Water-Soluble Ionic Characteristics of Aerosols in the Marine Boundary Layer over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ Campaign
Abstract
Major compositions of water-soluble ionic species in particulate matter less than 10 and 2.5 μm in diameter (PM10 and PM2.5, respectively) over the Yellow Sea were collected during the Korea–United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign in 2016 onboard the research vessel Gisang 1. The secondary ionic species (NH4+, nss-SO42−, and NO3−) in PM10 and PM2.5 accounted for 84% and 89% of the total analyzed species. NH4+ was strongly correlated with non-sea salt (nss) SO42− (nss-SO42−) in PM10 and PM2.5; NO3− was closely correlated with Na+, Mg2+, and nss-Ca2+ in PM10 and NH4+ in PM2.5. High mass concentrations of methane sulfonic acid (MSA, CH3SO3−), the main source of natural sulfates over the Yellow Sea, were observed. The concentrations of MSA were found to show an increasing trend over the Yellow Sea in recent years. Biogenic sulfur contributions to the total nss-SO42− (MSA/nss-SO42− ratio) over the Yellow Sea ranged from 1.4% to 9.2% in PM10 and from 0.68% to 9.5% in PM2.5 during the cruise. Thus, biogenic nss-SO42− must be included, especially in the spring and early summer seasons, when biological activities are elevated in Northeast Asia. We classified the high aerosol mass concentration cases such as Asian dust and haze cases. In Asian dust cases, the ratio of NO3− to nss-SO42− in the aerosols showed that mobile (stationary) sources mainly affected PM10 (PM2.5). The major chemical species for Asian dust cases over the Yellow sea were CaCO3, Ca(NO3)2, Mg(NO3)2, Na(NO3)2, and sea salt. In haze cases over the Yellow sea, the contributions from stationary sources are high and the major species were (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 in PM10 and PM2.5, respectively.
Keywords
Korea–United States air quality (KORUS-AQ) Yellow Sea Water-soluble ionic species PM10 PM2.5 Methane sulfonic acid (MSA CH3SO3−)1 Introduction
Recent economic development in Northeast Asia, especially in China, has resulted in frequent occurrences of high aerosol mass concentration events in the region (Ding and Liu 2014; Wang and Chen 2016). Aerosols originating over land, from natural and/or anthropogenic sources, are deposited into surrounding ocean surfaces, which become the main sources of continental aerosols (Arimoto et al. 1996; Zhang et al. 2004). The Gobi Desert and the Loess Plateau areas are key sources of mineral aerosols in Northeast Asia and the North Pacific Ocean (Zhang et al. 1993; Gao et al. 1997). Previous observations of aerosols over coastal seas and at a number of inland sites in Northeast Asia have focused on the spring and early summer seasons (Kim et al. 1998, 2009; Lee et al. 2002; Zhang et al. 2002). Northeast Asia has emerged as the world’s largest source of SO2 in recent years (Su et al. 2011). Furthermore, it has been reported that by 2020, NOx emissions in the region may increase five-fold compared to the levels in 1990 (Akimoto 2003). Recent some studies (Gu et al. 2013; Liu et al. 2016) reported the reduction in NOx emission trends over China. Although the reduction of NOx emission is found over China, the Northeastern Asia is the regions of highest NOx concentration in the world (Huang et al. 2017). Emissions from land sources in Northeastern Asia affect the aerosol field over the Yellow Sea, depending on atmospheric circulation patterns. Hence, the recent increase in anthropogenic emissions can alter aerosol compositions and their characteristics over the Yellow Sea.
The Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign was an international, multi-organization mission to observe air quality across the Korean peninsula and surrounding waters. KORUS-AQ was conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and their international partners from April to June 2016. National Institute of Meteorological Science (NIMS) of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) measured atmospheric aerosols over the Yellow Sea, which was affected by aerosols originating in various regions of China and Korea during the campaign periods. KORUS-AQ integrated observations from ships, aircrafts, ground sites, and satellites, in conjunction with air quality models, to understand the factors governing air quality across urban, rural, and coastal interfaces in Northeast Asian (https://espo.nasa.gov/home/korus-aq).
Statistical summary of important water-soluble species in aerosols sampled over the sea around Northeast Asia
MSA | SO42− | NO3− | Na+ | NH4+ | Mg2+ | Ca2+ | nss-SO42− | nss-K+ | nss-Ca2+ | Region/ date | Size-cut | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gao et al. (1996) | 0.029 | – | 1.9 | – | – | – | – | 4.0 | – | – | Yellow Sea, East China Sea/15–25 May 1992 | TSP |
Zhang et al. (2013) | 0.011 | 13.0 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 0.59 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 0.94 | 0.97 | North Yellow Sea /14–25 October 2007 | TSP |
Zhang et al. (2013) | 0.0081 | 10.0 | 2.9 | 6.0 | 3.1 | 0.89 | 1.0 | 8.6 | 0.62 | 0.81 | South Yellow Sea /2–24 November 2007 | TSP |
Yang et al. (2015) | 0.0127 | 26.2 | 11.9 | 5.1 | 7.7 | 1.7 | – | 24.9 | 2.58 | – | Bohai Sea, North Yellow Sea /21November - 1 December 2011 | TSP |
Zhang et al. (2015) | 0.061 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 8.1 | 0.3 | 0.67 | Bohai Sea, North –South Yellow Sea / 2–20 May 2012 | TSP |
Zhang et al. (2015) | 0.012 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 0.4 | 0.88 | Bohai Sea, North –South Yellow Sea /2–19 November 2012 | TSP |
Cha et al. (2016) | 0.13 | 7.5 | 3.0 | 1.33 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 7.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Yellow Sea /9–14 & 24–29 April and 1–5 May 2015 | PM10 |
Boreddy and Kawamura (2015) | 0.03 | – | 0.84 | 3.3 | 0.23 | 0.42 | – | 2.97 | 0.05 | 0.30 | Western North Pacific sea/Spring | TSP |
This study aims to understand the chemical characteristics of water-soluble aerosols over the Yellow Sea from shipborne sampling data of aerosols acquired during the KORUS-AQ campaign because the Yellow Sea is under the strongest air pollutant influence in the world (Wang and Chen 2016). Water-soluble ions are important constituents of atmospheric aerosols over ocean surfaces. In particular, heavy aerosol events, such as Asian dust and haze over the Yellow Sea, are mainly due to long-range aerosol transport from inland regions, such as China, Korea, and Japan. Therefore, this study focuses on analyzing the concentrations of the major water-soluble ionic compounds and methanesulfonic acid (MSA) in the high aerosol concentration cases observed during the KORUS-AQ campaign. The internal correlations between the chemical ionic species are examined in terms of the chemical species formation in these cases.
2 Data and Methodology
Ship track (black line) and target area (red dot-line box) over the Yellow Sea from May 2 to June 13, 2016
Five-minute average PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 μm in diameter) mass concentrations were measured using a PM10 suspended particulate analyzer (β-ray PM10 analyzer, Thermo Scientific Inc., FH62-C14; hereafter, β-ray PM10) on the basis of a β-ray absorption method. A total of 17 samples were collected using 47-mm Teflon filters and a particle measuring system (APM Inc., PMS-104; hereafter, PMS) equipped with a PM10 and PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter) separator. The study mainly focused on the characteristics of the samples collected through the PM10 and PM2.5 inlets. An aerodynamic particle sizer (TSI Inc., APS-3321; hereafter, APS) was used to observe the aerosol particle size distribution. The measurable concentration range of APS is 0–10,000 cm−3 and the observation range is 0.5–20 μm with 52-bin channels. The β-ray PM10 measures the PM10 mass concentration every 5 min, while the APS measures the size-segregated number concentration every 3 min. The PMS was placed on the deck of the ship at 8 m above sea level. Samples of PM10 and PM2.5 aerosols were collected for around 10 h during daytime. That is, the water-soluble ionic mass concentration obtains from PMS for PM10 and PM2.5 and the total PM10 mass concentration does from β-ray PM10. The size-segregated total PM mass concentration such as PM10 and PM2.5 is from APS.
Meteorological and oceanic parameters, such as temperature, wind direction, wind speed, and sea surface pressure, were observed every 5 min using automatic meteorological instruments installed on the ship. An aerosol observation container was installed on the bow of the ship to protect the instruments from marine hazards as well as to protect the ship from the effects of pollution sources, such as the smokestack. Figure 1 shows the main route of the research vessel over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ campaign. At the end of each cruise, aerosol samples collected on the filter were analyzed using an ion analyzer (ion chromatograph; hereafter, IC) to measure five types of cations (NH4+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) and five types of anions (SO42−, NO3−, HCOO−, CH3COO−, and CH3SO3−). The detection limit and the coefficient of variation of IC vary from 0.29 to 7.48 μg L−1 and 0.19% to 7.33%, respectively, depending on the ion type.
3 Results and Discussion
3.1 Characteristics of Aerosol Ionic Species in Total Samples over the Yellow Sea
The major secondary aerosol mean mass concentrations for nss-SO42−, NO3−, and NH4+ were 10.195, 3.025, and 3.436 μg m−3, respectively, in PM10, and 8.823, 1.021 and 2.966 μg m−3, respectively, in PM2.5. Further, the diameters of nss-SO42− and NH4+ were mostly less than 2.5 μm; hereafter, size denotes diameter. The diameter of NO3− was mostly greater than 2.5 μm. Similar values of nss-SO42−, NH4+, and NO3− mean mass concentrations in TSP were reported by Zhang et al. (2015) over the Yellow Sea in 2012: 8.6, 3.1, and 2.9 μg m−3 for nss-SO42−, NH4+, and NO3−, respectively. In this study, these secondary ionic species accounted for 84% and 89% of the total analyzed species in PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. This implies that the aerosols collected over the Yellow Sea during the campaign were strongly affected by the anthropogenic emissions over land.
Comparison between the observed ranges for water-soluble ionic mass concentrations using PMS in this study and those in previous studies over the sea near Northeast Asia
The correlation coefficient matrix was employed to analyze the internal relationships among different species. NH4+ is strongly correlated with nss-SO42− and the correlation coefficients between NH4+ and nss-SO42− are 0.84 and 0.97 for PM10 and PM2.5, respectively (Tables 5 and 6). This implies that most of the NH4+ was combined with nss-SO42−. The correlation coefficients between NO3− and Na+, Mg2+, and nss-Ca2+ for PM10 were 0.73, 0.74, and 0.72, respectively. Thus, NO3− in the PM10 samples existed as compounds of Na+, Mg2+, and nss-Ca2+. These results indicate that the marine and continental sources simultaneously affected the samples during the cruise.
The mean mass concentration of MSA in PM10 and PM2.5 was 0.318 and 0.239 μg m−3, respectively. The difference between the MSA mean mass concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 was 0.079 μg m−3 on average and the MSA mean mass concentration of PM2.5 was 0.239 μg m−3 on average. Thus, most of the MSA was in PM2.5; the MSA mass concentration in PM10 and PM2.5 ranged from 0.096 to 0.61 μg m−3 and from 0.082 to 0.48 μg m−3, respectively. In conjunction with the previous measurements (Zhang et al. 2013, 2015; Cha et al. 2016), this study shows an increasing trend of the MSA mass concentration over the Yellow Sea in recent years and the MSA concentration in the central Yellow Sea is larger than that in other regions (see Fig. 2 and Table 1). The increase in MSA within aerosols in the Yellow Sea may be related to the changes in the inputs of the materials, which are related to the formation of MSA from dimethyl sulfide (DMS). High nutrient inputs from the Yellow River and the Yangtze River in China, which have rapidly increased in recent years (Wei et al. 2015), may have increased the formation of DMS and thus MSA. The deposition of mineral matter transported by air flow from inland deserts to the Yellow Sea (Hsu et al. 2009) can also affect the formation of DMS. The relationship among DMS, MSA, and marine productivity has been observed in many other regions (Calhoun 1992; Ayers et al. 1986; Park et al. 2017). Therefore, this study analyzed the detailed MSA mass concentration even though the MSA was not major water-soluble ions such as for nss-SO42−, NO3−, and NH4+.
3.2 High PM Cases
3.2.1 Classification of High PM Cases
Histogram of PM10 mass concentration by PM10 analyzer (β-ray application) in research vessel Gisang 1 (square box) and Seoul (dashed line) from May 2 to June 13, 2016
Flowchart for classification of Asian dust and haze using PM10 mass concentration by PM10 analyzer (β-ray application) and the ratio of PM2.5/PM10 by APS in research vessel Gisang 1
a PM10 mass concentration by PM10 analyzer (β-ray) and b classification of Asian dust and haze by the ratio of PM2.5/PM10 by APS over the Yellow Sea from May 2 to June 13, 2016
Aerosol sampling information using PMS for the four high aerosol mass concentration cases over the Yellow Sea during KORUS-AQ 2016
Case | LST | Area | No. of Samples | Remark | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start Time | End Time | Longitude (N) | Latitude (E) | PM10 | PM2.5 | ||
Case I | 2016-05-07 09:00 | 2016-05-07 18:13 | 37.31 → 35.33 | 124.28 → 124.28 | 1 | 1 | Asian Dust |
Case II | 2016-05-12 08:00 | 2016-05-12 17:55 | 37.33 → 35.35 | 124.28 → 124.28 | 1 | 1 | Haze & Mist |
Case III | 2016-05-21 07:59 | 2016-05-21 20:02 | 35.34 → 36.27 | 124.28 → 125.75 | 1 | – | Haze |
Case IV | 2016-05-29 08:01 | 2016-05-29 16:24 | 37.32 → 35.32 | 124.28 → 124.32 | – | 1 | Haze |
3.2.2 Origins of High PM Cases
The HYSPLIT 4 model developed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Air Resources Laboratory was used to estimate the upstream path of air flow over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ campaign. The HYSPLIT simulations were run using the Unified Model–Global Data Assimilation and Prediction System (UM–GDAPS) weather data from KMA for 72 h prior to each case, at 500 m above the center of the vessel observation route (36.16°N, 124.29°E).
Backward trajectories for high concentration cases from May 2 to June 13, 2016 (AD: Asian dust case; HMNC: haze and mist from Northeast China case; HKP: haze from the Korean Peninsula case; HSPC: haze from the Shandong Peninsula in China case)
3.2.3 Characteristics of Aerosol Ionic Species in High PM Cases
Major chemical ionic species in a PM10 and b PM2.5 using PMS for high aerosol mass concentration cases over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ campaign, 2016
Comparison the mass concentrations of water-soluble species in aerosols sampled using PMS in High PM cases and in total period of the campaign over the Yellows sea
MSA | SO42− | NO3− | Na+ | NH4+ | Mg2+ | Ca2+ | nss- SO42− | nss- K+ | nss- Ca2+ | Size-cut | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asian Dust cases (AD, Case I) | 0.212 | 3.906 | 8.268 | 1.022 | 1.937 | 0.389 | 1.352 | 3.650 | 0.208 | 1.312 | PM10 |
0.197 | 3.226 | 1.134 | 0.214 | 1.250 | 0.055 | 0.142 | 3.172 | 0.145 | 0.134 | PM2.5 | |
Haze & Mist case (HMNC, Case II | 0.609 | 18.326 | 4.044 | 1.579 | 5.536 | 0.32 | 0.426 | 17.929 | 0.266 | 0.366 | PM10 |
0.477 | 13.088 | 0.119 | 0.243 | 3.900 | 0.103 | 0.113 | 13.027 | 0.200 | 0.104 | PM2.5 | |
Haze case (HKP, Case III) | 0.614 | 10.541 | 7.705 | 0.115 | 5.393 | 0.105 | 0.399 | 10.512 | 0.179 | 0.395 | PM10 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | PM2.5 | |
Haze Case (HSPC, Case IV) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | PM10 |
0.173 | 20.891 | 8.151 | 0.230 | 8.714 | 0.100 | 0.178 | 20.833 | 0.344 | 0.170 | PM2.5 | |
Average of total samples | 0.319 | 10.195 | 3.025 | 0.659 | 3.436 | 0.244 | 0.475 | 10.029 | 0.229 | 0.450 | PM10 |
0.239 | 8.823 | 1.021 | 0.145 | 2.966 | 0.077 | 0.137 | 8.787 | 0.214 | 0.188 | PM2.5 |
Enrichment factors for high aerosol mass concentration cases over the Yellow Sea during KORUS-AQ 2016
PM10 | PM2.5 | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crust | Seawater | Crust | Seawater | |||||||||||||
AD | HMNC | HKP | HSPC | AD | HMNC | HKP | HSPC | AD | HMNC | HKP | HSPC | AD | HMNC | HKP | HSPC | |
nss-SO42− | 912 | 4482 | 2628 | N/A | 14 | 72 | 42 | N/A | 793 | 3257 | N/A | 5208 | 13 | 52 | NA | 83 |
NO3− | 2067 | 1011 | 1348 | N/A | – | – | – | – | 283 | 30 | N/A | 5208 | – | – | – | – |
NH4+ | 484 | 1384 | 1348 | N/A | – | – | – | – | 312 | 974 | N/A | 2178 | – | – | – | – |
Na+ | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.15 | N/A | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | N/A | 0.3 | 0.3 | N/A | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | N/A | 1.0 |
Mg2+ | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | N/A | 3.2 | 2.7 | 0.9 | N/A | 0.2 | 0.3 | N/A | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | N/A | 0.8 |
K+ | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | N/A | 6.8 | 10.0 | 5.1 | N/A | 0.2 | 0.3 | N/A | 0.5 | 4.2 | 5,8 | N/A | 9.5 |
nss-Ca2+ | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1,0 | N/A | 33.8 | 10.6 | 10.0 | N/A | 1.0 | 1.0 | N/A | 1.0 | 3.6 | 2.8 | N/A | 4.5 |
Correlation between the sum of acidic ions (nss-SO42− and NO3−) and the sum of alkaline ions (NH4+ and Ca2+), in the form of equivalent concentration in aerosols sampled using PMS over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ campaign, 2016
Correlation coefficient matrix aerosol samples in PM10 using PMS over the Yellow Sea during KORUS-AQ 2016
MSA | nss-SO42− | NO3− | NH4+ | Na+ | Mg2+ | nss-K+ | nss-Ca2+ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MSA | 1.00 | |||||||
nss-SO42− | 0.24 | 1.00 | ||||||
NO3− | 0.19 | −0.01 | 1.00 | |||||
NH4+ | 0.34 | 0.84 | 0.47 | 1.00 | ||||
Na+ | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.73 | 0.28 | 1.00 | |||
Mg2+ | 0.00 | −0.05 | 0.74 | 0.15 | 0.86 | 1.00 | ||
nss-K+ | −0.05 | 0.29 | 0.56 | 0.39 | 0.46 | 0.59 | 1.00 | |
nss-Ca2+ | 0.01 | −0.21 | 0.72 | 0.08 | 0.44 | 0.76 | 0.44 | 1.00 |
Correlation coefficient matrix aerosol samples in PM2.5 using PMS over the Yellow Sea during KORUS-AQ 2016
MSA | nss-SO42− | NO3− | NH4+ | Na+ | Mg2+ | nss-K+ | nss-Ca2+ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MSA | 1.00 | |||||||
nss-SO42− | 0.17 | 1.00 | ||||||
NO3− | −0.02 | 0.54 | 1.00 | |||||
NH4+ | 0.14 | 0.97 | 0.72 | 1.00 | ||||
Na+ | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.56 | 0.12 | 1.00 | |||
Mg2+ | 0.29 | 0.25 | 0.34 | 0.21 | 0.54 | 1.00 | ||
nss-K+ | 0.24 | 0.46 | 0.71 | 0.52 | 0.64 | 0.77 | 1.00 | |
nss-Ca2+ | 0.39 | 0.22 | 0.35 | 0.22 | 0.36 | 0.84 | 0.78 | 1.00 |
Mass concentration of (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 using PMS for high aerosol mass concentration cases over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ campaign, 2016
The NO3− to nss-SO42− ratio in aerosols can be used to track the relative contribution of stationary and mobile sources to the secondary aerosols (Park and Lim 2006). Ko et al. (2017) estimated a ratio of 0.01–13.72 for PM10 and 0.00–0.92 for PM2.5 over the Yellow Sea. The ratios were 2.27, 0.23, and 0.73 for PM10 in AD, HMNC, and HKP, respectively, and 0.36, 0.009, and 0.39 for PM2.5 in AD, HNMC, and HSPC, respectively. The contributions from stationary sources are high for HMNC. Mobile (stationary) sources had a greater effect on the PM10 (PM2.5) in AD. These results show that during the campaign, stationary sources mostly contributed to high aerosol mass cases, and mobile sources affected PM10 more than PM2.5 over the Yellow Sea.
3.2.4 MSA and Contribution of Biogenic SO42− in High PM Cases
MSA in the marine boundary layer is one of the major end products of the oxidation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) produced by marine biota. The formation of MSA from DMS oxidation is affected by the concentrations of OH and NO3 radicals and temperature (Gao et al. 1996). The MSA mass concentrations are 0.21, 0.61, and 0.61 μg m−3 in PM10 in AD, HMNC, and HKP, respectively, and 0.20, 0.48, and 0.17 μg m−3 in PM2.5 in AD, HMC, and HSPC, respectively. The MSA mass concentration varies in the order HMNC > HKP > AD > HSPC, while the NO3− mass concentration varies in the order HSPC > AD > HKP > HMNC. MSA can be used to track the contribution of biogenic SO42− to the total nss-SO42−; the ratio MSA/nss-SO42 represents the biogenic contribution. The ratio ranges from 1.4% to 9.2% for PM10 and from 0.68% to 9.5% for PM2.5 collected during the campaign. The ratio is 5.4%, 3.3%, and 5.8% for PM10 in AD, HMNC, and HKP, respectively, and 6.1%, 3.6%, and 0.83% for PM2.5 in AD, HMC, and HSPC, respectively. The ratios reported in previous studies vary widely according to the seasons and geographical locations. Chen et al. (2012) reported a ratio of 0.2%–6% in tropical regions, 6%–12% in unpolluted mid-latitudes, and 15%–93% near coastal Antarctica. Gao et al. (1996) observed a biogenic contribution of 10%–19% over the East China Sea for March–Jun. Arimoto et al. (1996) reported that marine biogenic sources accounted for 3.6% and 10.9% at the eastern and western sides of Jeju Island around the Yellow Sea, respectively. Zhang et al. (2013) also estimated the contribution of biogenic nss-SO42− to be 12% over the North Yellow Sea in the spring season (April 23–May 5, 2007). The differences between this study and previous ones may be explained by the differences in the sampling periods and locations as well as the seasonal variation in MSA concentration, at least partially. For example, Mukai et al. (1995) found that the maximum (minimum) biogenic SO42− occurred in the spring and early summer (winter) seasons. Even though the observation regions over the Yellow Sea were substantially affected by anthropogenic pollutants from Asia, the local biogenic nss-SO42− cannot be ignored, especially in the spring and early summer seasons, when biological activities are elevated. In addition, estimations of biogenic contributions include considerable uncertainties, as the MSA formation in aerosols from DMS must consider a number of factors, such as the formation time of DMS by nutrient-fed phytoplanktons in the Yellow Sea, and the reaction processes of NO3 radicals after leaving terrestrial anthropogenic sources. For more quantitative estimates of the MSA trend over the Yellow Sea, future studies should consider additional variables related to these relevant factors.
3.2.5 Aerosol Size Distribution (ASD) and Chemical Species in High PM Cases
Aerosol size distribution (dV/dLog) using APS for the four cases during the KORUS-AQ campaign, 2016
Relationships between the major ions and the concentration of the main chemical species in PM10 and PM2.5 using PMS over the Yellow Sea during KORUS-AQ 2016
PM10 | PM2.5 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Correlation coefficients | nss-Ca2+-nss-CO32− | 0.99 | 0.97 | ||||||
nss-Mg2+-nss-CO32− | 0.89 | 0.93 | |||||||
NH4+-NO3− | 0.47 | 0.72 | |||||||
NH4+-SO42− | 0.84 | 0.97 | |||||||
Observation cases | AD | HMNC | HKP | HSPC | AD | HMNC | HKP | HSPC | |
Concentration (μgm−3) | CaCO3 | 3.28 | 0.91 | 0.98 | N/A | 0.33 | 0.26 | N/A | 0.42 |
MgCO3 | 0.92 | 0.45 | 0.32 | N/A | 0.10 | 0.25 | N/A | 0.25 | |
NH4NO3 | 2.56 | – | 6.56 | N/A | 0.30 | – | N/A | 4.23 | |
(NH4)2SO4 | 5.04 | 24.74 | 14.51 | N/A | 4.38 | 17.98 | N/A | 28.75 |
In HMNC, RH ranges from 83% to 90%. The increased Nvc in the diameter range below 1 μm was due to haze and mist. When haze occurred over land, the air polluted with haze induced mist formations over the Yellow Sea. In such an environmental condition, the secondary inorganic aerosols (NH4+, nss-SO42−, and NO3−) exist mainly in the form of (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 in the diameter range below 1 μm (Rogula-Kozłowska et al. 2014). The (NH4)2SO4 mass concentration was 24 μg m−3, and NH4NO3 was not present in HMNC (Fig. 9). Thus, when RH and the mass concentration of nss-SO42− are large, (NH4)2SO4 is the main component of the particles having a diameter of less than 1 μm (Song et al. 2008).
Mass concentration of sea salt using PMS for high aerosol mass concentration cases over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ campaign, 2016
In HKP and HSPC, the Nvc rapidly increased in the diameter range below 1 μm owing to the haze. The main species in both the cases were (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3. The mass concentration of (NH4)2SO4 is higher than that of NH4NO3. In particular, NH4+ in PM2.5 is better correlated with NO3− than that in PM10 (Tables 5 and 6). The reactions in which HNO3 replaces water-soluble particulates, such as formate, acetate, and oxalate, are also important formation pathways for fine nitrate particles (Tabazadeh et al. 1998). Organic anions may be abundant in fine particles, such as those from biomass burning (Talbot et al. 1988; Andreae et al. 1988). In the future, to understand the generation of fine nitrate particles over the Yellow Sea in the presence of the reaction of gaseous nitric acid with gaseous ammonia, we will require additional details regarding NH4NO3 chemical reactions of the sampled gaseous nitric acid with gaseous ammonia.
4 Summary and Conclusions
This study investigated the water-soluble ionic characteristics of atmospheric aerosols collected over the Yellow Sea during the KORUS-AQ campaign. High aerosol mass concentration cases during the campaign were classified in terms of the aerosol size distribution and mass concentration: “Asian dust” and “haze” for the hourly mean PM2.5/PM10 ratio below 40% and over 80%, respectively. Backward trajectories corresponding to each case were analyzed using the HYSPLIT model. On the basis of these criteria and trajectory analyses, the high aerosol concentration cases during the campaign were classified into four groups: AD, HMNC, HKP, and HSPC. After the classification, we analyzed the water-soluble ions in the samples over the Yellow sea.
In four high PM cases, the mass concentration of nss-SO42− varies in the order HSPC > HMNC > HKP > AD. Thus, most of the nss-SO42− over the Yellow Sea in May 2016 came from the Shandong Peninsula and Northeast China. The NH4+ mass concentration varies nearly identically to that of nss-SO42−, except for the differences in the mass concentrations. The mass concentration of NO3− varies in the order HSPC > AD > HKP > HMNC. For the four cases, NO3−, Na+, Mg2+, and nss-Ca2+ were mostly contained in PM10. These results suggest that NO3− is mostly combined with Na+, Mg2+, and nss-Ca2+ in PM10 during high aerosol mass concentration events over the Yellow Sea. This implies that ions such as Mg2+ and nss-Ca2+ in PM10 among dust particles during AD reacted more with nitrates than with sulfates from anthropogenic sources in China. In AD case, the ratio of NO3− to nss-SO42− in the aerosols showed that mobile (stationary) sources mainly affected PM10 (PM2.5). The major chemical species for Asian dust cases over the Yellow sea were CaCO3, Ca(NO3)2, Mg(NO3)2, Na(NO3)2, and sea salt. In haze cases (HSPC, HKP, and HMNC) over the Yellow sea, the contributions from stationary sources are high and the major species were (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 in PM10 and PM2.5, respectively.
The MSA mass concentrations are 0.21, 0.61, and 0.61 μg m−3 in PM10 in AD, HMNC, and HKP, respectively, and 0.20, 0.48, and 0.17 μg m−3 in PM2.5 in AD, HMC, and HSPC, respectively. The MSA mass concentration varies in the order HMNC > HKP > AD > HSPC, while the NO3− mass concentration varies in the order HSPC > AD > HKP > HMNC. High mass concentrations of methane sulfonic acid (MSA, CH3SO3−), the main source of natural sulfates over the Yellow Sea, were observed. The concentrations of MSA were found to show an increasing trend over the Yellow Sea in recent years. Biogenic sulfur contributions to the total nss-SO42− (MSA/nss-SO42− ratio) over the Yellow Sea ranged from 1.4% to 9.2% in PM10 and from 0.68% to 9.5% in PM2.5 during the cruise. Thus, biogenic nss-SO42− must be included, especially in the spring and early summer seasons, when biological activities are elevated in Northeast Asia.
In the future, we need to analyze element species such as Al and Fe in the aerosols because the element species such as Fe involves in production of DMS as the source of MSA and understand the more detail changes in various chemical species over the Yellow Sea.
Notes
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program “ Development of Asian Dust and Haze Monitoring and Prediction Technology “ under Grant (1365003013).
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