sutton,et al.  Towards validation of ammonia (NH 3 ) measurements from the IASI satellite , 2014 .

[27]  M. Molina,et al.  Elucidating severe urban haze formation in China , 2014, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[28]  A. Piazzalunga,et al.  High secondary aerosol contribution to particulate pollution during haze events in China , 2014, Nature.

[29]  Jie Chang,et al.  Agricultural ammonia emissions contribute to China's urban air pollution , 2014 .

[30]  Ting Yang,et al.  Investigation of the sources and evolution processes of severe haze pollution in Beijing in January 2013 , 2014 .

[31]  Y. Q. Wang,et al.  MeteoInfo: GIS software for meteorological data visualization and analysis , 2014 .

[32]  J. Collett,et al.  Observations of ammonia, nitric acid, and fine particles in a rural gas production region , 2014 .

[33]  J. Jimenez,et al.  Vertically resolved chemical characteristics and sources of submicron aerosols measured on a Tall Tower in a suburban area near Denver, Colorado in winter , 2013 .

[34]  J. Thornton,et al.  Understanding the role of the ground surface in HONO vertical structure: High resolution vertical profiles during NACHTT‐11 , 2013 .

[35]  J. Thornton,et al.  Chlorine activation within urban or power plant plumes: Vertically resolved ClNO2 and Cl2 measurements from a tall tower in a polluted continental setting , 2013 .

[36]  Keith Goulding,et al.  Enhanced nitrogen deposition over China , 2013, Nature.

[37]  Delong Zhao,et al.  Evolution of planetary boundary layer under different weather conditions, and its impact on aerosol concentrations , 2013 .

[38]  Spatial and temporal concentration of ambient atmospheric ammonia in southern Ontario, Canada , 2012 .

[39]  Baojing Gu,et al.  Atmospheric reactive nitrogen in China: sources, recent trends, and damage costs. , 2012, Environmental science & technology.

[40]  Min Hu,et al.  Chemical characteristics of inorganic ammonium salts in PM 2.5 in the atmosphere of Beijing (China) , 2011 .

[41]  Jiming Hao,et al.  Impact assessment of ammonia emissions on inorganic aerosols in East China using response surface modeling technique. , 2011, Environmental science & technology.

[42]  Fusuo Zhang,et al.  Atmospheric ammonia and particulate ammonium from agricultural sources in the North China Plain , 2011 .

[43]  Yuesi Wang,et al.  Characteristics of atmospheric ammonia over Beijing, China , 2011 .

[44]  Xin Yang,et al.  Important role of ammonia on haze formation in Shanghai , 2011 .

[45]  K. He,et al.  Characteristics of PM 2.5 speciation in representative megacities and across China , 2011 .

[46]  Leiming Zhang,et al.  Bi‐directional air‐surface exchange of atmospheric ammonia: A review of measurements and a development of a big‐leaf model for applications in regional‐scale air‐quality models , 2010 .

[47]  T. Zhu,et al.  Occurrence of gas phase ammonia in the area of Beijing (China) , 2010 .

[48]  L. Ma,et al.  Agricultural ammonia emissions inventory and spatial distribution in the North China Plain. , 2010, Environmental pollution.

[49]  Mark A. Sutton,et al.  Reactive nitrogen in atmospheric emission inventories , 2009 .

[50]  J. Neirynck,et al.  Atmospheric composition change: Ecosystems–Atmosphere interactions , 2009 .

[51]  Min Hu,et al.  Acidic gases, NH(3) and secondary inorganic ions in PM(10) during summertime in Beijing, China and their relation to air mass history. , 2009, Chemosphere.

[52]  G. Carmichael,et al.  Asian emissions in 2006 for the NASA INTEX-B mission , 2009 .

[53]  W. Meng,et al.  Seasonal and diurnal variations of ambient PM2.5 concentration in urban and rural environments in Beijing , 2009 .

[54]  F. Dentener,et al.  Ammonia in the environment: from ancient times to the present. , 2008, Environmental pollution.

[55]  W. Winiwarter,et al.  How a century of ammonia synthesis changed the world , 2008 .

[56]  M. Cheng,et al.  Characteristics of gaseous HNO2, HNO3, NH3 and particulate ammonium nitrate in an urban city of Central Taiwan , 2006 .

[57]  V. Freudenthaler,et al.  Mixing layer height over Munich, Germany : Variability and comparisons of different methodologies , 2006 .

[58]  J. Matschullat,et al.  Seasonal variations and interactions of N-containing gases and particles over a coniferous forest, Saxony, Germany , 2005 .

[59]  O. Klemm,et al.  Sources and concentrations of gaseous and particulate reduced nitrogen in the city of Münster (Germany) , 2005 .

[60]  A. Baklanov,et al.  The mixing height in urban areas: comparative study for Copenhagen , 2004 .

[61]  Wayne P. Robarge,et al.  Ambient ammonia and ammonium aerosol across a region of variable ammonia emission density , 2004 .

[62]  A. Bari,et al.  Measurements of gaseous HONO, HNO3, SO2, HCl, NH3, particulate sulfate and PM2.5 in New York, NY , 2003 .

[63]  E. Cowling,et al.  The Nitrogen Cascade , 2003 .

[64]  J. Cape,et al.  Development and Types of Passive Samplers for Monitoring Atmospheric NO2 and NH3 Concentrations , 2001, TheScientificWorldJournal.

[65]  Dorothy K. Hall,et al.  The aerosol at Barrow, Alaska: long-term trends and source locations , 1999 .

[66]  David S Lee,et al.  Observations on Gaseous and Aerosols Components of the Atmosphere and Their Relationships , 1999 .

[67]  Koji Suzuki,et al.  A long-term study of atmospheric ammonia and particulate ammonium concentrations in Yokohama, Japan , 1995 .

[68]  Zhao Dianwu,et al.  ESTIMATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC AMMONIA EMISSIONS IN ASIA , 1994 .

[69]  N. Yamamoto,et al.  Seasonal variation of atmospheric ammonia and particulate ammonium concentrations in the urban atmosphere of yokohama over a 5-year period , 1988 .

[70]  J. Erisman,et al.  Vertical distribution of gases and aerosols: The behaviour of ammonia and related components in the lower atmosphere , 1988 .

[71]  James M. Hoell,et al.  Aircraft measurements of ammonia and nitric acid in the lower troposphere , 1985 .

[72]  Willy Z. Sadeh,et al.  A residence time probability analysis of sulfur concentrations at grand Canyon national park , 1985 .