Measurement report: Chemical components and 13C and 15N isotoperatios of fine aerosols over Tianjin, North China: year-round observations

To better understand the origins and seasonality of atmospheric aerosols in North China, we collected fine aerosols (PM2.5) at an urban site (Nankai District, ND) and a suburban site (Haihe Education Park, HEP) in Tianjin from July 2018 to July 2019. The PM2.5 was studied for carbonaceous, nitrogenous and ionic components and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of total carbon (delta(CTC)-C-13) and nitrogen (delta(NTN)-N-15). On average, the mass concentrations of PM2.5, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and water-soluble OC (WSOC) were higher in winter than in summer at both ND and HEP. SO42-, NO3- and NH4+ were the dominant ions, and their sum accounted for 89 % of the total ionic mass at ND and 87 % at HEP. NO3- and NH4+ peaked in winter and were at their minimum in summer, whereas SO42- was higher in summer than in all the other seasons at HEP and was comparable among the seasons, although it peaked in winter at ND. delta(CTC)-C-13 and delta(NTN)-N-15 were -26.5 %o to -21.9 %o and +1.01 %o to +22.8 %o at ND and -25.5 %o to -22.8 %o and +4.91 %o to +18.6 %o at HEP. Based on seasonal variations in the measured parameters, we found that coal and biomass combustion emissions are the dominant sources of PM2.5 in autumn and winter, while terrestrial and/or marine biological emissions are important in spring and summer in the Tianjin region, North China. In addition, our results implied that the secondary formation pathways of secondary organic aerosols in autumn/winter were different from those in spring/summer; i.e., they might be driven by NO3 radicals in the former period.

Automated summary

In this study, we collected PM2.5 and analyzed its composition and stable isotope ratios in Tianjin, China. The results showed higher concentrations of PM2.5, organic carbon, elemental carbon, and water-soluble organic carbon in winter compared to summer. The dominant ions were SO42-, NO3-, and NH4+, with different seasonal variations. Coal and biomass combustion emissions were the major sources of PM2.5 in autumn and winter, while terrestrial and/or marine biological emissions were important in spring and summer.