Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Size distribution of light absorption of carbonaceous aerosols over rural, urban and industrial sites in a typical polluted city in Yangtze River Delta, China

  • Published:
Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The study on the light absorption of carbonaceous components is a research hotspot in the field of aerosol optical. Size distribution and lensing effect have great influence on the absorption of elemental carbon (EC) and brown carbon (BrC). However, few studies were conducted on the spatial variations of BC and BrC absorption with different size ranges in different regions. In this study, the mass concentration, absorption coefficient and mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of size-resolved carbonaceous components in three functional areas of Nanjing were compared based on offline sampling and experimental analysis. Bimodal and unimodal size distributions were found for EC and BrC mass concentrations at the three sites, respectively. Affected by the emission of diesel vehicles and aggregation condensation, high EC concentration in the size range of 0.56–1 μm was found at the suburban site. Due to the secondary formation from VOCs, high BrC concentration in the size range of 0.18–0.32 μm was observed at the industrial site. High EC concentration in the size range of 0.18–0.32 μm caused by diesel emission was the main reason for the high EC absorption in the regional area. Compared with vehicle emissions, the absorption capacity of secondary BrC was weaker. The variation of MAE values caused by various sources was the key factor leading to BrC absorption, which varied greatly in different regions. This study is helpful to understand the variation of light absorption of carbonaceous component and its source influence in a typical polluted city in the Yangtze River Delta, which provides important data support for the comprehensive evaluation of the role of aerosol light absorption in the change of radiative forcing in different regions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Data used in the present study can be obtained by contacting www.chendong8@163.com.

References

  • Bai Z, Cui X, Wang X et al (2018) Light absorption of black carbon is doubled at Mt. Tai and typical urban area in North China. Sci Total Environ 635:1144–1151

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Birch M, Cary R (1996) Elemental carbon-based method for monitoring occupational exposures to particulate diesel exhaust. Aerosol Sci Technol 25:221–241

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bond T, Bergstrom R (2006) Light absorption by carbonaceous particles: an investigative review. Aerosol Sci Technol 40(1):27–67

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cao J, Lee S, Chow J et al (2007) Spatial and seasonal distributions of carbonaceous aerosols over China. J Geophys Res 112:2156–2202

    Google Scholar 

  • Castro L, Pio C, Harrison R et al (1999) Carbonaceous aerosol in urban and rural European atmospheres: estimation of secondary organic carbon concentrations. Atmos Environ 33:2771–2781

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen D, Cui H, Zhao Y et al (2017) A two-year study of carbonaceous aerosols in ambient PM2.5 at a regional background site for western Yangtze River Delta, China. Atmos Res 183:351–361

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen D, Zhao Y, Lyu R et al (2019) Seasonal and spatial variations of optical properties of light absorbing carbon and its influencing factors in a typical polluted city in Yangtze River Delta, China. Atmos Environ 199:45–54

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen D, Zhao Y, Zhang J et al (2020) Characterization and source apportionment of aerosol light scattering in a typical polluted city in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Atmos Chem Phys 20:10193–10210

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen D, An Z, Zhao Q et al (2022) Study of variations in mass absorption efficiency of elemental carbon influenced by different measurement techniques and vehicle emission. Front Environ Sci 9:812039

  • Cheng Y, He K, Du Z et al (2016) The characteristics of brown carbon aerosol during winter in Beijing. Atmos Environ 127:355–364

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cui X, Wang X, Yang L et al (2016) Radiative absorption enhancement from coatings on black carbon aerosols. Sci Total Environ 51:551–552

    Google Scholar 

  • Du Z, He K, Cheng Y et al (2014) A yearlong study of water-soluble organic carbon in Beijing II: light absorption properties. Atmos Environ 89(2):235–241

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gramsch E, Reyes F, Oyola P et al (2014) Particle size distribution and its relationship to black carbon in two urban and one rural site in Santiago de Chile. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 64(7):785–796

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hallquist M, Wenger JC, Baltensperger U et al (2009) The formation, properties and impact of secondary organic aerosol: current and emerging issues. Atmos Chem Phys 9(14):5155–5236

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Han S, Kondo Y, Oshima N et al (2009) Temporal variations of elemental carbon in Beijing. J Geophys Res 114:D23202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu M, Deng Z, Wang Y et al (2008) Comparison of EC/OC in PM2.5 between filter sampling off-line analysis and in situ on-line measurement. Environ Sci 29:3297–3303

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang R, Yang L, Cao J et al (2018) Brown carbon aerosol in urban Xi’an, northwest China: the composition and light absorption properties. Environ Sci Technol 52:6825–6833

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang X, Yu J, He L et al (2006) Size distribution characteristics of elemental carbon emitted from Chinese vehicles: results of a tunnel study and atmospheric implications. Environ Sci Technol 40:5355–5360

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kimbrough S, Hanley T, Hagler G et al (2018) Influential factors affecting black carbon trends at four sites of differing distance from a major highway in Las Vegas. Air Qual Atmos Health 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-017-0519-3

  • Kondo Y, Komazaki Y, Miyazaki Y et al (2006) Temporal variations of elemental carbon in Tokyo. J Geophys Res 111(12):2193–2214

    Google Scholar 

  • Laskin A, Laskin J, Nizkorodov S et al (2015) Chemistry of atmospheric brown carbon. Chem Rev 115:4335–4382

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lei Y, Shen Z, Wang Q et al (2018) Optical characteristics and source apportionment of brown carbon in winter PM2.5 over Yulin in Northern China. Atmos Res 213:37–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li B, Zhang J, Zhao Y et al (2015) Seasonal variation of urban carbonaceous aerosols in a typical city Nanjing in Yangtze River Delta, China. Atmos Environ 106:223–231

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lim H, Turpin B (2002) Origins of primary and secondary organic aerosol in Atlanta: results of time-resolved measurements during the Atlanta supersite experiment. Environ Sci Technol 36:4489–4496

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu B, Bi X, Feng Y et al (2016) Fine carbonaceous aerosol characteristics at a megacity during the Chinese Spring Festival as given by OC/EC online measurements. Atmos Res 181:20–28

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Scheuer E, Dibb J et al (2015) Brown carbon aerosol in the North American continental troposphere: sources, abundance, and radiative forcing. Atmos Chem Phys 15:5959–6007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menon S, Hansen J, Nazarenko L et al (2002) Climate effects of black carbon aerosols in China and India. Science 297(5590):2250–2253

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seinfeld J, Pandis S (2006) Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change, John Wiley and Sons, USA

  • Shen Z, Zhang Q, Cao J et al (2017) Optical properties and possible sources of brown carbon in PM2.5 over Xi’an, China. Atmos Environ 150:322–330

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sumlin B, Heinson Y, Shetty N et al (2018) UV–Vis–IR spectral complex refractive indices and optical properties of brown carbon aerosol from biomass burning. J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 206:392–398

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun J, Xie C, Xu W et al (2021) Light absorption of black carbon and brown carbon in winter in North China Plain: comparisons between urban and rural sites. Sci Total Environ 770:144821

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Teich M, Van P, Wang M et al (2017) Contributions of nitrated aromatic compounds to the light absorption of water-soluble and particulate brown carbon in different atmospheric environments in Germany and China. Atmos Chem Phys 17:1653–1672

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang H, An J, Cheng M et al (2016) One year online measurements of water-soluble ions at the industrially polluted town of Nanjing, China: sources, seasonal and diurnal variations. Chemosphere 148:526–536

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Wang S, Wang J et al (2022) Significant contribution of coarse black carbon particles to light absorption in North China Plain. Environ Sci Technol Lett 9:134–139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu M, Guo Z, Liu F et al (2014) Size distributions of organic carbon and elemental carbon in Nanjing aerosol particles. Environ Sci 35:451–457

    Google Scholar 

  • Xing Z, Deng J, Mu C et al (2014) Seasonal variation of mass absorption efficiency of elemental carbon in the four major emission areas in China. Aerosol Air Qual Res 14:1897–1905

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu H, Wu C, Wu D et al (2009) Size distributions of elemental carbon and its contribution to light extinction in urban and rural locations in the Pearl River Delta region, China. Atmos Chem Phys 10:5107–5119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Favez O, Canonaco F et al (2018) Evidence of major secondary organic aerosol contribution to lensing effect black carbon absorption enhancement. npj Clim Atmos Sci 1:1–8

  • Zhao S, Yin D, Yu Y et al (2021) PM1 chemical composition and light absorption properties in urban and rural areas within Sichuan Basin, southwest China. Environ Pollut 280:116970

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhi G, Cai J, Yang J et al (2015) Origin, properties, measurement and emission estimation of brown carbon aerosols. Res Environ Sci 28(12):1797–1814

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhong J, Zhai CZ, Yu JY, Xu LP, PengChen CI (2016) Concentration characteristics of black carbon aerosol and its impact factors in Chongqing core area. Chin J Environ Eng 10(2):6

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

For support, we thank the National Key Research and Development Project (No. 2018YFC0213803), Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Daily Funds (No. 2020Z362), Jiangsu Provincial Fund on PM2.5 and O3 pollution mitigation (No. 2019023), Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (No. 19KJB180003) and the Program B for Outstanding Candidates of Nanjing University (Nos. 201702B056 and 201702B058).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of the Environment, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210033, China

    Dong Chen

  2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu Province Academy of Environmental Science, Nanjing, 210036, China

    Dong Chen, Qiuyue Zhao, Sijia Xia & Li Li

  3. School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, China

    Miao Guan

Authors
  1. Dong Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Qiuyue Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sijia Xia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Li Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Miao Guan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

DC handled the methodology, investigation, data analyses and writing of the original draft. MG took part in the investigation, writing the original draft and resource acquisition. QZ, SX and LL performed the data analyses and were responsible for project administration and funding acquisition.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Dong Chen or Miao Guan.

Ethics declarations

Consent to participate

The authors declare consent to participate.

Ethics approval

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

The authors declare consent for publication.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chen, D., Zhao, Q., Xia, S. et al. Size distribution of light absorption of carbonaceous aerosols over rural, urban and industrial sites in a typical polluted city in Yangtze River Delta, China. Air Qual Atmos Health 15, 1953–1961 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-022-01229-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-022-01229-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation