The impact of carbonaceous and inorganic aerosols on haze dynamics: Insights from size-resolved analysis

IF 3.7 2区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Atmospheric Environment Pub Date : 2025-10-02 DOI:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121590

Yen Thi-Hoang Le , Hanjin Yoo , Haeju Lee , Seeun Park , Ki-Joon Jeon

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Understanding size-resolved physicochemical characteristics of atmospheric aerosols is pivotal for elucidating their formation mechanisms, behavior, and atmospheric fate. However, most aerosol studies rely on mass-based methods, which often underestimate the contribution of ultrafine and submicron particles due to their low mass fractions. Despite their small mass, these particles dominate the aerosol number concentrations and play a critical role in atmospheric chemical processes. Herein, we investigate the size-resolved characteristics of submicron aerosols, focusing on three major components: carbon, nitrate, and sulfate, using an integrated analytical approach that combines particle size distribution (PSD) and chemical composition analytical analysis. Online PSD measurements and offline size-segregated aerosol sampling were simultaneously performed using an electrical low-pressure impactor (ELPI+), covering aerodynamic diameters from 6 nm to 1.64 μm. Raman spectroscopy was applied to investigate the chemical composition of size-resolved samples. This integrated approach was applied during a winter haze event. Our results indicate that ultrafine carbonaceous particles, primarily from local traffic emissions, dominated the concentration of submicron aerosols. In contrast, secondary inorganic aerosols (sulfate and nitrate) were prominent in the accumulation mode, forming heterogeneously on pre-existing particles’ surfaces. Nitrate concentrations were particularly elevated during daytime haze periods and coexisted with highly oxidized carbonaceous particles. The observed evolution in carbonaceous aerosol oxidation states and mixing characteristics contributed to enhanced atmospheric reactions, light absorption and scattering modification, and reduced visibility, which are key drivers of haze formation. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the integrated analytical approach for advancing our understanding of submicron aerosol behavior and their role in air pollution and climate.

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碳质和无机气溶胶对雾霾动力学的影响：来自尺寸分辨分析的见解

了解大气气溶胶的大小分辨物理化学特征是阐明其形成机制，行为和大气命运的关键。然而，大多数气溶胶研究依赖于基于质量的方法，由于超细和亚微米颗粒的低质量分数，这些方法往往低估了它们的贡献。尽管它们的质量很小，但这些颗粒在气溶胶数量浓度中占主导地位，并在大气化学过程中发挥关键作用。在此，我们研究了亚微米气溶胶的尺寸分辨特征，重点研究了三种主要成分：碳、硝酸盐和硫酸盐，采用了结合粒径分布（PSD）和化学成分分析分析的综合分析方法。使用电子低压冲击器（ELPI+）同时进行在线PSD测量和离线尺寸分离气溶胶采样，覆盖空气动力学直径从6 nm到1.64 μm。采用拉曼光谱法研究了尺寸分辨样品的化学成分。这种综合方法在冬季雾霾事件中得到应用。我们的研究结果表明，主要来自当地交通排放的超细碳质颗粒主导了亚微米气溶胶的浓度。相反，二次无机气溶胶（硫酸盐和硝酸盐）在积累模式中突出，在预先存在的颗粒表面上不均匀地形成。硝酸盐浓度在白天雾霾期间特别高，并与高度氧化的碳质颗粒共存。观测到的含碳气溶胶氧化态和混合特性的演变导致大气反应增强、光吸收和散射改变以及能见度降低，这些都是霾形成的关键驱动因素。这些发现证明了综合分析方法在促进我们对亚微米气溶胶行为及其在空气污染和气候中的作用的理解方面的有效性。

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来源期刊

Atmospheric Environment 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

9.40

自引率

8.00%

发文量

458

审稿时长

53 days

期刊介绍： Atmospheric Environment has an open access mirror journal Atmospheric Environment: X, sharing the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review. Atmospheric Environment is the international journal for scientists in different disciplines related to atmospheric composition and its impacts. The journal publishes scientific articles with atmospheric relevance of emissions and depositions of gaseous and particulate compounds, chemical processes and physical effects in the atmosphere, as well as impacts of the changing atmospheric composition on human health, air quality, climate change, and ecosystems.