Characterization of submicron organic particles in Beijing during summertime: comparison between SP-AMS and HR-AMS

J. Wang; J. Wang; J. Ye; D. Liu; Y. Wu; J. Zhao; W. Xu; C. Xie; F. Shen; J. Zhang; P. E. Ohno; Y. Qin; X. Zhao; S. T. Martin; A. K. Y. Lee; P. Fu; D. J. Jacob; Q. Zhang; Y. Sun; M. Chen; X. Ge

doi:10.5194/acp-20-14091-2020

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Nov 2020)

Characterization of submicron organic particles in Beijing during summertime: comparison between SP-AMS and HR-AMS

J. Wang,
J. Wang,
J. Ye,
D. Liu,
Y. Wu,
J. Zhao,
W. Xu,
C. Xie,
F. Shen,
J. Zhang,
P. E. Ohno,
Y. Qin,
X. Zhao,
S. T. Martin,
A. K. Y. Lee,
P. Fu,
D. J. Jacob,
Q. Zhang,
Y. Sun,
M. Chen,
X. Ge

Affiliations

J. Wang: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
J. Wang: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
J. Ye: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
D. Liu: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Y. Wu: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
J. Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
W. Xu: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
C. Xie: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
F. Shen: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
J. Zhang: Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
P. E. Ohno: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Y. Qin: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
X. Zhao: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Physical Modeling and Pollution Control, State Power Environmental Protection Research Institute, Nanjing, China
S. T. Martin: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
A. K. Y. Lee: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
P. Fu: Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
D. J. Jacob: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Q. Zhang: Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Y. Sun: State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
M. Chen: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
X. Ge: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14091-2020
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 20
pp. 14091 – 14102

Abstract

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Black carbon (BC) particles in Beijing summer haze play an important role in the regional radiation balance and related environmental processes. Understanding the factors that lead to variability of the impacts of BC remains limited. Here, we present observations by a soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) of BC-containing submicron particulate matter (BC−PM1) in Beijing, China, during summer 2017. These observations were compared to concurrently measured total non-refractory submicron particulate matter (NR−PM1) by a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS). Distinct properties were observed between NR−PM1 and BC−PM1 relevant to organic aerosol (OA) composition. Hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) in BC−PM1 was found to be up to 2-fold higher than that in NR−PM1 in fresh vehicle emissions, suggesting that a part of HOA in BC−PM1 may be overestimated, likely due to the change of collection efficiency of SP-AMS. Cooking-related OA was only identified in NR−PM1, whereas aged biomass burning OA (A-BBOA) was a unique factor only identified in BC−PM1. The A-BBOA was linked to heavily coated BC, which may lead to enhancement of the light absorption ability of BC by a factor of 2 via the “lensing effect”. More-oxidized oxygenated OA identified in BC-containing particles was found to be slightly different from that observed by HR-AMS, mainly due to the influence of A-BBOA. Overall, these findings highlight that BC in urban Beijing is partially of agricultural fire origin and that a unique biomass-burning-related OA associated with BC may be ubiquitous in aged BC−PM1, and this OA may play a role in affecting air quality and climate that has not previously been fully considered.

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/

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