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Yearly changes of the sulfate-nitrate-ammonium aerosols and the relationship with their precursors from 1999 to 2016 in Beijing

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Abstract

The change in particulate matter (PM)2.5 composition in relation to precursors over recent decades has not been elucidated clearly in Beijing. Using ground-based measurements from the literature, this study investigated the yearly time series of PM2.5 and its chemical composition over Beijing from 1999 to 2016 to identify the driving forces underlying these changes. The PM2.5 concentration declined slightly, due to the organic carbon, elemental carbon, and dust rather than to either sulfate–nitrate–ammonium (SNA) aerosols. Before 2013, the trend of SNA aerosols was opposite to that of PM2.5; however, subsequently, SNA aerosols have represented the major contribution to the reduction of PM2.5, coinciding with a large decline of regional precursor gases. The yearly time series of SNA aerosols can be explained better by regional precursor gases than by local ones. Generally, precursor gases emissions over the region of North China Plain can be controlled if Beijing’s air quality is to be improved.

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Acknowledgments

I thank James Buxton MSc from Liwen Bianji and Edanz Group China (www.liwenbianji.cn./ac) for editing the English text of this manuscript.

Funding

This study was kindly supported by the Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of East China University of Technology (DHBK2016108), and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi, China (20171BAB214010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of the Causes and Control of Atmospheric Pollution, School of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, No. 418, Guanglan Avenue, Nanchang, 330013, China

    Yajun Xie

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Correspondence to Yajun Xie.

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Xie, Y. Yearly changes of the sulfate-nitrate-ammonium aerosols and the relationship with their precursors from 1999 to 2016 in Beijing. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 8350–8358 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07493-w

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