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Particulate matter mass and chemical component concentrations over four Chinese cities along the western Pacific coast

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 22, pages 1940–1953 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

China has witnessed rapid economic growth in the past three decades, especially in coastal areas. Particulate matter (PM) pollution is becoming increasingly serious in China’s cities along the western Pacific coast with the rapid development of China’s society and economy. This study analyzed PM (PM10 and PM2.5) in terms of their mass and chemical composition in four coastal Chinese cities. The goal was to study the spatial variation and characteristics of PM pollution in sites under different levels of economic development and in diverse natural environments. A distinct trend for concentrations of PM and related chemical species was observed and increased from south to north in Haikou, Ningbo, Qingdao, and Tianjin. Secondary inorganic aerosols, crustal materials, and organic matter dominated the composition of both PM10 and PM2.5. Crustal materials were the most abundant species in the northern coastal areas because these areas have less vegetation cover and lower humidity than southern coastal areas. The presence of high SO4 2−/nitrate (NO3 −) concentrations indicated that the burning of coals gives significant contributions to PM10 and PM2.5. The differences observed in the characteristics of PM pollution in these coastal cities are probably caused by different levels of industrial and urban development.

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Acknowledgments

The National Natural Science Foundations of China (41205089/D0510 and 21207069/B070601) supported this study. We thank all who contributed to the field sampling, those who are working in the environmental monitoring centers of HK, NB, QD, and TJ.

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Affiliations

  1. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Ambient Air Particulate Matter Pollution Prevention and Control, Joint Laboratory of Urban and Ambient Air Environment Study, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300 071, China

    Hong Xu, Xiao-Hui Bi, Wei-Wei Zheng, Jian-Hui Wu & Yin-Chang Feng

Authors
  1. Hong Xu
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  2. Xiao-Hui Bi
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  3. Wei-Wei Zheng
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  4. Jian-Hui Wu
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  5. Yin-Chang Feng
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xiao-Hui Bi or Yin-Chang Feng.

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Highlights

Spatial variation of PM concentrations and chemical components over four Chinese cities along the western Pacific coast were measured.

Reconstruction methodology of PM mass was used to analyze the chemical characteristics of PM.

The level of economic development and natural conditions were analyzed to identify the origin of PM pollution in different coastal cities.

Responsible editor: Constantini Samara

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Xu, H., Bi, XH., Zheng, WW. et al. Particulate matter mass and chemical component concentrations over four Chinese cities along the western Pacific coast. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 1940–1953 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3630-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3630-0

Keywords

  • Chemical characteristics
  • Coastal area
  • Mass balance
  • Particulate matter