Characteristics of ammonia, acid gases, and PM2.5 for three typical land-use types in the North China Plain

• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5648-3
• Publication Date: 2015-10-27T02:44:56Z
• Authors: Wen Xu; Qinghua Wu; Xuejun Liu; Aohan Tang; Anthony J. Dore; Mathew R. Heal
• Keywords: chemical characteristics; China; Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; air pollution; Air pollution; PM2.5; reactive N; control strategies; 01 natural sciences; North China Plain; Ammonia; Air Pollution; 11. Sustainability; Environmental Chemistry; Reactive N; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences; Aerosols; Air Pollutants; Control strategies; 15. Life on land; Pollution; 6. Clean water; 13. Climate action; Particulate Matter; Gases; Seasons; Research Article; Environmental Monitoring

Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems in China due to its rapid economic development alongside a very large consumption fossil fuel, particularly North Plain (NCP). During period 2011-2014, we integrated active and passive sampling methods perform continuous measurements NH3, HNO3, NO2, PM2.5 at two urban, suburban, rural sites NCP. The annual average concentrations HNO3 across five were ranges 8.5-23.0, 22.2-50.5, 5.5-9.7 μg m(-3), respectively, showing no significant spatial differences for NH3 but significantly higher NO2 concentration urban sites. At each site, showed increasing decreasing trends, while there was obvious trend concentrations. Daily ranged from 11.8 621.0 m(-3) 19.8 692.9 suburban 23.9 754.5 sites, with more than 70% days exceeding 75 m(-3). Concentrations water-soluble ions ranked differently between non-rural three dominant NH4(+), NO3(-), SO4(2-) mainly existed as (NH4)2SO4, NH4HSO4, NH4NO3, their averaged 48.6 ± 44.9, 41.2 40.8, 49.6 35.9 respectively. Ion balance calculations indicated that neutral acidic Seasonal variations gases aerosols exhibited different patterns, depending on source emission strength meteorological conditions. Our results suggest feasible pathway control NCP should target ammonia acid together.