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Characteristics of water-soluble inorganic ions in PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 in the coastal urban agglomeration along the Western Taiwan Strait Region, China

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Abstract

PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 aerosol samples were collected in four seasons during November 2010, January, April, and August 2011 at 13 urban/suburban sites and one background site in Western Taiwan Straits Region (WTSR), which is the coastal area with rapid urbanization, high population density, and deteriorating air quality. The 10 days average PM2.5 concentrations were 92.92, 51.96, 74.48, and 89.69 μg/m3 in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively, exceeding the Chinese ambient air quality standard for annual average value of PM2.5 (grade II, 35 μg/m3). Temporal distribution of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) in PM2.5 was coincident with PM2.5 mass concentrations, showing highest in spring, lowest in summer, and middle in autumn and winter. WSIIs took considerable proportion (42.2∼50.1 %) in PM2.5 and PM2.5–10. Generally, urban/suburban sites had obviously suffered severer pollution of fine particles compared with the background site. The WSIIs concentrations and characteristics were closely related to the local anthropogenic activities and natural environment, urban sites in cities with higher urbanization level, or sites with weaker diffuse condition suffered severer WSIIs pollution. Fossil fuel combustion, traffic emissions, crustal/soil dust, municipal constructions, and sea salt and biomass burnings were the major potential sources of WSIIs in PM2.5 in WTSR according to the result of principal component analysis.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (no: KZCX2-EW-408 and KZCX2-YW-JS404 ) and the Commonweal Program of Environment Protection Department of China (no: 201009004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China

    Liqian Yin, Zhenchuan Niu, Jinsheng Chen & Lingling Xu

  2. Environmental Monitoring Center of Fujian, Fuzhou, 350003, China

    Xiaoqiu Chen & Fuwang Zhang

  3. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Lingling Xu

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  1. Liqian Yin
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  4. Jinsheng Chen
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  5. Fuwang Zhang
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Correspondence to Xiaoqiu Chen or Jinsheng Chen.

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Yin, L., Niu, Z., Chen, X. et al. Characteristics of water-soluble inorganic ions in PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 in the coastal urban agglomeration along the Western Taiwan Strait Region, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 5141–5156 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2134-7

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