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Atmosphere
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Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Urban Air Pollution
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Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Urban Air Pollution

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Pollution Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 7917

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Honglei Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Atmospheric Physics, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, China
Interests: aerosol; new particle formation; cloud precipitation physics; aerosol-cloud interaction; aircraft observation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lijuan Shen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental and Resesource Sciences, Wuxi University, Wuxi, China
Interests: ozone; air pollution mechanism; atmospheric chemistry model; aerosol; new particle formation
Dr. Xugeng Cheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
Interests: air pollution; atmospheric model; climate change; ozone; PM2.5

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the symbol of modern civilization and social progress, cities are significant economic and social development centers. The problem of air pollution in urban regions, accompanied by the progression of urban resources, population and education, has received increasing attention in recent decades. The anthropogenic pollution emissions in urban areas are complex and concentrated, resulting in the development of compound pollution characteristics in urban air pollution. Therefore, clarifying the characteristics of urban air pollution and the sources of air pollutants is very important for us to control urban air pollution.

To fully understand the characteristics and source apportionment of urban air pollution, a large amount of monitoring data (ground, aircraft, and satellite) and multiple models (box, regional, and global) are required. This Special Issue aims to cover all theoretical, observational, experimental, and modeling studies that present new knowledge of air pollution in urban atmospheric environments.

Areas covered in our scope may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sources and formation mechanisms of air pollution in urban, including how pollutants are transformed or removed through transport, chemical reactions and photolysis and the rates of formation and conversion of air pollutants via atmospheric responses;
  • The application of remote sensing monitoring technology in air pollution and ecology, including air pollution remote sensing, data-processing, phenomena and evolution of ecosystems and environments, classification and object analysis, etc.;
  • Air pollution physical and chemical processes affecting climate and ecosystem, including aerosol pollution, biomass burning, dust, ozone, multiphase chemistry, etc.;
  • Interaction mechanism between atmospheric physical processes and atmospheric pollutants, the interaction mechanism between atmospheric physical processes and transport, chemical transformation and removal of atmospheric pollutants, and the interaction of air pollutants with clouds and radiation.

Dr. Honglei Wang
Dr. Lijuan Shen
Dr. Xugeng Cheng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • source apportionment
  • air quality
  • air pollution
  • urban
  • aerosol
  • ozone
  • black carbon

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 4955 KiB  
Article
Phenomenology of the Composition of PM2.5 at an Urban Site in Northern France
by Yamina Allouche, Marc Fadel, Amélie Ferté, Anthony Verdin, Frédéric Ledoux and Dominique Courcot
Atmosphere 2024, 15(5), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15050603 - 15 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1151
Abstract
In this work, PM2.5 was sampled at Dunkerque, a medium-sized city located in northern France. The mean concentration of PM2.5 during the sampling period was 12.6 ± 9.5 μg·m−3. Samples were analyzed for elemental and organic carbon (EC/OC), water-soluble [...] Read more.
In this work, PM2.5 was sampled at Dunkerque, a medium-sized city located in northern France. The mean concentration of PM2.5 during the sampling period was 12.6 ± 9.5 μg·m−3. Samples were analyzed for elemental and organic carbon (EC/OC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), humic-like substances (HULIS-C), water-soluble inorganic ions, and major and trace elements. The origin and the variations of species concentrations were examined using elemental enrichment factors, bivariate polar plot representations, and diagnostic concentration ratios. Secondary inorganic ions were the most abundant species (36% of PM2.5), followed by OC (12.5% of PM2.5). Secondary organic carbon (SOC) concentrations were estimated to account for 52% of OC. A good correlation between SOC and WSOC indicated that secondary formation processes significantly contribute to the WSOC concentrations. HULIS-C also represents almost 50% of WSOC. The determination of diagnostic ratios revealed the influence of anthropogenic emission sources such as integrated steelworks and fuel oil combustion. The clustering of 72 h air masses backward trajectories data evidenced that higher concentrations of PM2.5, OC, and secondary inorganic aerosols were recorded when air masses came from north-eastern Europe and the French continental sector, showing the considerable impact of long-range transport on the air quality in northern France. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Urban Air Pollution)
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16 pages, 3722 KiB  
Article
Pollution Characteristics and Sources of Ambient Air Dustfall in Urban Area of Beijing
by Yin Zhou, Beibei Li, Yuhu Huang, Yu Zhao, Hongling Yang and Jianping Qin
Atmosphere 2024, 15(5), 544; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15050544 - 29 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1115
Abstract
Since 2016, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Beijing Municipal Government have adjusted the minimum concentration limit for ambient air dustfall several times, indicating that they attach great importance to dustfall. To grasp the pollution characteristics and sources of dustfall, in [...] Read more.
Since 2016, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Beijing Municipal Government have adjusted the minimum concentration limit for ambient air dustfall several times, indicating that they attach great importance to dustfall. To grasp the pollution characteristics and sources of dustfall, in this work, the filtration method was used to determine the insoluble dustfall and water-soluble dustfall in the urban area of Beijing. From our analysis, the influence of the meteorological parameters on dustfall was found, and the chemical components of dustfall were determined. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was also utilized to analyze the sources of dustfall. The results indicated that the average amount of dustfall in 2021–2022 was 4.4 t·(km2·30 d)−1, and the proportion of insoluble dustfall deposition was 82.4%. Dustfall was positively correlated with the average wind speed and temperature and negatively correlated with the relative humidity and rain precipitation. The impact of the meteorological parameters on insoluble dustfall and water-soluble dustfall was the opposite. The average proportions of crustal material, ions, organic matter, element carbon, trace elements, and unknown components were 48%, 16%, 14%, 1.4%, 0.20%, and 20%, respectively. The proportions of the crustal material and ions were the highest in spring (57%) and summer (37%). The contribution rates of fugitive dust source, secondary inorganic source, mobile source, coal combustion source, snow melting agent source, and other sources were 42.4%, 19.3%, 8.3%, 3.0%, 2.7%, and 24.3%, respectively. This study supported dustfall pollution control by analysing the pollutant characteristics and sources of dustfall from the standpoint of total chemical components. In order to better control dustfall pollution, control measures and evaluation standards for fugitive dust pollution should be formulated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Urban Air Pollution)
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23 pages, 9412 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Surface Ozone Variability in Mountainous Forest Areas and Lowland Urban Areas in Southeast China
by Xue Jiang, Xugeng Cheng, Jane Liu, Zhixiong Chen, Hong Wang, Huiying Deng, Jun Hu, Yongcheng Jiang, Mengmiao Yang, Chende Gai and Zhiqiang Cheng
Atmosphere 2024, 15(5), 519; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15050519 - 24 Apr 2024
Viewed by 915
Abstract
The ozone (O3) variations in southeast China are largely different between mountainous forest areas located inland, and lowland urban areas located near the coast. Here, we selected these two kinds of areas to compare their similarities and differences in surface O [...] Read more.
The ozone (O3) variations in southeast China are largely different between mountainous forest areas located inland, and lowland urban areas located near the coast. Here, we selected these two kinds of areas to compare their similarities and differences in surface O3 variability from diurnal to seasonal scales. Our results show that in comparison with the lowland urban areas (coastal areas), the mountainous forest areas (inland areas) are characterized with less human activates, lower precursor emissions, wetter and colder meteorological conditions, and denser vegetation covers. This can lead to lower chemical O3 production and higher O3 deposition rates in the inland areas. The annual mean of 8-h O3 maximum concentrations (MDA8 O3) in the inland areas are ~15 μg·m−3 (i.e. ~15%) lower than that in the coastal areas. The day-to-day variation in surface O3 in the two types of the areas is rather similar, with a correlation coefficient of 0.75 between them, suggesting similar influences on large scales, such as weather patterns, regional O3 transport, and background O3. Over 2016–2020, O3 concentrations in all the areas shows a trend of “rising and then falling”, with a peak in 2017 and 2018. Daily MDA8 O3 correlates with solar radiation most in the coastal areas, while in the inland areas, it is correlated with relative humidity most. Diurnally, during the morning, O3 concentrations in the inland areas increase faster than in the coastal areas in most seasons, mainly due to a faster increase in temperature and decrease in humidity. While in the evening, O3 concentrations decrease faster in the inland areas than in the coastal areas, mostly attributable to a higher titration effect in the inland areas. Seasonally, both areas share a double-peak variation in O3 concentrations, with two peaks in spring and autumn and two valleys in summer and winter. We found that the valley in summer is related to the summer Asian monsoon that induces large-scale convections bringing local O3 upward but blocking inflow of O3 downward, while the one in winter is due to low O3 production. The coastal areas experienced more exceedance days (~30 days per year) than inland areas (~5-10 days per year), with O3 sources largely from the northeast. Overall, the similarities and differences in O3 concentrations between inland and coastal areas in southeastern China are rather unique, reflecting the collective impact of geographic-related meteorology, O3 precursor emissions, and vegetation on surface O3 concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Urban Air Pollution)
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17 pages, 2865 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Air Pollutants during the Two COVID-19 Lockdown Periods in Winter 2019 and Spring 2022 in Shanghai, China
by Yingxuan Li, Yanrong Yang and Leying Zhang
Atmosphere 2024, 15(4), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15040443 - 3 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1389
Abstract
During the winter of 2019, the global outbreak of COVID-19 prompted extensive research on urban air pollution under lockdown measures. However, these studies predominantly focused on winter conditions, thereby limiting investigations into changes in urban air pollutants during other seasons that were also [...] Read more.
During the winter of 2019, the global outbreak of COVID-19 prompted extensive research on urban air pollution under lockdown measures. However, these studies predominantly focused on winter conditions, thereby limiting investigations into changes in urban air pollutants during other seasons that were also subject to lockdown restrictions. Shanghai, China, has undergone two COVID-19 lockdown periods in two seasons: winter 2019 and spring 2022. The seasonal variations and human activities were represented by meteorological factors and nighttime light brightness in this paper, respectively. The reduction in human-related emissions during the two lockdown periods was estimated based on the targets outlined in China’s Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan. The results showed significant reductions in NO2 and PM particles during the two lockdown periods, both accompanied by a notable increase in O3 concentration. In comparison to the winter lockdown, there was an approximate 40% decrease in the NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations in the spring, while the O3 concentration exhibited an increase of 48.81%. Furthermore, due to shifting wind patterns during the two lockdowns from winter to spring, the high-pollution core areas shifted 20–25 km southeastward in the spring. The PM particles and NO2 concentrations exhibited a considerable impact from human activities, whereas the O3 concentration was affected mostly by seasonal change and interactions among air pollutants. Compared to the corresponding non-lockdown condition, the concentration of CO decreased during the winter lockdown; however, it increased during the spring lockdown. The different change in CO concentration during the two lockdown periods was found to have a lower effect on the O3 concentration than that caused by changes in meteorological factors and nitrogen oxide (NO, NO2) concentrations. In summary, the impact of COVID-19 lockdown periods on urban air pollutants was more pronounced in spring compared to winter, and the interactions among air pollutants also underwent alterations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Urban Air Pollution)
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14 pages, 4190 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Influencing Factors and Sources of Brown Carbon Light Absorption in a Typical Megacity of the Yangtze River Delta, China
by Shanshu Xu, Junfeng Wang, Yue’e Li, Ning Zhang, Xinlei Ge and Eleonora Aruffo
Atmosphere 2024, 15(4), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15040421 - 28 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1173
Abstract
Brown carbon (BrC) is a new term for organic aerosol (OA) with strong absorption ability from the visible to ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, which plays a vital role in atmospheric visibility and climate change. Herein, we report field measurements from 1 March 2020 to [...] Read more.
Brown carbon (BrC) is a new term for organic aerosol (OA) with strong absorption ability from the visible to ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, which plays a vital role in atmospheric visibility and climate change. Herein, we report field measurements from 1 March 2020 to 28 February 2021, sampled at urban Suzhou, Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China, to investigate the optical properties and sources of BrC. By analyzing the seasonal characteristics of the absorption of BrC at 370 nm (babs370), babs370 was found to be the highest (9.0 ± 7.2 Mm−1) in winter and the lowest (5.1 ± 3.3 Mm−1) in summer, respectively. The absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) value of BrC in winter was 1.22 ± 0.05, followed by 1.21 ± 0.05, 1.20 ± 0.05, and 1.19 ± 0.05 for fall, spring, and summer, respectively. The mass absorption cross-section (MAC) of secondary organic carbon (SOC) was 3.3 ± 0.2 m2g−1 in spring, 2.9 ± 0.1 m2g−1 in summer, 4.3 ± 0.1 m2g−1 in fall, and 2.8 ± 0.2 m2g−1 in winter, significantly lower than that of primary organic carbon (POC) at 370 nm, suggesting the aging process could weaken the light absorption of BrC. Five different BrC factors were identified by the positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis, including biomass-burning-related, vehicle-related, sulfate-related, nitrate-related, and dust-related factors, which on average account for 7.4%, 73.4%, 11.9%, 1.9%, and 5.4% of babs370, respectively. Potential Source Contribution Factor (PSCF) analysis showed that those high babs370 periods were mainly contributed by air mass from the south. Moreover, for the influence degree of the potential source areas, the sequence was winter > spring > fall > summer. Our results improve the understanding of BrC in an important industrial city in YRD, which could reduce the uncertainty of the prediction of its climate effect in this region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Urban Air Pollution)
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16 pages, 6201 KiB  
Article
Influence of Wind Flows on Surface O3 Variation over a Coastal Province in Southeast China
by Yukun Shen, Jane Liu, Zhixiong Chen, Mengmiao Yang, Lei Shu, Chende Gai and Yongcheng Jiang
Atmosphere 2024, 15(3), 262; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15030262 - 22 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1256
Abstract
Surface ozone (O3) is influenced not only by anthropogenic emissions but also by meteorological factors, with wind direction being one of the most overlooked factors. Here, we combine the observational data of both O3 and wind flow to compare the [...] Read more.
Surface ozone (O3) is influenced not only by anthropogenic emissions but also by meteorological factors, with wind direction being one of the most overlooked factors. Here, we combine the observational data of both O3 and wind flow to compare the variation in surface O3 with wind direction between coastal and inland regions of Fujian, a province in the southeast coast of China with complicated topography. We further conduct a numerical simulation using a global chemical transport model, GEOS-Chem, to interpret the observational results, explore the linkages between these O3 variations and wind flows, and identify the dominant processes for the occurrence of high O3 that varies with wind flows. The results from the observations over 2015–2021 suggest that, over coastal regions, surface O3 concentrations show a strong dependence on wind flow changes. On average, during the daytime, when southeasterly winds prevail, the mean of O3 concentrations reaches 83.5 μg/m3, which is 5.0 μg/m3 higher than its baseline values (the mean O3 concentrations), while the northwesterly winds tend to reduce surface O3 by 6.4 μg/m3. The positive O3 anomalies with southeasterly wind are higher in the autumn and summer than in the spring and winter. During the nighttime, the onshore northeasterly winds are associated with enhanced O3 levels, likely due to the airmass containing less NO2, alleviating the titration effects. Over inland regions, however, surface O3 variations are less sensitive to wind flow changes. The GEOS-Chem simulations show that the prevailing southeasterly and southwesterly winds lead to the positive anomaly of chemical reactions of O3 over coastal regions, suggesting enhanced photochemical production rates. Furthermore, southeasterly winds also aid in transporting more O3 from the outer regions into the coastal regions of Fujian, which jointly results in elevated surface O3 when southeasterly winds dominates. When affected by wind flows in different directions, the chemical reaction and transport in the inland regions do not exhibit significant differences regarding their impact on O3. This could be one of the reasons for the difference in O3 distribution between coastal and inland regions. This study could help to deepen our understanding of O3 pollution and aid in providing an effective warning of high-O3 episodes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Urban Air Pollution)
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