To explore the vertical distribution of the aerosol optical parameters over Jinhua City, southeast China, a Dual-wavelength Mie Polarization Raman Lidar (DMPRL) system was operated to obtain the atmospheric backscattering signals from June 2013 to May 2014. Profiles of aerosol occurrence frequency and aerosol optical parameters, including backscattering ratio, particle depolarization ratio, and color

The 2019-2020 Black Summer wildfires wrought destruction across Australia and exposed millions of people to air pollution. Using a new school-based observational network alongside long-standing observations, we provide the first assessment of spatiotemporal variations in Black Summer’s air pollution impacts across Sydney, including how meteorology modulated the severity and timing of these episodes

Soil moisture and precipitation are important parameters that influence Hg air-surface exchange at background sites, thereby influencing Hg distribution in the environment. Australia is a unique and understudied climatic region. Rainfall across the temperate regions of Australia is highly variable on both annual and inter-annual scales and is overall a relatively dry continent. As such, it is plausible

Particulate matter with a diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) is a critical air pollutant that adversely affects human health and the ecological environment. Using the data of daily air pollutant concentration and meteorological elements from 2013 to 2020 in Lanzhou, China, we employed the generalized additive model (GAM) and gradient boosting machine (GBM) approaches to analyze the relationship between PM2

Fine particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 1 μm (PM1) often exert a greater threaten on human health, and thus it is highly imperative to accurately characterize the spatiotemporal variation of PM1 concentrations and to assess the potential health risks. Our study attempted to predict the long-term full-coverage PM1 concentrations across China during 2004–2018 using a stacking decision tree

Implementation of stringent regulations on stationary and mobile sources at the local, state, and federal levels over the past two decades resulted in a substantial reduction of mass concentrations of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its carbonaceous content including elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) in California's South Coast Air Basin (SCAB). PM2.5, EC, and OC from sources

The atmospheric concentration of black carbon (BC) has paramount importance worldwide due to its role in global warming and its adverse effect on human health. Only limited information is available about BC concentration and emission factors from the Arabian/Persian Gulf region despite the presence of significant sources including petrochemical industry and maritime shipping. The atmospheric concentrations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread pollutants that are costly to measure with air quality instruments. We used a spatially balanced sample of an epiphytic moss, Orthotrichum lyellii, to develop fine-scale maps of atmospheric PAHs across residential areas of Portland, Oregon. The unusual abundance of this stress-tolerant species enabled us to systematically collect a large sample

The dry deposition process of nitrogen compounds still has considerable uncertainty due to the complex compound behavior in the atmosphere. To enhance understanding of the nitric acid (HNO3) dry deposition process that largely contributes to the total nitrogen deposition, we associate this process with the equilibrium shift of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) to HNO3 and ammonia (NH3) near the surface. We

Currently, only the mass of sub 2.5 μm and sub 10 μm particles (PM2.5, PM10) in ambient air is regulated and monitored closely, but the same increase in PM2.5 can cause different degrees of health effects in different cities (sometimes more harmful effects per unit mass in less polluted cities) (Li et al., 2019). In addition to mass concentration, other measurement metrics are needed to connect particle

Smog chamber experiments were conducted to explore the photochemical degradation of allyl acetate (AA) in the presence of SO2 and to assess the role of NOx on the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation potential. A one-product gas-particle partitioning absorption model was used to express the formed organic aerosol. The experimental results showed a clear dependence of SOA formation potential on

The rate constants for the reaction of OH radicals with six halogenated propenes—(Z)-CF3CCl = CHCl (k1), CHF2CF=CF2 (k2), (E)-CF3CH=CHF (k3), (Z)-CF3CH=CHF (k4), CH3CF=CH2 (k5), and CH2FCH=CH2 (k6)—were measured over 250–430 K using the absolute rate method. The Arrhenius expressions for the rate constants were determined as k1 = (9.30 ± 0.54) × 10−13 exp [−(180 ± 20)/T], k2 = (1.43 ± 0.04) × 10−12

Haze pollution occurs frequently in Xi'an-centerd Guanzhong Plain (GZP) in winter. In this study, a vehicle-based lidar system was used for monitoring the vertical distribution of aerosol particulates during a typical winter haze episode over GZP. Fixed-point lidar observations were combined with field observations of particle charging in Xi'an city to investigate the distribution of atmospheric particles

Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) co-occur with emissions of these gases from volcanic and urban environments. Therefore, it remains a challenge for the scientific community to identify the contamination sources and quantify the specific contributions. Stable isotopes have many applications in different fields under geosciences, including volcanology, environmental surveying, and climatology

Background Air pollution has already become a serious public health concern worldwide, while evidence for the association between air pollution and digestive disease is not consistent. Objective To examine the association between air pollution and peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB). Methods We performed a time-stratified case-crossover study among 1,246,270 gastroscopy records in Zhejiang, China from January

In recent years, extensive air pollution control measures have been adopted in China. Several studies have shown that the air quality has improved significantly in central and eastern parts of China since 2013. The transport contributions from emission sources in China to the PM2.5 mass burden in South Korea is therefore likely to change under the background of an emission flux decline. In this study

Post-processing techniques can provide significant improvement in the forecast skill of air quality models. In this study, the implementation of an analog-based technique to Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) coupled with Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model results is examined. WRF-CAMx runs with a 2-km horizontal grid increment over Greece for one month of every season

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethyldisulfide (DMDS) are precursors to products, like sulfuric acid and methanesulfonic acid (MSA), which are important to secondary aerosol formation. The formation and yields of particulate MSA and sulfuric acid from the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds is not well understood. In this study, a 37.5 cubic meter Teflon environmental chamber was utilized to study the

Over the past few years, marked increases in ground-level ozone (O3) concentration has been detected over much of eastern China. These high levels of O3 pollution have been demonstrated to be detrimental to human health and plant growth, which requires urgent control on China’s O3 pollution. Among the various control measures, diurnal regulations of VOCs were adopted in some regions in China. For example

Hebei is one of the most air-polluted provinces located in China. In this study, NOx, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and ozone (O3) observational data obtained at 7 monitoring sites in Hebei Province in the warm season (May to September) in 2019 were analyzed to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution, composition characteristics, and chemical reactivity of VOCs. Results indicated that VOCs

The aim of this investigation was to figure out the impacts of air mass origins on new particle formation (NPF) events and their cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) enhancement in a polluted atmosphere of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). We measured the NPF gaseous precursors, 1 nm to 10 μm particle number size distribution, and particle hygroscopicity during a 1-month intensive field campaign in summer

Background Ambient air pollution has been associated with respiratory diseases in children. However, little is known about its impact on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia. This systematic review investigates and summarises the associations between short- and long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and childhood respiratory diseases. Methods We conducted a systematic search of peer-reviewed

Ni in PM10 can contribute to health problems such as cardiovascular mortality at low ambient concentrations, and in the UK is measured through the Heavy Metals Network. Localised concentrations of nickel in PM10 have resulted in a Sheffield air quality monitoring station exceeding the EU target value of 20 ng/m3. Two localised sources of nickel have been identified; one relating to point source emissions

Polarized signal has been proven to be sensitive to the aerosol optical depth and aerosol microphysical parameters. However, in most current applications, the directions of polarization, which are expressed by the sign of polarization, have long been regarded as minor factor. In most remote sensing retrievals, the absolute values of negative polarizations are considered. Therefore, whether this neglection

HONO along with other trace gases and actinic flux were continuously measured in selected months from December 2015 to November 2016 near a major industrial zone of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China. The seasonalities of HONO and its formation mechanisms were explored. A box model was developed to assess the role of HONO chemistry in the atmospheric oxidative capacity in the study area

Mineral dust is an important player in global air quality and climate, but little is known about its variability and trends under the simultaneous influence of climate and land cover changes, particularly in East Asia where intense land cover change has occurred in recent decades. Here we determined the interannual variability and trends in dust emission from the main East Asian dust sources and examined

All conventional hygroscopicity parameter (κ) estimates are based on ammonium salts being the dominant salts, besides sea salt at marine locations. This grossly underestimates κ for highly polluted cities like New Delhi which is subjected to high mineral dust. To validate this hypothesis, the impact of mineral dust on κ was quantified following two mathematical approaches based on Mann-Kendall's test

Coastal southeast Florida experiences a wide range of aerosol conditions, including African dust, biomass burning (BB) aerosols, as well as sea salt and other locally-emitted aerosols. These aerosols are important sources of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), which play an essential role in governing cloud radiative properties. As marine environments dominate the surface of Earth, CCN characteristics

In 2020, most countries around the world have observed varying degrees of public lockdown measures to mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. As an unintended consequence of reduced transportation and industrial activities, air quality has dramatically improved in many major cities around the world. In this paper, we analyze the environmental impact of the lockdown measures on PM2.5 concentration

One of the multi-facet impacts of lockdowns during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic was restricted economic and transport activities. This has resulted in the reduction of air pollution concentrations observed globally. This study is aimed at examining the concentration changes in air pollutants (i.e., carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and particulate

Regional transport is one of the major causes of severe haze pollution in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region. However, the process of pollutant transport and the specific mechanisms that affect haze pollution in the BTH region remain unclear. In this study, the WRF-Chem model was used to quantify the contribution of regional transport to a severe pollution event over the BTH region that occurred

We assessed 2005─2018 data series of NO, NO2, and O3 surface measurements, meteorological data and remote sensing of tropospheric NO2 by OMI-NASA in the Guadalquivir Valley (GV, Andalucía). The GV is one of the Spanish atmospheric basins with the most exceedances of the EU's hourly O3 information threshold (180 μg O3 m−3). We aimed to deepen understanding of the phenomenology of O3 episodes in the

Close to two decades of NASA Earth Observing System satellite data and algorithms refinements present unique opportunity to revisit the attributions of variability of tropospheric pollutants to economic activity, as well as pollutants contribution to the anthropogenic radiative forcing. The nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of the top pollutants produced by industrial and power plants and traffic. That

Capturing the effects of the complex processes of chemical aging of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in chemical transport models (CTMs) has been challenging. Recent laboratory results from atmospheric simulation chambers are used in this study to develop a parameterization for biogenic SOA formation as a result of aging for use in CTMs using the Volatility Basis Set framework. This parameterization

Unsaturated alcohols and ketones are a category of oxygenated biogenic volatile organic compounds, which reacted with tropospheric ozone and then made a significant contribution to the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). However, the chemical pathways of their reaction with O3 are poorly understood. Hence, the reactions of O3 with three unsaturated alcohols and ketones were conducted in

With the implementation of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 in the U.S. and similar emission reduction measures in Canada, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) emissions in the eastern U.S. and Eastern Canada declined significantly during the period 1989–2016. Correspondingly, air quality over the region improved tremendously and sulfate, nitrate and acidity in precipitation

There have been growing concerns about mercury pollution in the global environment and better understanding of the source-receptor relationships for mercury deposition in the context of global change is greatly needed. We use a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to examine the source-receptor relationships between various regions as well as the impacts from changes in anthropogenic emissions