Growing role of secondary organic aerosol in the North China Plain from 2014 to 2024
Abstract. Since the Clean Air Act was implemented in 2013, China has witnessed a reduction of over 50 % in the annual average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Despite these emission cuts, the formation mechanism of secondary organic aerosols (SOA), a crucial constituent of PM2.5, remains inadequately understood. In this study, we performed a model-assisted analysis of field sampling data collected in Shijiazhuang. The results show that, compared to 2014, the contribution of SOA to the total organics (from 27 % in 2014 to 87 % to in 2024) exceeded that of primary organic aerosol (POA) during the winter haze in 2024. Although the model underestimated the measured SOA levels, incorporating the transformation of transported POA into SOA under high relative humidity (RH) conditions helped bridge the gap between model predictions and on-site measurements. The increase in SOA contribution occurred amidst large emission reductions, which accounted for 70 % of the decline in POA levels, while meteorological factors contributed an additional 10 %. Increased contribution of SOA was also found in other North China Plains areas, which underscores the pressing necessity for coordinated regional initiatives to effectively mitigate SOA levels across the NCP, thereby tackling the transboundary nature of air pollution.
Authors
- Wei Huang
- Quan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0382-5764)
- Shu‐Jung Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6585-3894)
- Ru‐Jin Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4907-9616)
- Cheng Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9518-3628)
- Dan Dan Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2878-7469)
- Shengrong Lou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6059-2149)
- Zirui Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1939-9715)
- Qingshuang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1879-5553)
- Zhitao Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2150-5548)
- Chunshui Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3175-6778)
- Yan Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9731-4983)
- Yi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6848-3147)
- Hongli Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8746-3977)
- Wei Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9590-1906)
- Jiahua Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6889-2657)
- Jing Qu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3724-9737)
- Huinan Yang
- Yanan Zhan
- Jing Duan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2182-1847)
Institutions
- University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Hebei Meteorological Bureau (CN)
- Institute of Urban Environment (CN)
- Zhejiang Environmental Monitoring Center (CN)
- Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CN)
- Jilin Weather Modification Office (CN)
- Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Atmospheric Physics (CN)
- Institute of Earth Environment (CN)
- Dezhou University (CN)
- Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
Publication Details
- Published
- 2025-07-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2521
- Primary Topic
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China