Anthropogenic Pollutants Induce Changes in Peroxyacetyl Nitrate Formation Intensity and Pathways in a Mountainous Background Atmosphere in Southern China

Mountainous background areas are typically considered to have a clean atmosphere where peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) can be decomposed. This study demonstrated that PAN was photochemically formed with a simulated production rate of 0.28 ± 0.06 ppbv h^-1 in the Nanling mountains (1690 m a.s.l.) of South China and that net PAN formation was dependent on both volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and NO_x precursors (transition regime). In contrast to dominated acetaldehyde oxidation in previous urban and rural research, PAN at Nanling was primarily formed by methylglyoxal (38%), acetaldehyde (28%), radicals (20%), and other oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) (13%). Moreover, when polluted air masses invaded the Nanling mountains, the PAN production rate was altered, primarily because anthropogenic aromatics intensified PAN formation via the oxidized pathways of methylglyoxal, other OVOCs, and radicals. Finally, net PAN formation at Nanling reduced the hydroxyl radical level by consuming NO_x, impaired local radical cycling, and thereby suppressed local O₃ production. This suppressing effect was exacerbated on polluted days. The findings of this study deepen our understanding of PAN photochemistry and the impact of anthropogenic intrusions on the background atmosphere of mountainous regions.

Estimation of near-surface ozone concentration and analysis of main weather situation in China based on machine learning model and Himawari-8 TOAR data

Ozone (O₃) is an important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Stratospheric ozone protects human beings, but high near-surface ozone concentrations threaten environment and human health. Owing to the uneven distribution of ground-monitoring stations and the low time resolution of polar orbiting satellites, it is difficult to accurately evaluate the refinement and synergistic pollution of near-surface ozone in China. Besides, atmospheric circulation patterns also affect ozone concentrations greatly. In this study, a new generation of geostationary satellite is used to estimate the hourly near-surface ozone concentration with a spatial resolution of 0.05°. First, the Pearson correlation coefficient and maximum information coefficient were used to study the correlation between the top of atmospheric radiation (TOAR) of Himawari-8 satellite and O₃ concentration; seven TOAR channels were selected. Second, based on an interpretable deep learning model, the hourly ozone concentration in China from September 2015 to August 2021 was obtained using the TOAR-O₃ model. Finally, the self-organizing map method was used to determine six major summer weather circulation patterns in China. The results showed that (1) the near-surface O₃ concentration can be accurately estimated; the R² (RMSE: μg/m³) values of the daily, monthly, and annual tenfold cross validation results were 0.91 (12.74), 0.97 (5.64), and 0.98 (1.75), respectively. The feature importance of the model showed that the temperature, TOAR, and boundary layer height contributed 38 %, 22 %, and 13 %, respectively. (2) The O₃ concentration showed obvious spatiotemporal difference and gradually increased from 10:00 to 15:00 (Beijing time) every day. In most areas of China, O₃ concentration had increased significantly. (3) The O₃ concentration in northern China was the highest under the circulation pattern of the Meiyu front over the Yangtze River Delta, while in southern China, it was the highest under the circulation pattern of the northeast cold vortex controlling most of China.

Spatiotemporal variations of surface ozone and its influencing factors across Tibet: A Geodetector-based study

Reasons regarding surface ozone formation and distribution in remote regions is limited. Tibet is an important remote area on Earth, with various climates and extremely high elevation (average ~ 4000 m), which makes it a good place to study the spatiotemporal distribution of surface ozone and explore the causes. Based on ground monitoring data from 18 stations on Tibet between 2015 and 2019, the annual, seasonal, monthly, and diurnal variations of surface ozone were analyzed. The annual mean values (60.7-72.5 μg/m³) presented an increasing trend during the past five years, with seasonal concentrations of surface ozone higher in spring than in winter. Spatially, both the ground observations and high-resolution remote sensing data indicated that the surface ozone was relatively high in the southwest regions of Tibet, and low in the southeast and northeast areas. Geodetector analysis found that relative humidity (RH), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and solar radiation (SR) were the top three individual factors affecting surface ozone distribution, while NO₂, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 showed less influence. All influencing factors showed an improvement through the two-factor interaction. The associations of RH∩PM₁₀ (q = 0.77), RH∩NDVI (q = 0.72), and NDVI∩SR (q = 0.73) exhibited a strong impact on surface ozone distribution, suggesting that places with sparse vegetation cover, dry climate and strong SR would usually cause high atmospheric ozone burden. This could also explain why concentrations of surface ozone continue to increase in some remote areas worldwide with ecological deterioration and desertification.

Identification of Long-Range Transport Pathways and Potential Source Regions of PM2.5 and PM10 at Akedala Station, Central Asia

Cluster analyses, potential source contribution function (PSCF) and concentration-weight trajectory (CWT) were used to identify the main transport pathways and potential source regions with hourly PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in different seasons from January 2017 to December 2019 at Akedala Station, located in northwest China (Central Asia). The annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 11.63 ± 9.31 and 19.99 ± 14.39 µg/m3, respectively. The air pollution was most polluted in winter, and the dominant part of PM10 (between 54 to 76%) constituted PM2.5 aerosols in Akedala. Particulate pollution in Akedala can be traced back to eastern Kazakhstan, northern Xinjiang, and western Mongolia. The cluster analyses showed that the Akedala atmosphere was mainly affected by air masses transported from the northwest. The PM2.5 and PM10 mainly came with air masses from the central and eastern regions of Kazakhstan, which are characterized by highly industrialized and semi-arid desert areas. In addition, the analyses of the pressure profile of back-trajectories showed that air mass distribution were mainly distributed above 840 hPa. This indicates that PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were strongly affected by high altitude air masses. According to the results of the PSCF and CWT methods, the main potential source areas of PM2.5 were very similar to those of PM10. In winter and autumn, the main potential source areas with high weighted PSCF values were located in the eastern regions of Kazakhstan, northern Xinjiang, and western Mongolia. These areas contributed the highest PM2.5 concentrations from 25 to 40 µg/m3 and PM10 concentrations from 30 to 60 µg/m3 in these seasons. In spring and summer, the potential source areas with the high weighted PSCF values were distributed in eastern Kazakhstan, northern Xinjiang, the border between northeast Kazakhstan, and southern Russia. These areas contributed the highest PM2.5 concentrations from 10 to 20 µg/m3 and PM10 concentrations from 20 to 60 µg/m3 in these seasons.

Spatiotemporal characterization and regional contributions of O3 and NO2: An investigation of two years of monitoring data in Henan, China

To investigate the characteristics of ground level ozone (O₃) for Henan Province, the ambient air quality monitoring data of 2015 and 2016 were analyzed. The result showed that the 8 h-max-O₃ concentrations displayed a distinct seasonality, where the maximum and minimum values, averaging 140.41, 54.19 μg/m³, occurred in summer and winter, respectively. There is a significant correlation between meteorological factors and O₃ concentration. The Voronoi neighborhood averaging analysis indicated that O₃, temperature, and ultraviolet radiation in Henan province were decreased from northwest to southeast, while relative humidity and precipitation displayed the opposite trend. Besides meteorological factors, the chemical processes play an essential role in ozone formation. Reactions of NO, NO₂ and O₃ form a closed system, and the partitioning point of the OX-component (O₃ + NO₂) was at 40 and 80 μg/m³ for nitrogen oxide (NO_X) in winter and summer, respectively, with NO₂ dominating at higher NOx pollution and O₃ being the major component at lower levels. The relationship between oxidant (OX = O₃+NO₂) and NOx concentrations were evaluated to understand the regional and local contribution of OX. It showed that high regional contribution occurred in the spring, whereas the highest local contribution lead to the summer peak of O₃ observed in Zhengzhou. This present study reveals important environment impacts from the photochemical process and the meteorological conditions in the region with better understanding on the O₃ characterization.

Evaluation of the Performance of Low-Cost Air Quality Sensors at a High Mountain Station with Complex Meteorological Conditions

Low-cost sensors have become an increasingly important supplement to air quality monitoring networks at the ground level, yet their performances have not been evaluated at high-elevation areas, where the weather conditions are complex and characterized by low air pressure, low temperatures, and high wind speed. To address this research gap, a seven-month-long inter-comparison campaign was carried out at Mt. Tai (1534 m a.s.l.) from 20 April to 30 November 2018, covering a wide range of air temperatures, relative humidities (RHs), and wind speeds. The performance of three commonly used sensors for carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM2.5) was evaluated against the reference instruments. Strong positive linear relationships between sensors and the reference data were found for CO (r = 0.83) and O3 (r = 0.79), while the PM2.5 sensor tended to overestimate PM2.5 under high RH conditions. When the data at RH >95% were removed, a strong non-linear relationship could be well fitted for PM2.5 between the sensor and reference data (r = 0.91). The impacts of temperature, RH, wind speed, and pressure on the sensor measurements were comprehensively assessed. Temperature showed a positive effect on the CO and O3 sensors, RH showed a positive effect on the PM sensor, and the influence of wind speed and air pressure on all three sensors was relatively minor. Two methods, namely a multiple linear regression model and a random forest model, were adopted to minimize the influence of meteorological factors on the sensor data. The multi-linear regression (MLR) model showed a better performance than the random forest (RF) model in correcting the sensors’ data, especially for O3 and PM2.5. Our results demonstrate the capability and potential of the low-cost sensors for the measurement of trace gases and aerosols at high mountain sites with complex weather conditions.

Observations of C1-C5 alkyl nitrates in the Yellow River Delta, northern China: Effects of biomass burning and oil field emissions

Alkyl nitrates (RONO₂) are important reservoirs of nitrogen oxides and play key roles in the tropospheric chemistry. Two phases of intensive campaigns were conducted during February-April and June-July of 2017 at a rural coastal site and in open oil fields of the Yellow River Delta region, northern China. C₁-C₅ alkyl nitrates showed higher concentration levels in summer than in winter-spring (p < 0.01), whilst their parent hydrocarbons showed an opposite seasonal variation pattern. The C₃-C₅ RONO₂ levels in the oil fields were significantly higher than those in the ambient rural air. Alkyl nitrates showed well-defined diurnal variations, elucidating the effects of in-situ photochemical production and regional transport of aged polluted plumes. Backward trajectory analysis and fire maps revealed the significant contribution of biomass burning to the observed alkyl nitrates and hydrocarbons. A simplified sequential reaction model and an observation-based chemical box model were deployed to diagnose the formation mechanisms of C₁-C₅ RONO₂. The C₃-C₅ RONO₂ were mainly produced from the photochemical oxidation of their parent hydrocarbons (i.e., C₃-C₅ alkanes), whilst C₁-C₂ RONO₂ compounds have additional sources. In addition to parent hydrocarbons, longer alkanes with >4 carbon atoms were also important precursors of alkyl nitrates in the oil fields. This study demonstrates the significant effects of oil field emissions and biomass burning on the volatile organic compounds and alkyl nitrate formation, and provides scientific support for the formulation of control strategies against photochemical air pollution in the Yellow River Delta region.

Explicit diagnosis of the local ozone production rate and the ozone-NOx-VOC sensitivities

In the troposphere, ozone is a harmful gas compound to both human health and vegetation. Ozone is produced from the reaction of NO_x (NO + NO₂) and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) with light. Due to the highly nonlinear relationships between ozone and its precursors, proper ozone mitigation relies on the knowledge of chemical mechanisms. In this study, an observation-based method is used to simulate ozone formation and elucidate its controlling factors for a rural site on the North China Plain. The instantaneous ozone production rate is calculated utilizing a box model using the dataset obtained from the Wangdu campaign. First, the model was operated in a time-dependent mode to calculate the ozone production rate at each time stamp. The calculated ozone formation rate showed a diurnal average maximum value of 17 ppbv/h (1-h diurnal averaged). The contribution of individual peroxy radicals to ozone production was analyzed. In addition, the functional dependence of calculated P(O₃) reveals that ozone production was in a NO_x-limited regime during the campaign. Furthermore, the missing peroxy radical source will further extend NO_x-limited conditions to earlier in the day, making NO_x limitation dominate more of a day than the current chemical model predicts. Finally, a multiple scenarios mode, also known as EKMA (empirical kinetic modeling approach), was used to simulate the response of P(O₃) to the imaginary change in precursor concentrations. We found that ozone production was in the NO_x-limited region. However, the use of NO₂ measured by the molybdenum converter and/or the absence of a peroxy radical source in the current chemical model could over-emphasize the VOC-limited effect on ozone production.

Ozone pollution in China: A review of concentrations, meteorological influences, chemical precursors, and effects

High concentrations of ozone in urban and industrial regions worldwide have long been a major air quality issue. With the rapid increase in fossil fuel consumption in China over the past three decades, the emission of chemical precursors to ozone-nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds-has increased sharply, surpassing that of North America and Europe and raising concerns about worsening ozone pollution in China. Historically, research and control have prioritized acid rain, particulate matter, and more recently fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). In contrast, less is known about ozone pollution, partly due to a lack of monitoring of atmospheric ozone and its precursors until recently. This review summarizes the main findings from published papers on the characteristics and sources and processes of ozone and ozone precursors in the boundary layer of urban and rural areas of China, including concentration levels, seasonal variation, meteorology conducive to photochemistry and pollution transport, key production and loss processes, ozone dependence on nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, and the effects of ozone on crops and human health. Ozone concentrations exceeding the ambient air quality standard by 100-200% have been observed in China's major urban centers such as Jing-Jin-Ji, the Yangtze River delta, and the Pearl River delta, and limited studies suggest harmful effect of ozone on human health and agricultural corps; key chemical precursors and meteorological conditions conductive to ozone pollution have been investigated, and inter-city/region transport of ozone is significant. Several recommendations are given for future research and policy development on ground-level ozone.

Spatiotemporal variation of ozone precursors and ozone formation in Hong Kong: Grid field measurement and modelling study

Grid field measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) covering the entire territory of Hong Kong were simultaneously carried out twice daily on 27 September 2013 and 24 September 2014, respectively, to advance our understanding on the spatiotemporal variations of VOCs and ozone (O3) formation, the factors controlling O3 formation and the efficacy of a control measure in Hong Kong. From before to after the control measure on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fueled vehicles, the VOCs originated from LPG vehicle exhaust deceased from 41.3±1.2μg/m(3) (49.7±1.5%) to 32.8±1.4μg/m(3) (38.8±1.7%) (p<0.05). In contrast, the contribution to VOCs made by gasoline and diesel vehicle exhaust and solvent usage increased (p<0.05). VOCs and nitric oxide (NO) in LPG source experienced the highest reductions at the roadside sites, while the variations were not significant at the urban and new town sites (p>0.05). For O3 production, LPG vehicle exhaust generally made a negative contribution (-0.17±0.06 ppbv) at the roadside sites, however it turned to a slightly positive contribution (0.004±0.038 ppbv) after the control measure. At the urban sites, although the reductions of VOCs and NO were minor (p>0.05), O3 produced by LPG vehicle significantly reduced from 4.19±1.92 ppbv to 0.95±0.38 ppbv (p<0.05). Meanwhile, O3 produced by LPG at the new town sites remained stable. The analysis of O3-precursor relationships revealed that alkenes and aromatics were the main species limiting roadside O3 formation, while aromatics were the most predominant controlling factor at urban and new town sites. In contrast, isoprene and sometimes NOx limited the O3 formation in rural environment.

Characteristics of carbonaceous aerosols: Impact of biomass burning and secondary formation in summertime in a rural area of the North China Plain

To determine the characteristics of carbonaceous aerosols in rural areas of the North China Plain, field measurements were conducted at Yucheng (YC) in the summers of 2013 and 2014. The concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols at YC exhibited clear diurnal variation, with higher concentrations in the early morning and at night and lower concentrations during the afternoon hours. The mass-balance method designed for particulate matter smaller than 2.5μm (PM2.5) was used to calculate the organic matter (OM)/organic carbon (OC) ratio. The value obtained, 2.07±0.05, was suggested as a reference to estimate organics in PM2.5 in rural areas of the North China Plain. Biomass burning was identified to be a significant source of carbonaceous aerosols; approximately half of the samples obtained at YC were affected by biomass burning during summer 2013. Case studies revealed that biomass burning accounted for up to 52.6% of the OC and 51.1% of the elemental carbon in PM2.5 samples. The organic coatings observed on sulphur-rich and potassium-rich particles indicated the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) from the oxidation of precursor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the aging of smoke released from biomass burning. Based on the evolution of the VOCs, the contribution of VOCs oxidation to SOA concentration was 3.21 and 1.07μgm(-3)ppm(-1) CO under conditions of low nitrogen oxide (NOx) and high NOx, respectively. Aromatics (e.g. benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene) made the greatest contribution to SOA concentration (88.4% in low-NOx conditions and 80.6% in high-NOx conditions). The results of the study offer novel insights into the effects of biomass burning on the carbonaceous aerosols and SOA formation in polluted rural areas.

Seasonal variations and size distributions of water-soluble ions of atmospheric particulate matter at Shigatse, Tibetan Plateau

Size-segregated atmospheric particulate matter (PM) samples were collected from July 2012 to September 2013 at Shigatse, high-altitude (3836 m above sea level) site on the south Tibetan Plateau (TP); objectives were to determine the characteristics and size distribution of water-soluble ions (WSIs). Eight major WSIs (Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), NH4(+), Cl(-), SO4(2-), and NO3(-)) were detected by ion chromatography. The total concentrations of WSIs were 6370 ± 1916 ng m(-3) in dry season (October - December, January - April), and 5261 ± 769 ng/m(3) during wet phase (May - September). The contribution of K(+) (130 ng m(-3)), Cl(-) (2035 ng m(-3)), SO4(2-) (1176 ng m(-3)), and NO3(-) (706 ng m(-3))(-)were significantly enhanced in dry season, and that of Na(+) (455 ng m(-3)), Mg(2+)(65.4 ng m(-3)), Ca(2+)(1034 ng m(-3)), and NH4(+) (1948 ng m(-3)) were significantly enhanced during wet phase. Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) were concentrated in the coarse mode, and the other ions concentrated in fine mode and coarse mode during two seasons. The correlation coefficients between K(+) and NH4(+), Cl(-), SO4(2-) and NO3(-) were 0.58 (P < 0.01), 0.40 (P < 0.05), 0.82 (P < 0.01) and 0.69 (P < 0.01), indicating their dominant contribution from biomass burning in dry season. The significant correlation between NH4(+) and HCO3(-) which were calculated by ion balance (r = 0.89, P < 0.01), suggesting the source from nitrogen fertilizers during wet phase.

Characteristics of surface O₃ over Qinghai Lake area in Northeast Tibetan Plateau, China

Surface O3 was monitored continuously during Aug. 12, 2010 to Jul. 21, 2011 at a high elevation site (3,200 m above sea level) in Qinghai Lake area (36°58'37″N, 99°53'56″E) in Northeast Tibetan Plateau, China. Daily average O3 ranged from 21.8 ppbv to 65.3 ppbv with an annual average of 41.0 ppbv. Seasonal average of O3 followed a decreasing order of summer>autumn>spring>winter. Diurnal variations of O3 showed low concentrations during daytime and high concentrations during late night and early morning. An intensive campaign was also conducted during Aug. 13-31, 2010 to investigate correlations between meteorological or chemical conditions and O3. It was found that O3 was poorly correlated with solar radiation due to the insufficient NOx in the ambient air, thus limiting O3 formation under strong solar radiation. In contrast, high O3 levels always coincided with strong winds, suggesting that stratospheric O3 and long range transport might be the main sources of O3 in this rural area. Back-trajectory analysis supported this hypothesis and further indicated the transport of air masses from northwest, northeast and southeast directions.

On the use of an explicit chemical mechanism to dissect peroxy acetyl nitrate formation

Peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) is a key component of photochemical smog and plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry. Though it has been known that PAN is produced via reactions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with some volatile organic compounds (VOCs), it is difficult to quantify the contributions of individual precursor species. Here we use an explicit photochemical model--Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) model--to dissect PAN formation and identify principal precursors, by analyzing measurements made in Beijing in summer 2008. PAN production was sensitive to both NOx and VOCs. Isoprene was the predominant VOC precursor at suburb with biogenic impact, whilst anthropogenic hydrocarbons dominated at downtown. PAN production was attributable to a relatively small class of compounds including NOx, xylenes, trimethylbenzenes, trans/cis-2-butenes, toluene, and propene. MCM can advance understanding of PAN photochemistry to a species level, and provide more relevant recommendations for mitigating photochemical pollution in large cities.

Atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN): a global budget and source attribution

Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) formed in the atmospheric oxidation of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) is the principal tropospheric reservoir for nitrogen oxide radicals (NOx = NO + NO2). PAN enables the transport and release of NOx to the remote troposphere with major implications for the global distributions of ozone and OH, the main tropospheric oxidants. Simulation of PAN is a challenge for global models because of the dependence of PAN on vertical transport as well as complex and uncertain NMVOC sources and chemistry. Here we use an improved representation of NMVOCs in a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) and show that it can simulate PAN observations from aircraft campaigns worldwide. The immediate carbonyl precursors for PAN formation include acetaldehyde (44% of the global source), methylglyoxal (30 %), acetone (7 %), and a suite of other isoprene and terpene oxidation products (19 %). A diversity of NMVOC emissions is responsible for PAN formation globally including isoprene (37 %) and alkanes (14 %). Anthropogenic sources are dominant in the extratropical Northern Hemisphere outside the growing season. Open fires appear to play little role except at high northern latitudes in spring, although results are very sensitive to plume chemistry and plume rise. Lightning NOx is the dominant contributor to the observed PAN maximum in the free troposphere over the South Atlantic.

Airborne particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution in a background site in the North China Plain: concentration, size distribution, toxicity and sources

The size-fractionated characteristics of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were studied from January 2011 to October 2011 using a Micro-orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) at the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve (YRDNNR), a background site located in the North China Plain. The average annual concentration of total PAHs in the YRDNNR (18.95 ± 16.51 ng/m(3)) was lower than that in the urban areas of China; however, it was much higher than that in other rural or remote sites in developed countries. The dominant PAHs, which were found in each season, were fluorene (5.93%-26.80%), phenanthrene (8.17%-26.52%), fluoranthene (15.23%-27.12%) and pyrene (9.23%-16.31%). A bimodal distribution was found for 3-ring PAHs with peaks at approximately 1.0-1.8 μm and 3.2-5.6 μm; however, 4-6 ring PAHs followed a nearly unimodal distribution, with the highest peak in the 1.0-1.8 μm range. The mass median diameter (MMD) values for the total PAHs averaged 1.404, 1.467, 1.218 and 0.931 μm in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. The toxicity analysis indicated that the carcinogenic potency of particulate PAHs existed primarily in the <1.8 μm size range. Diagnostic ratios and PCA analysis indicated that the PAHs in aerosol particles were mainly derived from coal combustion. In addition, back-trajectory calculations demonstrated that atmospheric PAHs were produced primarily by local anthropogenic sources.

Aerosol ionic components at Mt. Heng in central southern China: abundances, size distribution, and impacts of long-range transport

Water-soluble ions in PM(2.5) were continuously measured, along with the measurements of many other species and collection of size-resolved aerosol samples, at the summit of Mt. Heng in the spring of 2009, to understand the sources of aerosols in rural central southern China. The mean concentrations of SO(4)(2-), NH(4)(+) and NO(3)(-) in PM(2.5) were 8.02, 2.94 and 1.47 μg/m(3), indicating a moderate aerosol pollution level at Mt. Heng. Water-soluble ions composed approximately 40% of the PM(2.5) mass on average. PM(2.5) was weakly acidic with about 66% of the samples being acidic. SO(4)(2-), NO(3)(-) and NH(4)(+) exhibited similar diurnal patterns with a broad afternoon maximum. SO(4)(2-) and NH(4)(+) were mainly present in the fine aerosols with a peak in the droplet mode of 0.56-1 μm, suggesting the important role of cloud processing in the formation of aerosol sulfate. NO(3)(-) was largely distributed in the coarse particles with a predominant peak in the size-bin of 3.2-5.6 μm. Long-distance transport of processed air masses, dust aerosols, and cloud/fog processes were the major factors determining the variations of fine aerosol at Mt. Heng. The results at Mt. Heng were compared with those obtained from our previous study at Mt. Tai in north China. The comparison revealed large differences in the aerosol characteristics and processes between southern and northern China. Backward trajectories indicated extensive transport of anthropogenic pollution from the coastal regions of eastern/northern China and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) to Mt. Heng in spring, highlighting the need for regionally coordinated control measures for the secondary pollutants.