Organic aerosol volatility and viscosity in the North China Plain: contrast between summer and winter

W. Xu; C. Chen; C. Chen; Y. Qiu; Y. Qiu; Y. Li; Z. Zhang; Z. Zhang; E. Karnezi; E. Karnezi; S. N. Pandis; C. Xie; C. Xie; C. Xie; Z. Li; Z. Li; J. Sun; J. Sun; N. Ma; W. Xu; P. Fu; P. Fu; Z. Wang; Z. Wang; J. Zhu; D. R. Worsnop; N. L. Ng; N. L. Ng; N. L. Ng; Y. Sun; Y. Sun; Y. Sun

doi:10.5194/acp-21-5463-2021

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Apr 2021)

Organic aerosol volatility and viscosity in the North China Plain: contrast between summer and winter

W. Xu,
C. Chen,
C. Chen,
Y. Qiu,
Y. Qiu,
Y. Li,
Z. Zhang,
Z. Zhang,
E. Karnezi,
E. Karnezi,
S. N. Pandis,
C. Xie,
C. Xie,
C. Xie,
Z. Li,
Z. Li,
J. Sun,
J. Sun,
N. Ma,
W. Xu,
P. Fu,
P. Fu,
Z. Wang,
Z. Wang,
J. Zhu,
D. R. Worsnop,
N. L. Ng,
N. L. Ng,
N. L. Ng,
Y. Sun,
Y. Sun,
Y. Sun

Affiliations

W. Xu: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
C. Chen: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
C. Chen: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Y. Qiu: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Y. Qiu: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Y. Li: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Z. Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Z. Zhang: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
E. Karnezi: Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
E. Karnezi: now at: Earth Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, BSC-CNS, Barcelona 08034, Spain
S. N. Pandis: Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
C. Xie: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
C. Xie: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
C. Xie: now at: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
Z. Li: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Z. Li: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
J. Sun: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
J. Sun: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
N. Ma: Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China
W. Xu: State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather & Key Laboratory for Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Composition, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
P. Fu: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
P. Fu: Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
Z. Wang: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Z. Wang: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
J. Zhu: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
D. R. Worsnop: Aerodyne Research Inc., Billerica, MA 01821, USA
N. L. Ng: School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
N. L. Ng: School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
N. L. Ng: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Y. Sun: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Y. Sun: College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Y. Sun: Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5463-2021
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 21
pp. 5463 – 5476

Abstract

Read online

Volatility and viscosity have substantial impacts on gas–particle partitioning, formation and evolution of aerosol and hence the predictions of aerosol-related air quality and climate effects. Here aerosol volatility and viscosity at a rural site (Gucheng) and an urban site (Beijing) in the North China Plain (NCP) in summer and winter were investigated by using a thermodenuder coupled with a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer. The effective saturation concentration (C*) of organic aerosol (OA) in summer was smaller than that in winter (0.55 µg m−3 vs. 0.71–0.75 µg m−3), indicating that OA in winter in the NCP is more volatile due to enhanced primary emissions from coal combustion and biomass burning. The volatility distributions varied and were largely different among different OA factors. In particular, we found that hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) contained more nonvolatile compounds compared to coal-combustion-related OA. The more oxidized oxygenated OA (MO-OOA) showed overall lower volatility than less oxidized OOA (LO-OOA) in both summer and winter, yet the volatility of MO-OOA was found to be relative humidity (RH) dependent showing more volatile properties at higher RH. Our results demonstrated the different composition and chemical formation pathways of MO-OOA under different RH levels. The glass transition temperature (Tg) and viscosity of OA in summer and winter are estimated using the recently developed parameterization formula. Our results showed that the Tg of OA in summer in Beijing (291.5 K) was higher than that in winter (289.7–290.0 K), while it varied greatly among different OA factors. The viscosity suggested that OA existed mainly as solid in winter in Beijing (RH = 29 ± 17 %), but as semisolids in Beijing in summer (RH = 48 ± 25 %) and Gucheng in winter (RH = 68 ± 24 %). These results have the important implication that kinetically limited gas–particle partitioning may need to be considered when simulating secondary OA formation in the NCP.

Published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

ISSN: 1680-7316 (Print); 1680-7324 (Online)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Science: Physics; Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/

About the journal