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Deposited atmospheric dust as influenced by anthropogenic emissions in northern China

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Abstract

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) from multinatural and anthropogenic sources poses serious risk to human health and contaminates soil and water resources as it settles back to ground environment and ecosystem. In this study, dust deposition flux (DDF), pollution load index (PLI) of heavy metals, enrichment factor (EF), and settling flux (SF) of eighteen chemical elements were investigated in comparison with crustal composition to assess the influence of anthropogenic emission on PM in major northern Chinese cities. The annual DDF in Lanzhou, Huhhot, Beijing, Zhengzhou, and Harbin was 134.7, 240.6, 103.7, 124.7, and 196.7 g m−2, respectively. The annual EF of Zn in Harbin, Cd in Lanzhou, and Cd in Beijing was 736.4, 248.6, and 166.3, respectively. Most of the inspected elements were enriched during winter in Lanzhou. Annual PLI showed that deposited dust in Beijing had the highest concentration of heavy metals. Seasonal PLI exhibited obvious changes in different cities. The annual SF of crustal elements was 1–5 orders higher than that of heavy metals. The highest annual SF of elements was identified mainly in Lanzhou and Huhhot. Sulfur, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in the dustfall of most urban areas were from human activities. Fossil fuel burning, metal smelting, mining, construction, and vehicle exhaust are the major sources of enriched elements in dustfall in urban areas of northern China. Toxic pollutants with dustfall are widespread and persistent, which deserves public concern in future sustainable development.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 41571459, 41621061) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant number 2016YFE0109500).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Yanli Lyu, Lianyou Liu, Yanyan Yang & Guoming Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Lanlan Guo & Xia Hu

  3. Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Yanli Lyu, Lianyou Liu & Guoming Zhang

  4. School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Yanyan Yang

  5. College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Huhhot, Inner Mongolia, 010011, China

    Zhiqiang Qu

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  1. Yanli Lyu
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Correspondence to Lanlan Guo or Yanyan Yang.

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Lyu, Y., Liu, L., Guo, L. et al. Deposited atmospheric dust as influenced by anthropogenic emissions in northern China. Environ Monit Assess 189, 390 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6093-1

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