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Comparison of elemental and black carbon measurements during normal and heavy haze periods: implications for research

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Abstract

Studies specifically addressing the elemental carbon (EC)/black carbon (BC) relationship during the transition from clean-normal (CN) air quality to heavy haze (HH) are rare but have important health and climate implications. The present study, in which EC levels are measured using a thermal-optical method and BC levels are measured using an optical method (aethalometer), provides a preliminary insight into this issue. The average daily EC concentration was 3.08 ± 1.10 μg/m3 during the CN stage but climbed to 11.77 ± 2.01 μg/m3 during the HH stage. More importantly, the BC/EC ratio averaged 0.92 ± 0.14 during the CN state and increased to 1.88 ± 0.30 during the HH state. This significant increase in BC/EC ratio has been confirmed to result partially from an increase in the in situ light absorption efficiency (σ ap) due to an enhanced internal mixing of the EC with other species. However, the exact enhancement of σ ap was unavailable because our monitoring scheme could not acquire the in situ absorption (b ap) essential for σ ap calculation. This reveals a need to perform simultaneous measurement of EC and b ap over a time period that includes both the CN and HH stages. In addition, the sensitivity of EC to both anthropogenic emissions and HH conditions implies a need to systematically study how to include EC complex (EC concentration, OC/EC ratio, and σ ap) as an indicator in air quality observations, in alert systems that assess air quality, and in the governance of emissions and human behaviors.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41173121, 41373131) and the Special Sci-Tech Program on Environmental Protection for Public Welfare (201209007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Guorui Zhi, Zhigang Xue, Fan Meng & Jing Cai

  2. Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 17 Chunhui Road, Laishan District, Yantai, Shandong, 264003, China

    Yingjun Chen

  3. State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, CAS, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Jing Cai, Guoying Sheng & Jiamo Fu

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  1. Guorui Zhi
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  3. Zhigang Xue
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Correspondence to Yingjun Chen.

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Zhi, G., Chen, Y., Xue, Z. et al. Comparison of elemental and black carbon measurements during normal and heavy haze periods: implications for research. Environ Monit Assess 186, 6097–6106 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3842-2

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