Analysis of the atmospheric visibility influencing factors under sea-land breeze circulation

Factors influencing atmospheric visibility (VIS) in coastal areas are more complex than those for inland and far oceans owing to the complex circulation and aerosol sources. This study analyzed the factors influencing VIS under sea-land breeze circulation (SLBC) for different external aerosol sources based on field survey data in southern Chinese coastal areas. First, SLBC characteristics observed during the experiment period showed that on SLBC days, sea breeze occurs more frequently (∼50%) than land breeze (∼27%), and the wind speed (WS) is generally small, with a mean sea and land breeze WSs of ∼2.18 m/s and ∼2.38 m/s, respectively. Then, analysis of factors influencing VIS was conducted for different land/sea breeze conditions and external aerosol source conditions indicated by the HYSPLIT4 model simulations. Results showed that the aerosol particle number concentration (PNC) and relative humidity (RH) both had negative correlations with VIS, while only very weak relationships between WS and VIS were found, possibly due to small WSs on SLBC days or because local aerosols were not pure marine aerosols. Further two-factor analysis of VIS showed that the power-law function relating VIS with PNC in each RH bin ranges from ∼-0.3 to ∼-1.5, and VIS exhibited sharper exponential decline with increasing PNC under high RH. A new method of retrieving aerosol-extinction hygroscopic growth factor (fext) with the measured VIS, RH, and PNC was developed to investigate the optical hygroscopic growth property of aerosols. Results show that aerosols in the study area have similar fext under different land/sea breeze and external aerosol source conditions; the deliquescence RH of aerosols is ∼60%, suggesting that mainly polluted marine aerosol was observed during experiments in this area.

Effects of chemical compositions in fine particles and their identified sources on hygroscopic growth factor during dry season in urban Guangzhou of South China

Knowledge of aerosol hygroscopicity is essential to assess visibility improvement and aerosol radiative forcing. Aerosol hygroscopicity is highly dependent on emission sources, while the hygroscopicity of different sources remains largely unexplored. In the current study, the hygroscopic growth factor (i.e., f(RH)) and relevant chemical compositions (e.g., water-soluble inorganic ions, carbonaceous fractions and elements) in fine particles were synchronously measured for nearly 3 months within 2019-2020 in an urban site of Guangzhou. The mean value (± standard deviation) of f(RH) at 70% RH was 1.50 (± 0.11). The diurnal cycle in aerosol hygroscopic growth strongly depended on the mass fraction of hydrophilic chemical compositions (e.g., SO₄^2-, NO₃^- and NH₄⁺) in fine particles and variation in contributions of aerosol sources. A Positive Matrix Factorization model was applied to distinguish the different hygroscopicity of specific source factors in a mixed aerosol. Secondary nitrate and secondary sulfate were more hydrophilic, whereas emissions from primary combustion processes (i.e., ship emission, coal combustion and road traffic) were less hygroscopic. Soil dust was almost insoluble. The hygroscopic growth of each source was parameterized that quantified the emission sources and f(RH) relationship for use of air quality and radiative transfer models either as input or as validation.

Investigation of factors controlling PM2.5 variability across the South Korean Peninsula during KORUS-AQ

The Korea - United States Air Quality Study (May - June 2016) deployed instrumented aircraft and ground-based measurements to elucidate causes of poor air quality related to high ozone and aerosol concentrations in South Korea. This work synthesizes data pertaining to aerosols (specifically, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters <2.5 micrometers, PM2.5) and conditions leading to violations of South Korean air quality standards (24-hr mean PM2.5 < 35 μg m-3). PM2.5 variability from AirKorea monitors across South Korea is evaluated. Detailed data from the Seoul vicinity are used to interpret factors that contribute to elevated PM2.5. The interplay between meteorology and surface aerosols, contrasting synoptic-scale behavior vs. local influences, is presented. Transboundary transport from upwind sources, vertical mixing and containment of aerosols, and local production of secondary aerosols are discussed. Two meteorological periods are probed for drivers of elevated PM2.5. Clear, dry conditions, with limited transport (Stagnant period), promoted photochemical production of secondary organic aerosol from locally emitted precursors. Cloudy humid conditions fostered rapid heterogeneous secondary inorganic aerosol production from local and transported emissions (Transport/Haze period), likely driven by a positive feedback mechanism where water uptake by aerosols increased gas-to-particle partitioning that increased water uptake. Further, clouds reduced solar insolation, suppressing mixing, exacerbating PM2.5 accumulation in a shallow boundary layer. The combination of factors contributing to enhanced PM2.5 is challenging to model, complicating quantification of contributions to PM2.5 from local versus upwind precursors and production. We recommend co-locating additional continuous measurements at a few AirKorea sites across South Korea to help resolve this and other outstanding questions: carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide (transboundary transport tracer), boundary layer height (surface PM2.5 mixing depth), and aerosol composition with aerosol liquid water (meteorologically-dependent secondary production). These data would aid future research to refine emissions targets to further improve South Korean PM2.5 air quality.

Observational assessment of the role of nocturnal residual-layer chemistry in determining daytime surface particulate nitrate concentrations

This study discusses an analysis of combined airborne and ground observations of particulate nitrate (NO₃ ^- _(p)) concentrations made during the wintertime DISCOVER-AQ study at one of the most polluted cities in the United States, Fresno, CA in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) and focuses on development of understanding of the various processes that impact surface nitrate concentrations during pollution events. The results provide an explicit case-study illustration of how nighttime chemistry can influence daytime surface-level NO₃ ^- _(p) concentrations, complementing previous studies in the SJV. The observations exemplify the critical role that nocturnal chemical production of NO₃ ^- _(p) aloft in the residual layer (RL) can play in determining daytime surface-level NO₃ ^- _(p) concentrations. Further, they indicate that nocturnal production of NO₃ ^- _(p) in the RL, along with daytime photochemical production, can contribute substantially to the build-up and sustaining of severe pollution episodes. The exceptionally shallow nocturnal boundary layer heights characteristic of wintertime pollution events in the SJV intensifies the importance of nocturnal production aloft in the residual layer to daytime surface concentrations. The observations also demonstrate that dynamics within the RL can influence the early-morning vertical distribution of NO₃ ^- _(p), despite low wintertime wind speeds. This overnight reshaping of the vertical distribution above the city plays an important role in determining the net impact of nocturnal chemical production on local and regional surface-level NO₃ ^- _(p) concentrations. Entrainment of clean free tropospheric air into the boundary layer in the afternoon is identified as an important process that reduces surface-level NO₃ ^- _(p) and limits build-up during pollution episodes. The influence of dry deposition of HNO₃ gas to the surface on daytime particulate nitrate concentrations is important but limited by an excess of ammonia in the region, which leads to only a small fraction of nitrate existing in the gas-phase even during the warmer daytime. However, in late afternoon, when diminishing solar heating leads to a rapid fall in the mixed boundary layer height, the impact of surface deposition is temporarily enhanced and can lead to a substantial decline in surface-level particulate nitrate concentrations; this enhanced deposition is quickly arrested by a decrease in surface temperature, which drops the gas-phase fraction to near zero. The overall importance of enhanced late afternoon gas-phase loss to the multiday build-up of pollution events is limited by the very shallow nocturnal boundary layer. The case study here demonstrates that mixing down of NO₃ ^- _(p) from the RL can contribute a majority of the surface-level NO₃ ^- _(p) in the morning (here, ~80%), and a strong influence can persist into the afternoon even when photochemical production is maximum. The particular day-to-day contribution of aloft nocturnal NO₃ ^- _(p) production to surface concentrations will depend on prevailing chemical and meteorological conditions. Although specific to the SJV, the observations and conceptual framework further developed here provide general insights into the evolution of pollution episodes in wintertime environments.

Urban impacts on regional carbonaceous aerosols: case study in central Texas

Rural and background sites provide valuable information on the concentration and optical properties of organic, elemental, and water-soluble organic carbon (OC, EC, and WSOC), which are relevant for understanding the climate forcing potential of regional atmospheric aerosols. To quantify climate- and air quality-relevant characteristics of carbonaceous aerosol in the central United States, a regional background site in central Texas was chosen for long-term measurement. Back trajectory (BT) analysis, ambient OC, EC, and WSOC concentrations and absorption parameters are reported for the first 15 months of a long-term campaign (May 2011-August 2012). BT analysis indicates consistent north-south airflow connecting central Texas to the Central Plains. Central Texas aerosols exhibited seasonal trends with increased fine particulate matter (< 2.5 microm aerodynamic diameter, PM2.5) and OC during the summer (PM2.5 = 10.9 microg m(-3) and OC = 3.0 microg m(-3)) and elevated EC during the winter (0.22 microg m(-3)). When compared to measurements in Dallas and Houston, TX, central Texas OC appears to have mixed urban and rural sources. However central Texas EC appears to be dominated by transport of urban emissions. WSOC averaged 63% of the annual OC, with little seasonal variability in this ratio. To monitor brown carbon (BrC), absorption was measured for the aqueous WSOC extracts. Light absorption coefficients for EC and BrC were highest during summer (EC MAC = 11 m2 g(-1) and BRC MAE365 = 0.15 m2 g(-1)). Results from optical analysis indicate that regional aerosol absorption is mostly due to EC with summertime peaks in BrC attenuation. This study represents the first reported values of WSOC absorption, MAE365, for the central United States. Implications: Background concentration and absorption measurements are essential in determining regional potential radiative forcing due to atmospheric aerosols. Back trajectory, chemical, and optical analysis of PM2.5 was used to determine climatic and air quality implications of urban outflow to a regional receptor site, representative of the central United States. Results indicate that central Texas organic carbon has mixed urban and rural sources, while elemental carbon is controlled by the transport of urban emissions. Analysis of aerosol absorption showed black carbon as the dominant absorber, with less brown carbon absorption than regional studies in California and the southeastern United States.