Analysis of Non-linear Relationship of PM2.5 Mass Concentration with Aerosol Extinction Coefficient and RH in Hefei, China

Abstract

Optical remote sensing of PM2.5 concentration complements ground-based in situ sampler observations and depends on aerosol extinction-to-mass conversion and meteorological factors. Based on Mie scattering theory, we derived a non-linear analytical expression among the PM2.5 mass concentration, aerosol extinction coefficient, and hygroscopic factor. We analyzed 1-year data of aerosol size distribution, PM2.5, visibility, and relative humidity (RH) and refined the exponential factors for improving PM2.5 estimated from the aerosol extinction coefficient in Hefei, China. Aerosol size distribution data on adjacent days were used to approximate the hygroscopic factors of the aerosols. The measured PM2.5 in 2020 was used to refine the exponential factors relevant to the large aerosol extinction coefficient and RH in the analytical function. Next, we evaluated the derived PM2.5 from aerosol extinction with the tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM), which independently observed PM2.5 in January 2021; their comparisons indicated good consistency and strong correlation with a linear correlation coefficient of R2=0.76. Finally, by applying the analytical function of PM2.5 and aerosol extinction, we obtained the spatial and vertical distribution of PM2.5 from the NASA/CALIPSO-observed aerosol extinction profiles, which showed reasonable agreement and good correlation with the TEOM-measured PM2.5 in several major cities in Anhui Province, China.