Investigating atmospheric nitrate sources and formation pathways between heating and non-heating seasons in urban North China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15550482 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xiao Yan (0009-0009-5758-2578, State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research), Beibei Hu (0000-0002-9274-7093, Tianjin Normal University, corresponding author), Yilan Li (0000-0001-5706-0088, East China Normal University), Guitao Shi (0000-0003-1702-6322, East China Normal University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 034006-034006 |
| Publication date | 2023-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/acb805 |
| OpenAlex | W4318762878 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 53 |
In urban North China, nitrate ( NO 3 − ) is a primary contributor to haze formation. So far, the production processes and source apportionments of atmospheric NO 3 − during the heating season (i.e. the wintertime) have not yet been well understood. This study determined δ 15 N– NO 3 − , δ 18 O– NO 3 − , and Δ 17 O– NO 3 − of aerosol samples to compare the potential sources and formation pathways of atmospheric NO 3 − during heating (November to March) and non-heating (April to May) seasons. Combining stable isotope composition with the MixSIAR model based on Δ 17 O– NO 3 − showed that NO 3 + DMS/HC (dimethyl sulfate/hydrocarbon) pathway was the dominant process of atmospheric nitrate formation during the heating season (mean = 52.88 ± 16.11%). During the non-heating season, the contributions of NO 3 + DMS/HC (mean = 37.89 ± 13.57%) and N 2 O 5 + H 2 O (mean = 35.24 ± 3.75%) pathways were comparable. We found that Δ 17 O– NO 3 − was negatively correlated with wind speed and positively correlated with relative humidity during the heating season, possibly associated with the sources and production of atmospheric NO 3 − . In specific, in a dust storm event, the very low Δ 17 O– NO 3 − is likely associated with particles from land surface. Under the premise of considering 15 N fractionation, the constraint-based on δ 15 N– NO 3 − illustrated that coal combustion was the major source of NO x emission during the heating season, and the relative contribution of coal combustion decreased rapidly from the heating season (mean = 42.56 ± 15.50%) to the non-heating season (mean = 21.86 ± 4.91%). Conversely, the proportion of NO x emitted by soil microbes rose significantly from the heating (mean = 9.67 ± 5.99%) to non-heating season (mean = 24.02 ± 11.65%). This study revealed differences in the sources and formation processes of atmospheric NO 3 −</mml:mo
Algorithm · Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics · Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols · Computer Science · Marine and coastal ecosystems
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |