Characteristics, loss and gain of atmospheric carbonyl compounds in winters of 2008-2010 in Pearl River Delta region, China

Formaldehyde (HCHO), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) and acetone (CH3COCH3) were measured at Wanqingsha (WQS) in south China during November-December 2008-2010. Carbonyl compound pollution characteristics under the influence of the financial crisis (FC) were studied. Atmospheric carbonyl compound concentrations in the 2008 and 2009 sampling periods were affected by the 2008 FC. The industrial downturn plus the high closing down number of the small enterprises with limited emission treatment during the FC played an important role in the reduction of the industry-related CH3CHO and CH3COCH3. In 2010, the recovery of industrial activities occurred, but affected by traffic restriction enforcement in Guangzhou over the Asian Games period, HCHO concentration (daytime 7.59 +/- 2.59 mu g m(-3)) was lower than expectation. Carbonyl compounds in WQS site were highly influenced by regional pollution transport from different upwind urban cities and industrial districts in the north-northwest to northeast wind sector in winter. Also, the interaction of the winter monsoon with the warm ocean along the coastline as well as day and night boundary layer mixing height variation affected carbonyl compound concentrations in WQS. The daytime mean dry deposition losses of HCHO and CH3CHO were first time model-estimated for 2009 and 2010. For loss of HCHO in the early afternoon, photolysis was the dominant sink, followed by dry deposition and removal by OH radical (aEuro cent OH), while for CH3CHO, dry deposition was dominant. For the gain of HCHO and CH3CHO, the production rates during early afternoon in 2009 and 2010 were estimated by an indirect approach.