Springtime precipitation effects on the abundance of fluorescent biological aerosol particles and HULIS in Beijing

• DOI: 10.1038/srep29618
• Publication Date: 2016-07-29T10:23:24Z
• Authors: Siyao Yue; Hong Ren; Songyun Fan; Yele Sun; Zifa Wang; Pingqing Fu
• Keywords: Aerosols; Air Pollutants; Rain; Air Microbiology; 01 natural sciences; Article; 3. Good health; 13. Climate action; Beijing; Seasons; Humic Substances; Environmental Monitoring; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

AbstractBioaerosols and humic-like substances (HULIS) are important components of atmospheric aerosols, which can affect regional climate by acting as cloud condensation nuclei and some of which can damage human health. Up to date, release of bioaerosols and HULIS initiated by precipitation is still poorly understood. Here we present different release processes for bioaerosols, non-bioaerosols and HULIS during a precipitation event in Beijing, China. Large fungal-spore-like aerosols were emitted at the onset and later weak stage of precipitation, the number concentration of which increased by more than two folds, while the number concentration of bacteria-like particles doubled when the precipitation strengthened. Besides, a good correlation between protein-like substances that were measured simultaneously by on-line and off-line fluorescence techniques consolidated their applications to measure bioaerosols. Furthermore, our EEM results suggest that the relative contribution of water-soluble HULIS to microbial materials was enhanced gradually by the rain event.