Atmospheric formaldehyde, glyoxal and their relations to ozone pollution under low- and high-NOx regimes in summertime Shanghai, China

With the increasing concerns on summertime atmospheric photochemical pollution, the diagnosis and prevention of ozone pollution have been paid close attention. Both formaldehyde (HCHO) and glyoxal (CHOCHO) are ubiquitous oxidation intermediates of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The ratio of glyoxal to formaldehyde (RGF) is used as a metric for VOCs emission sources. In this study, the mixing ratios of HCHO and CHOCHO have been measured by the active differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) method in the urban area of Shanghai during summertime in 2018, as well as other trace gases. The average levels of HCHO and CHOCHO are 3.31 +/- 1.43 ppbv and 0.164 +/- 0.073 ppbv, respectively. The similar diurnal patterns and high correlation between HCHO, CHOCHO and ozone levels implied that daytime photochemical processes are the dominant formation pathway for these trace gases. We find that with increased NOx levels, HCHO shows higher ozone formation potential relative to glyoxal. The RGF ratio increases with temperature and decreases with NO2 levels. By investigating the coupling of typical VOCs species such as acetylene, toluene and isoprene with HCHO and CHOCHO, RGF is found to be strongly impacted by the ambient VOCs profiles, suggesting that RGF should be used with caution when linking it to a given VOC precursor source. Finally, the RGF variations with ozone pollution episodes and weather processes are also discussed.

Automated summary

This study investigated the mixing ratios of HCHO and CHOCHO in the urban area of Shanghai during summertime in 2018 using the active DOAS method, finding average levels of 3.31+/-1.43 ppbv and 0.164+/-0.073 ppbv, respectively. The research indicated that daytime photochemical processes are the dominant formation pathway for these trace gases, with the RGF ratio influenced by temperature and NO2 levels.