Origin, evolution, and distribution of atmospheric aerosol particles in Asia--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

Chen, P., Bi, X., Zhang, J., Wu, J., & Feng, Y. (2015). Assessment of heavy metal pollution characteristics and human health risk of exposure to ambient PM2.5 in Tianjin, China. Origin, evolution, and distribution of atmospheric aerosol particles in Asia, 20, 104–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2014.04.020

Origin, evolution, and distribution of atmospheric aerosol particles in Asia

Xuexi Tie (Guest Editor)^*

Key Laboratory of Aerosol Science and Technology, SKLLQG, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China

10.1016/j.partic.2015.01.001

Volume 20, June 2015, Pages 1-2

Available online 14 February 2015.

E-mail: xxtie@ucar.edu

Highlights

Abstract

In recent years, Asia became the region with the highest increase in rate of urbanization and economic development in the world. According to recent estimates from the United Nations, the world population will increase 36% between 2000 and 2030, leading to a doubling of the number of urban dwellers in less developed regions, like Asia. Such rapid economic development has many associated environmental problems, including development of heavy aerosol pollution over Asia. Aerosol particles have a direct radiative forcing effect on climate because they scatter and absorb solar and infrared radiation. They also act as cloud condensation nuclei, enhancing the formation of clouds and fogs, which impact on water cycles and visibility. Aerosol particles also have important impacts on human health.

Given their impact on climate and health, it is important to understand the origin, evolution, and distribution of aerosol particles. However, there are many challenges to this in the Asian region. As shown in Fig. 1, the very heavy aerosol pollution in the Asian region has very complex origins. Sources include mineral dust particles windswept from deserts in northern and western China, black carbon (BC) and organic carbon particles produced from biomass burning in Southeast Asia, as well as anthropogenic components from industrial emissions. The two regions with the highest aerosol pollution linked to anthropogenic sources are eastern China and northern India. Anthropogenic aerosols in these regions arise from industrial activities, traffic, and other energy uses. Thus, they have different source characteristics and different aerosol species (sulfate, nitrate, organic carbon, black carbon and mineral dust) with very different environmental impacts. There is a high level of uncertainty to their concentrations and distributions because of the difficulty in determining their anthropogenic versus natural fractions, and their spatiotemporal variations. Because of their wide-ranging potential consequences on human health, cultivated and natural ecosystems, visibility, weather, radiative forcing, and climate change, a special issue has been dedicated to study the origin, evolution, and distribution of these airborne particles in the Asian region.

Fig. 1. Satellite (MODIS) measurements of aerosol optical depth in the Asian region for March, 2012. Sources for significant concentrations are indicated on the map. Anthro. = anthropogenic source.

This special issue includes 13 papers, which cover several scientific topics, subdivided into the following categories: (1) characterization of local aerosol pollution, (2) numerical modelling of aerosol pollution, (3) analyses of the effects of climate change on aerosol pollution, (4) characterization of specific aerosol sources and their impacts on aerosol pollution, and (5) characterization of the effects of specific types of aerosol pollution on human health. Highlights from each of the five categories are listed below:

Category (1): The scientific highlights include investigation of the vertical distribution of PM (particular matter) in Guangzhou (a mega city in southern China) by Deng et al; characterization of BC in Jiaxing (in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region) by Shen et al.; analysis of the mixing state of carbon-containing particles in Nanjing (in the YRD region) by Zhu et al.; and isotopic carbon (δ13C, 14C) analysis of particles at Mt. Waliguan Observatory (a world background station) by Zheng et al.

Category (2): The scientific highlights include investigation of heavy aerosol pollution in Beijing using a regional dynamical/chemical model, i.e., the weather research and forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) by He et al.; application of a chemical data assimilation method to the WRF-Chem model to improve analysis of severe aerosol pollution events in Shanghai (a mega city in the YRD region) by Wu et al.; and a study of the variability of haze events in Shanghai using the WRF-Chem model by Zhou et al.

Category (3): The scientific highlights include analysis of the long-term trend in the planetary boundary layer and its relationship to fog occurrence in Tianjin (a mega city in northern China) by Zhang et al.; a meteorological overview and analysis of the effects of changes in meteorological conditions on severe aerosol pollution in Shanghai by Xu et al.; and a study of the effects of change in wind climate on aerosol distribution in Shanghai by Zhou et al.

Category (4): The scientific highlights include identification of non-local sources of BC and their effects on BC concentrations in Shanghai by He et al.; and the impacts of forest sources on PM2.5 aerosols in Sichuan (southwestern China) by Li et al.

Category (5): The scientific highlights include investigation of heavy metal pollution characteristics and its impacts on human health in northern China by Bi et al.

The above studies better our understanding of the regional causes of heavy aerosol pollution across China, and will contribute to mitigation of aerosol pollution in the Asian region.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

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