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Implications for long-range atmospheric transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Lhasa, China

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Abstract

The Tibetan Plateau is suggested to be an important indicator region to study the global long-range atmospheric transport of persistent organic pollutants. In this study, atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were studied in Lhasa City in the Tibetan Plateau, China. Air samples in gas and particle phases were concurrently collected by a modified high-volume air sampler from 5 August 2008 to 13 July 2009. The concentration of ∑16PAHs ranged from 18 to 160 ng m−3 (with a geometric mean of 68 ng m−3). The most abundant PAHs were phenanthrene and benzo(b)fluoranthene in gas and particle phases, respectively. Compared with other two similar studies in Beijing and Harbin, different temporal trends were found between gas and particle phases PAHs in Lhasa. The influences of meteorological parameters (ambient temperature and relative humidity) and air masses from China, India, Southeast Asia, and West Asia were the two important reasons for explaining the difference, which was confirmed by the 5-day backward trajectories. This is the first comprehensive study to provide the evidence for the different influences of long-range atmospheric transport on gas and particle phases PAHs pollution in the Tibetan Plateau.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the China National Natural Science Foundation Program (Grant No. 41101493 and 20977022). Financial support from China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (No. 2011 M500677) is highly appreciated. Thanks to Prof. Shigong Wang from College of Atmospheric Sciences, Lanzhou University, for providing the ambient meteorological parameters of Lhasa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances (IJRC-PTS), State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 202 Haihe Road, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150090, China

    Wan-Li Ma, Hong Qi, Li-Yan Liu & Yi-Fan Li

  2. School of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, China

    Sonam Baidron

  3. IJRC-PTS, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, 116026, China

    Meng Yang & Yi-Fan Li

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  1. Wan-Li Ma
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  2. Hong Qi
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  3. Sonam Baidron
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  4. Li-Yan Liu
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  5. Meng Yang
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  6. Yi-Fan Li
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Correspondence to Yi-Fan Li.

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Responsible editor: Constantini Samara

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Ma, WL., Qi, H., Baidron, S. et al. Implications for long-range atmospheric transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Lhasa, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 5525–5533 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1577-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1577-1

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