Characterization of aerosol optical depth, aerosol mass concentration, UV irradiance and black carbon aerosols over Indo-Gangetic plains, India, during fog period

Every year during winter months (December?CJanuary) fog formation over Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) of Indian region is believed to create numerous hazards. The present study addresses variations in aerosol optical properties, aerosol mass concentration and their impact on solar irradiance for pre-during-post fog conditions of December 2004 over IGP, India. Continuous measurements on aerosol optical depth (AOD), total aerosol mass concentration, black carbon (BC) aerosols, UV_ery and UVA were carried out for pre, during and post fog periods over study site of Allahabad, India, during December 2004 as a part of Aerosol Land Campaign-II conducted by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). High aerosol mass concentrations were observed during fog and post-fog periods. Accumulation mode particle loading was found to be high during pre-fog period and coarse mode particle loading was observed to be high during fog and post-fog periods. Considerable reduction in UV_ery and UVA irradiance was observed during fog period compared with pre and post-fog periods. Analysis of NOAA-HYSPLIT model runs suggested that enhanced biomass burning episodes down-wind to the study area increased the concentration of AOD and BC.     

Correlation between black carbon aerosols, carbon monoxide and tropospheric ozone over a tropical urban site

Black carbon aerosols plays an important role in the earth's radiative balance and little is known of their concentrations, distributions, source strength, and especially the aerosol chemistry of the developing world. The present study addresses the impact of back carbon aerosols on different atmospheric species like CO and tropospheric ozone over an urban environment, namely Hyderabad, India. Ozone concentration varies from 14 to 63 ppbv over the study area. Diurnal variations of ozone suggest that ozone concentration starts increasing gradually after sunrise, attaining a maximum value by evening time and decreasing gradually thereafter. Black carbon (BC) aerosol mass concentrations varies from 1471 to 11,175 ng m⁻³. The diurnal variations of BC suggest that the concentrations are increased by a factor of 2 during morning (06:00–09:00 h) and evening hours (18:00 to 22:00 h) compared to afternoon hours. Positive correlation has been observed between BC and CO (r²=0.74) with an average slope of 6.4×10⁻³ g BC/g CO. The slope between black carbon aerosol mass concentration and tropospheric ozone suggests that every 1 μg m⁻³ increase in black carbon aerosol mass concentration causes a 3.5 μg m⁻³ reduction in tropospheric ozone. The results have been discussed in detail in the paper.     

乌鲁木齐冬季黑碳气溶胶污染特征初步研究

利用2010年2月乌鲁木齐大气成分观测站黒碳仪观测数据,结合散射系数及常规观测资料,对乌鲁木齐冬季黑碳气溶胶浓度变化特征进行了分析,并通过气流后向轨迹进行了来源分析。结果表明：(1)观测期间BC质量浓度日平均值为12707±4673 ng.m-3,浓度变化范围为4916~22997 ng.m-3,散射系数日均值为1086±561Mm-1,变化范围为350~2232 Mm-1。BC质量浓度和散射系数日均值变化趋势基本一致;(2)BC质量浓度日变化具有明显的峰值和谷值,峰值分别出现在9~11时和20~22时,谷值分别出现在4~6时和16~18时,散射系数与BC质量浓度日变化趋势基本一致,相对其有一定的滞后。春节期间燃放烟花爆竹对空气污染物浓度上升有明显作用,显著影响BC质量浓度日变化规律;(3)乌鲁木齐冬季大气层结稳定,污染物不易扩散,风速和降水对黑碳气溶胶浓度具有明显的稀释作用。在乌鲁木齐特殊的地形和气象条件下,本地源排放与来自周边城市群污染物输送的叠加使得污染更加严重。     

Effects of an Urban Park and Residential Area on the Atmospheric CO2 Concentration and Flux in Seoul, Korea

The CO₂ concentrations and fluxes over an urban forest site (Namsan) and an urban residential region (Boramae) in Seoul, Korea, during the non-growing season (2–4 March 2011), the growing season (10–12 June 2011), and the late-growing season (22–24 September 2011) were analyzed. The CO₂ concentrations of two sites showed nearly the same diurnal variation, with a maximum value occurring during the night and a minimum value occurring during daytime, as well as the same seasonal variation, with a maximum value during the non-growing season (early spring) and a minimum value during the growing season (summer). The CO₂ flux over the urban forest did not show any typical diurnal variation during the non-growing season, but did show diurnal variation with a small positive value during the night and a large negative value during daytime in the growing and late-growing seasons due to photosynthesis in the urban forest. The CO₂ flux over the urban residential region showed a positive daily mean value for all periods, with large values during the non-growing season and small values during the growing season, and it also showed diurnal variation with two maxima at 0600–1000 LST and 1800–2400 LST, and two minima at 0300-0600 LST and 1100-1500 LST, and was strongly correlated with the use of liquefied natural gas for cooking and heating by surrounding houses.     

Validation of Column-Averaged Dry-Air Mole Fraction of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Retrieved from OCO-2 Using Ground-Based FTS Measurements

In order to correctly use the column-averaged atmospheric CO₂ dry-air mole fraction (XCO₂) data in the CO₂ flux studies, XCO₂ measurements retrieved from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) in 2015 were compared with those obtained from the global ground-based high-resolution Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) participating in the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). The XCO₂ retrieved from three observing modes adopted by OCO-2, i.e., nadir, target, and glint, were separately validated by the FTS measurements at up to eight TCCON stations located in different areas. These comparisons show that OCO-2 glint mode yields the best qualitative estimations of CO₂ concentration among the three operational approaches. The overall results regarding the glint mode show no obvious systematic biases. These facts may indicate that the glint concept is appropriate for not only oceans but also land regions. Negative systematic biases in nadir and target modes have been found at most TCCON sites. The standard deviations of XCO₂ retrieved from target and nadir modes within the observation period are similar, and larger than those from glint mode. We also used the FTS site in Beijing, China, to assess the OCO-2 XCO₂ in 2016. This site is located in a typical urban area, which has been absent in previous studies. Overall, OCO-2 XCO₂ agrees well with that from FTS at this site. Such a study will benefit the validation of the newly launched TanSat products in China.     

Carbonaceous and inorganic species in PM<Subscript>10</Subscript> during wintertime over Giridih,Jharkhand (India)

Ambient concentrations of organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and water soluble inorganic ionic components (WSIC) of PM₁₀ were studied at Giridih, Jharkhand, a sub-urban site near the Indo Gangatic Plain (IGP) of India during two consecutive winter seasons (November 2011–February 2012 and November 2012–February 2013). The abundance of carbonaceous and water soluble inorganic species of PM₁₀ was recorded at the study site of Giridih. During winter 2011–12, the average concentrations of PM₁₀, OC, EC and WSIC were 180.2?±?46.4; 37.2?±?6.2; 15.2?±?5.4 and 18.0?±?5.1 μg m^?3, respectively. Similar concentrations of PM₁₀, OC, EC and WSIC were also recorded during winter 2012–13. In the present case, a positive linear trend is observed between OC and EC at sampling site of Giridih indicates the coal burning, as well as dispersed coal powder and vehicular emissions may be the source of carbonaceous aerosols. The principal components analysis (PCA) also identifies the contribution of coal burning? +?soil dust, vehicular emissions?+?biomass burning and seconday aerosol to PM₁₀ mass concentration at the study site. Backward trajectoy and potential source contributing function (PSCF) analysis indicated that the aerosols being transported to Giridih from upwind IGP (Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) and surrounding region.     

Analysis of chemical characteristics of PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> in Beijing over a 1-year period

Beijing is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in China. PM_2.5 (fine particulates with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 μm) pollution has been a serious problem in Beijing in recent years. To study the temporal and spatial variations in the chemical components of PM_2.5 and to discuss the formation mechanisms of secondary particles, SO₂, NO₂, PM_2.5, and chemical components of PM_2.5 were measured at four sites in Beijing, Dingling (DL), Chegongzhuang (CG), Fangshan (FS), and Yufa (YF), over four seasons from 2012 to 2013. Fifteen chemical components, including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), K⁺, NH₄ ⁺, NO₃ ^?, SO₄ ^2?, Cl^?, Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, Pb, Si, and Zn, were selected for analysis. Overall, OC, SO₄ ^2?, NO₃ ^?, and NH₄ ⁺ were dominant among 15 components, the annual average concentrations of which were 22.62 ± 21.86, 19.39 ± 21.06, 18.89 ± 19.82, and 13.20 ± 12.80 μg·m^?3, respectively. Compared with previous studies, the concentrations of NH₄ ⁺ were significantly higher in this study. In winter, the average concentrations of OC and EC were, respectively, 3 and 2.5 times higher than in summer, a result of coal combustion during winter. The average OC/EC ratios over the four sites were 4.9, 7.0, 8.1, and 8.4 in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. The annual average [NO₃ ^?]/[SO₄ ^2?] ratios in DL, CG, FS, and YF were 1.01, 1.25, 1.08, and 1.12, respectively, which were significantly higher than previous studies in Beijing, indicating that the contribution ratio of mobile source increased in recent years in Beijing. Analysis of correlations between temperature and relative humidity and between SOR ([SO₄ ^2?]/([SO₄ ^2?] + [SO₂])) and NOR ([NO₃ ^?]/([NO₃ ^?] + [NO₂])) indicated that gas-phase oxidation reactions were the major formation mechanism of SO₄ ^2? in spring and summer in urban Beijing, whereas slow gas-phase oxidation reactions and heterogeneous reactions both occurred in autumn and winter. NO₃ ^? was mainly formed through year-round heterogeneous reactions in urban Beijing.     

Urban Atmospheric Chemistry During the PUMA Campaign 1: Comparison of Modelled OH and HO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Concentrations with Measurements

Photochemical box modelling was undertaken to investigate OH and HO₂ radical chemistry during summer and winter field campaigns in the urban city-centre of Birmingham in the UK. The model employed the most recent version of the Master Chemical Mechanism (v3.1) and was constrained to 15-minute average measurements of long-lived species determined in situ at the site. The model was used to predict OH and HO₂ concentrations for comparison with measurements made by the fluorescence assay by gas expansion technique. Whilst there was generally good agreement between the modelled and measured OH concentrations, particularly during summer, there was sometimes a significant model under-prediction during daylight hours, which significantly skews the overall model: measured agreement. There were less measured data available for HO₂, but the agreement between model and measurement for the days where measurements existed were less good than for OH, with one or two exceptions. The modelled:measured ratios between the hours of 11:00–15:00 h for OH were 0.58 and 0.50 for summer and winter respectively. For HO₂, the same ratios were 0.56 in the summer and 0.49 in the winter. Sensitivity studies were conducted to attempt to understand the model-measurement discrepancy. The predicted radical concentrations were particularly sensitive to changes in NO_X concentrations. Constraining the model to the observed HO₂ concentrations made the OH predictions worse. These results highlight the fact that there are many complexities in urban areas and that more highly-instrumented campaigns are required in the future to further our understanding.     

Urban Atmospheric Chemistry During the PUMA Campaign 2: Radical Budgets for OH,HO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and RO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

A detailed photochemical box model was used to investigate the key reaction pathways between OH, HO₂ and RO₂ radicals during the summer and winter PUMA field campaigns in the urban city-centre of Birmingham in the UK. The model employed the most recent version of the Master Chemical Mechanism and was constrained to 15-minute average measurements of long-lived species determined in situ at the site. The results showed that in the summer, OH initiation was dominated by the reactions of ozone with alkenes, nitrous acid (HONO) photolysis and the reaction of excited oxygen atoms atoms with water. In the winter, ozone+alkene reactions were the primary initiation route, with a minor contribution from HONO photolysis. Photolysis of aldehydes was the main initiation route for HO₂, in both summer and winter. RO₂ initiation was dominated by the photolysis of aldehydes in the summer with a smaller contribution from ozone+alkenes, a situation that was reversed in the winter. At night, ozone+alkene reactions were the main radical source. Termination, under all conditions, primarily involved reactions with NO (OH) and NO₂ (OH and RCO₃). These results demonstrate the importance of ozone+alkene reactions in urban atmospheres, particularly when photolysis reactions were less important during winter and at nighttime. The implications for urban atmospheric chemistry are discussed.     

上海市区和郊区黑碳气溶胶的观测对比

为了探讨上海市区和郊区黑碳气溶胶质量浓度、分布以及来源和输送等特征,利用上海浦东 (市区) 和东滩 (郊区河口湿地)2007年12月—2008年11月的黑碳气溶胶小时平均质量浓度数据,对比分析了两地黑碳气溶胶浓度在不同时间尺度上的变化特征以及气象要素对黑碳质量浓度的影响。结果表明:观测期间浦东和东滩两地黑碳气溶胶小时质量浓度平均值分别为3.8 μg·m-3,1.7 μg·m-3。两地黑碳气溶胶浓度具有类似的季节变化特征,均为冬季较高、夏季较低;同时浦东黑碳气溶胶浓度日变化呈现出明显的双峰结构,并具有显著的周末效应,体现了局地人为源排放的影响。受源排放影响为主的市区与受输送影响为主的郊区,黑碳气溶胶浓度在不同风向上与风速的关系表现出不同特征。     

Photochemical Production of Carbon Monoxide in Snow

Carbon monoxide concentrations were measured over an 8-day period (March 1997) in freshly fallen snow samples collected at Mount Sonnblick (Austria). Diurnal changes were systematically observed in the snow, with higher CO during daytime, indicating that light-dependent CO production processes are active in surface snow layers. Mean daytime CO concentrations in snow varied significantly from one day to another and were found to be well correlated with the daily mean atmospheric CO concentrations. Thus, the more polluted the air mass during the snow fall, the more CO was produced through photolytical processes. Furthermore closed chamber experiments were made, giving similar observations: rapid increases of CO concentration occurred within the chamber when the snow was exposed to sunlight. In the dark, however, CO concentrations decreased. CO fluxes between the surface of the snowpack and the atmosphere were estimated at 0.6 ppb/day which may be significant in the local CO budget but not on a global scale. Laboratory experiments showed that CO was rapidly formed when melted snow samples were exposed to the light from a solar simulator and that the initial CO formation rate was strongly correlated with the concentrations of Total Organic Carbon in the melted snow samples. This correlation indicates that organic compounds present in snow precipitation are the major substrate for the photochemical CO production observed in freshly fallen snow. Recent studies have reported high formaldehyde concentrations in the snowpack and we suggest HCHO photolysis to be partly responsible of CO production in snow.     

Enhancements of CO and O3 from burnings in sugar cane fields

The manual harvest of sugar cane requires the burning of its foliage. This burning has strongly increased in Brazil after the National Alcohol Program was started which substituted automobile gasoline engines for alcohol engines. Presently, the source strength per unit area of this rural pollution is comparable to the well-known biomass burning source in Amazonia. The observed concentrations of CO and O₃ in the rural area of the state of São Paulo during the 1988 burning season were twice as large as those reported from an aircraft experiment of 1985 for biomass burnings of the tropical rain forest. Results are reported from airplane measurements and from three fixed ground stations. Mixing ratios of ozone and carbon monoxide in the height range below 6 km are normally less than 40 and 100 ppbv, (parts per billion by volume), respectively, in the absence of burnings. A strong O₃ and CO layer was observed during the burning period with peak concentrations of 80 ppbv of ozone and 580 ppbv of CO at about 2 km. The concentrations of CH₄ and CO₂ were also large, 1756 ppbv and 409 ppmv, respectively, at 1500 m. During the dry season period of the experiment, the ground based O₃ average diurnal variations obtained at the rural sites were practically identical to the typical urban variation observed at São José dos Campos, with daytime ozone values between 45 and 60 ppbv. A second three-day airplane excursion to the surgar cane fields in the wet season of 1989 has produces results to be contrasted with the dry (burning) season of 1988 and 1989. Carbon monoxide concentrations were below 100 ppbv at all heights and ozone concentrations were around 30–40 ppbv. The maximum daytime concentrations at the ground station Bauru was 25 ppbv of O₃, and at Jaboticabal it was 35 ppbv of O₃, only one half of what was observed in the dry season.Universidade Estadual de São Paulo.     

Simulation of Non-Homogeneous CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Its Impact on Regional Temperature in East Asia

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an important greenhouse gas that influences regional climate through disturbing the earth’s energy balance. The CO₂ concentrations are usually prescribed homogenously in most climate models and the spatiotemporal variations of CO₂ are neglected. To address this issue, a regional climate model (RegCM4) is modified to investigate the non-homogeneous distribution of CO₂ and its effects on regional longwave radiation flux and temperature in East Asia. One-year simulation is performed with prescribed surface CO₂ fluxes that include fossil fuel emission, biomass burning, air–sea exchange, and terrestrial biosphere flux. Two numerical experiments (one using constant prescribed CO₂ concentrations in the radiation scheme and the other using the simulated CO₂ concentrations that are spatially non-homogeneous) are conducted to assess the impact of non-homogeneous CO₂ on the regional longwave radiation flux and temperature. Comparison of CO₂ concentrations from the model with the observations from the GLOBALVIEW-CO₂ network suggests that the model can well capture the spatiotemporal patterns of CO₂ concentrations. Generally, high CO₂ mixing ratios appear in the heavily industrialized eastern China in cold seasons, which probably relates to intensive human activities. The accommodation of non-homogeneous CO₂ concentrations in the radiative transfer scheme leads to an annual mean change of–0.12 W m^–2 in total sky surface upward longwave flux in East Asia. The experiment with non-homogeneous CO₂ tends to yield a warmer lower troposphere. Surface temperature exhibits a maximum difference in summertime, ranging from–4.18 K to 3.88 K, when compared to its homogeneous counterpart. Our results indicate that the spatial and temporal distributions of CO₂ have a considerable impact on regional longwave radiation flux and temperature, and should be taken into account in future climate modeling.     

灰霾数值预报系统对不同天气型过程数值模拟分析

利用2010年南沙气象探测基地灰霾观测资料,采用灰霾数值预报系统对不同天气型灰霾过程进行数值模拟,研究珠三角地区空气污染的主要控制因子和主要污染成分及不同天气系统影响下各种排放源对珠三角地区的污染贡献。结果表明：灰霾数值预报模式模拟值与实测值趋势基本一致,除个别极值外,模拟结果能较好和定性的反应珠三角地区各污染物浓度变化,是适合珠三角地区的灰霾数值预报系统。在易出现灰霾月的变性高压入海型和不易出现灰霾月的热带气旋外围下沉气流控制时,各污染物浓度均较高,特别是PM₁₀、PM_2.5、元素碳EC（Elemental Carbon）、有机碳OC（Organic Carbon）和CO浓度尤其明显。在易出现灰霾月冷空气南下时和不易出现灰霾月无明显天气系统影响时,元素碳EC、有机碳OC和CO浓度较低,其他污染物浓度接近零。无论是否出现灰霾,相对于空气中的其他污染物,元素碳EC、有机碳OC和CO浓度均较高,说明在珠三角地区碳污染较重。     

Carbonaceous aerosols over Pune and Hyderabad (India) and influence of meteorological factors

Sampling of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter cut off at 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) has been carried out over a semi urban site of Pune and an urban site of Hyderabad. Analysis of elemental Carbon (EC) and Organic Carbon (OC) present in PM_2.5 was carried out using advanced Desert Research Institute’s (DRI) Thermal/Optical Carbon Analyzer operated on IMPROVE_ A (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments_ A) protocol. It is found that average concentration of EC and OC both at Pune and Hyderabad was highest during winter season and lowest during monsoon season. Winter high is mainly controlled by inversion, whereas monsoon low is due to rain-out and wash-out process. OC/EC ratio showed higher variation over Pune compared to that over Hyderabad in different seasons, indicating divergent sources of emission of OC and EC at Pune. Formation of Secondary Organic Carbon (SOC) has also been identified as one of the reasons for wide variation in OC/EC ratio value in different seasons over both the sites.     

Analysis of Air Quality in Eastern China and its Interaction with Other Regions of the World

In this study, we used satellite data (GOME and MOPITT) together with a global chemical-transport-model of atmosphere (MOZART-2) to characterize the chemical/aerosol composition over eastern China. We then estimated the effects of local emissions in China on the chemical budgets in other regions of the world. Likewise, we also investigated the effects of air pollution from other regions on the chemical budget over eastern China. The study shows that the column CO and NO _x concentrations are also high in eastern China. The high CO and NO _x concentrations produce modest levels of O₃ concentrations during summer (about 40 to 50 ppbv) and very low O₃ during winter (about 10 to 20 ppbv) in eastern China. The calculated NO₂ column is fairly consistent from the GOME measurement. The calculated CO column is underestimated from the MOPITT measurement. One of the reasons of the underestimation of the predicted CO is due to a fact that the CO emissions were taken without considering the rapid increase of emissions from 1990 to 2000. The calculated surface O₃ is consistent with the measured values, with strong seasonal variations. However, the measurement is very limited, and more measurements in eastern China will be needed. The column NO₂ has a very strong seasonal variation in eastern China, with the highest concentrations during winter and the lowest concentrations during summer. The cause of this seasonal variability is mainly due to the seasonal changes in the chemical loss of NO _x , which is very high in summer and very low during winter. The effects of the local emissions in China and long-range transport from other regions on the chemical distributions in eastern China are studied. The results show that NO _x concentrations in eastern China are mostly caused by the local emissions in China, especially during the winter. The CO concentration over eastern China is from both the local emissions (30% to 40%) and the transport from other regions. Likewise, the CO emissions in China have an important effect on the other regions of the world, but the effect is limited in the northern hemisphere. The local emissions in China also have an important effect on surface O₃ concentrations. During winter, the local emissions reduce the surface O₃ concentrations by 30 to 50%. During summer, the local emissions produce about 50 to 70% of the O₃ concentration in eastern China.     

Assessment of the biospheric contribution to surface atmospheric CO2 concentrations over East Asia with a regional chemical transport model

A regional chemical transport model, RAMS-CMAQ, was employed to assess the impacts of biosphere–atmosphere CO2 exchange on seasonal variations in atmospheric CO2 concentrations over East Asia. Simulated CO2 concentrations were compared with observations at 12 surface stations and the comparison showed they were generally in good agreement. Both observations and simulations suggested that surface CO2 over East Asia features a summertime trough due to biospheric absorption, while in some urban areas surface CO2 has a distinct summer peak, which could be attributed to the strong impact from anthropogenic emissions. Analysis of the model results indicated that biospheric fluxes and fossil-fuel emissions are comparably important in shaping spatial distributions of CO2 near the surface over East Asia. Biospheric flux plays an important role in the prevailing spatial pattern of CO2 enhancement and reduction on the synoptic scale due to the strong seasonality of biospheric CO2 flux. The elevation of CO2 levels by the biosphere during winter was found to be larger than 5ppm in North China and Southeast China, and during summertime a significant depletion( 7 ppm) occurred in most areas,except for the Indo-China Peninsula where positive bioflux values were found.     

Long-term characterization of major water-soluble inorganic ions in PM<Subscript>10</Subscript> in coastal site on the Japan Sea

PM₁₀ samples were collected over three years at Monzenmachi, the Japan Sea coast, the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa, Japan from January 17, 2001 to December 18, 2003, using a high volume air sampler with quartz filters. The concentrations of the water-soluble inorganic ions in PM₁₀ were determined with using ion chromatography. By analyzing the characteristics of these, the evidences were found that the Asian outflow had an obviously influence on the air quality at our study site. The results were as follows: the secondary pollutants SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻ and NH₄⁺ were the primary water-soluble inorganic ions at our study site. The monthly mean concentrations of SO₄²⁻, NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻ and Ca²⁺ have prominent peak in spring due to the strong influence of the Asian continent outflow—these according to backward air trajectory analysis, the maximum of which were 6.09 for nss-SO₄²⁻ in May, 2.87 for NO₃⁻ and 0.68 μg m⁻³ for nss-Ca²⁺ in April, respectively. Comparable to similar data reported from various points around East Asia, it had the characteristics of a polluted coastal area at our study site. The concentration of nss-Ca²⁺ in PM₁₀ drastically increased when the Asian dust invaded, the mean value during the Asian dust days(AD) was 0.86 μg m⁻³, about 4 times higher than those of normal days (NAD). Meanwhile, the mean concentrations of nss-SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻ and NH₄⁺ in AD periods were higher than those in NAD periods which were 5.87, 1.76 and 1.82 μg m⁻³, respectively, it is due to the interaction between dust and secondary particles during the long-range transport of dust storms. Finally, according to the source apportionment with positive matrix factorization (PMF) method in this study, the major source profiles of PM₁₀ at our study site were categorized as (1) marine salt, (2) secondary sulfate, (3) secondary nitrate and (4) crustal source.     

Reductions of PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomerations during the 2008 Olympic Games

The Atmospheric Environmental Monitoring Network successfully undertook the task of monitoring the atmospheric quality of Beijing and its surrounding area during the 2008 Olympics.The results of this monitoring show that high concentrations of PM2.5 pollution exhibited a regional pattern during the monitoring period(1 June-30 October 2008).The PM2.5 mass concentrations were 53 μg m 3,66 μg m 3,and 82 μg m 3 at the background site,in Beijing,and in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomerations,respectively.The PM2.5 levels were lowest during the 2008 Olympic Games(8-24 August):35 μg m 3 at the background site,42 μg m 3 in Beijing and 57 μg m 3 in the region.These levels represent decreases of 49%,48%,and 56%,respectively,compared to the prophase mean concentration before the Olympic Games.Emission control measures contributed 62%-82% of the declines observed in Beijing,and meteorological conditions represented 18%-38%.The concentration of fine particles met the goals set for a "Green Olympics."     

Tropospheric chemical composition measurements in Brazil during the dry season

Field measurement programs in Brazil during the dry seasons in August and September 1979 and 1980 have demonstrated the large importance of the continental tropics in global air chemistry. Many important trace gases are produced in large amounts over the continents. During the dry season, much biomass burning takes place, especially in the cerrado regions, leading to a substantial emission of air pollutants, such as CO, NO _x , N₂O, CH₄ and other hydrocarbons. Ozone concentrations are enhanced due to photochemical reactions. The large biogenic organic emissions from tropical forests play an important role in the photochemistry of the atmosphere and explain why CO is present in such high concentrations in the boundary layer of the tropical forest. Carbon monoxide production may represent more than 3% of the net primary productivity of the tropical forests. Ozone concentrations in the boundary layer of the tropical forests indicate strong removal processes. Due to atmospheric supply of NO _x by lightning, there is probably a large production of O₃ in the free troposphere over the Amazon tropical forests. This is transported to the marine-free troposphere and to the forest boundary layer.