Modeling particulate nitrate in China: Current findings and future directions

Xiaodong Xie; Jianlin Hu; Momei Qin; Song Guo; Min Hu; Hongli Wang; Shengrong Lou; Jingyi Li; Jinjin Sun; Xun Li; Li Sheng; Jianlan Zhu; Ganyu Chen; Junjie Yin; Wenxing Fu; Cheng Huang; Yuanhang Zhang

Environment International (Aug 2022)

Modeling particulate nitrate in China: Current findings and future directions

Xiaodong Xie,
Jianlin Hu,
Momei Qin,
Song Guo,
Min Hu,
Hongli Wang,
Shengrong Lou,
Jingyi Li,
Jinjin Sun,
Xun Li,
Li Sheng,
Jianlan Zhu,
Ganyu Chen,
Junjie Yin,
Wenxing Fu,
Cheng Huang,
Yuanhang Zhang

Affiliations

Xiaodong Xie: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Jianlin Hu: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Corresponding authors at: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China (J. Hu); State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Y. Zhang).
Momei Qin: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Song Guo: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Min Hu: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Hongli Wang: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Formation and Prevention of Urban Air Pollution Complex, Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai 200233, China
Shengrong Lou: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Formation and Prevention of Urban Air Pollution Complex, Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai 200233, China
Jingyi Li: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Jinjin Sun: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Xun Li: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Li Sheng: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Jianlan Zhu: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Ganyu Chen: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Junjie Yin: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Wenxing Fu: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Cheng Huang: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Formation and Prevention of Urban Air Pollution Complex, Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai 200233, China
Yuanhang Zhang: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Chinese Academy of Science, Xiamen 361021, China; Corresponding authors at: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China (J. Hu); State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Y. Zhang).

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 166
p. 107369

Abstract

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Particulate nitrate (pNO3) is now becoming the principal component of PM2.5 during severe winter haze episodes in many cities of China. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the key factors controlling pNO3 formation and driving its trends, we reviewed the recent pNO3 modeling studies which mainly focused on the formation mechanism and recent trends of pNO3 as well as its responses to emission controls in China. The results indicate that although recent chemical transport models (CTMs) can reasonably capture the spatial–temporal variations of pNO3, model-observation biases still exist due to large uncertainties in the parameterization of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) uptake and ammonia (NH3) emissions, insufficient heterogeneous reaction mechanism, and the predicted low sulfate concentrations in current CTMs. The heterogeneous hydrolysis of N2O5 dominates nocturnal pNO3 formation, however, the contribution to total pNO3 varies among studies, ranging from 21.0% to 51.6%. Moreover, the continuously increasing PM2.5 pNO3 fraction in recent years is mainly due to the decreased sulfur dioxide emissions, the enhanced atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC), and the weakened nitrate deposition. Reducing NH3 emissions is found to be the most effective control strategy for mitigating pNO3 pollution in China. This review suggests that more field measurements are needed to constrain the parameterization of heterogeneous N2O5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) uptake. Future studies are also needed to quantify the relationships of pNO3 to AOC, O3, NOx, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in different regions of China under different meteorological conditions. Research on multiple-pollutant control strategies involving NH3, NOX, and VOCs is required to mitigate pNO3 pollution, especially during severe winter haze events.

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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