Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 14445–14464, 2018 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14445-2018 © Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Air quality in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River channel: a cruise campaign Zhong Li1, Chunlin Li1,2, Xingnan Ye1, Hongbo Fu1, Lin Wang1, Xin Yang1, Xinke Wang3, Zhuohui Zhao4, Haidong Kan4, Abdelwahid Mellouki5, and Jianmin Chen1,4 1Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, Fudan Tyndall Center, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China 2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel 3Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 CNRS, IRCELYON, 69626, Villeurbanne, France 4School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China 5Institut de Combustion, Aérothermique, Réactivité et Environnement, CNRS, 45071 Orléans CEDEX 02, France Correspondence: Jianmin Chen ([email protected]) Received: 3 March 2018 – Discussion started: 25 April 2018 Revised: 10 August 2018 – Accepted: 3 September 2018 – Published: 10 October 2018 Abstract. The Yangtze River is the longest river in China; of levoglucosan in PM2:5 and the CO column level from nearly one-third of the national population lives along the satellite observation were greatly enhanced in the rural ar- river. Air quality over the Yangtze River is important as it eas (Anhui and Jiangxi), indicating that biomass burning may may have significant influences on the aquatic ecosystem, make a remarkable contribution to rural areas. The concen- the health of everyone living along the Yangtze River, and trations of typical tracer for heavy oil (V and Ni) signifi- regional climate change. Chemical compositions of ambient cantly increased in the Shanghai port, which was mainly as- aerosol were determined during a comprehensive cruise cam- cribed to ship emissions, based on the air mass source analy- paign carried out along the mid–lower reaches of the Yangtze sis and the relatively high ratio of V = Ni as well. The results River (MLYR) in winter of 2015. The total average concen- shown herein portray a good picture of air pollution along the −3 tration of PM2:5 was 119:29 ± 33:67 µg m , and the dom- Yangtze River. 2− inant ionic composition in PM2:5 was SO4 with an aver- ± −3 − age concentration of 15:21 6:69 µg m , followed by NO3 ± −3 C ± −3 2C (13:76 4:99 µg m ), NH4 (9:38 4:35 µg m ), and Ca (2:23 ± 1:24 µg m−3) in this cruise. Based on the filter sam- 1 Introduction ples, the concentration and chemical composition of PM2:5 were remarkably varied or fluctuated from coastal areas to The Yangtze River is the longest river in China, originating inland over the MLYR region. Crustal elements (Ca, Mg, from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and extending to the East Al, and K) from floating dust showed peak concentrations China Sea, and it drains an area of 1 808 500 km2, which is in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, while secondary China’s great granary, and feeds nearly one-third of the na- 2− − C tional population (Liu et al., 2017; Jiang et al., 2008). Cur- inorganic species (SO4 , NO3 , and NH4 ) and some of the most enriched elements (Pb, As, Se, and Cd) presented high rently, three dense city agglomerations, including Wuhan, levels in central China (Wuhan region). The significant corre- Nanjing, and Shanghai (WNS), which are the centers of 2− economy, transportation, politics, and culture in central and lation between Se and SO4 suggested that coal combustion may play an important role in secondary inorganic aerosol eastern China, and all of which are home to larger petro- formation. The relatively high enrichment factors (EFs) of chemical complexes and/or steel industry, have formed along Ca (EFs > 100) suggested the crustal elements may derive both shores of the mid–lower reaches of the Yangtze River from anthropogenic sources. Furthermore, the concentration (MLYR). The MLYR region is one of the most developed and economically vibrant regions in China, accounting for Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 14446 Z. Li et al.: Air quality in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River channel 34.13 % of China’s total GDP in 2015. Owing to fast eco- The MLYR region faces the most complex anthropogenic nomic development and industrialization, this region has be- emission sources, including a variety of power plants, large come one of the most polluted areas in China (X. Xu et al., petrochemical and steel industries, and farmland distributed 2016). along both banks of the Yangtze River, as well as ship emis- Fine aerosol particles have become more important in re- sions. It was well documented that ship emissions displayed cent years due to their negative effects on human health, agri- a significant impact on regional air quality, particularly in culture, and climate change (Wang et al., 2012; Kang et al., traffic hubs and harbors (Pandis et al., 1999; Becagli et al., 2013; Pöschl, 2005; Seaton et al., 1995; Ackerman et al., 2017; Zhan et al., 2014). The contribution and effect of ship 2004; Stier et al., 2005; Chameides et al., 1999; Novakov emissions to local air pollution, especially PM, have been and Penner, 1993; Jones et al., 1994). Numerous field obser- briefly analyzed at regional to global levels (Jalkanen et al., vations related to fine particles have been conducted in the 2016; Zhan et al., 2014; Pandis et al., 1999; Fan et al., 2016; megacities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, espe- Coggon et al., 2012). The emission factors, and properties cially in Nanjing and Shanghai. Over the past years, the vari- of emitted particles and gases from ship plumes at differ- ation in mass concentrations, chemical compositions, size ent engine speeds, were also reported (Zhang et al., 2016; distributions, seasonal variations, daily change, optical prop- Moldanová et al., 2009; Agrawal et al., 2009). Ship-related erties, and temporal–spatial distributions of fine particles in pollutants have been identified in the YRD port cluster and this region has been investigated, and the causes and impacts surrounding area. In 2010, SO2, NOx, and PM2:5 from ship of aerosol pollution have also been studied (Zhou et al., 2016; emissions in the YRD port cluster were up to 3:8 × 105, Kang et al., 2013; Y. Tao et al., 2014; Shen et al., 2014; Fu et 7:1 × 105, and 5:1 × 104 t yr−1, respectively. The maximum al., 2014; Huang et al., 2013, 2012b, a; A. J. Ding et al., 2013; SO2 and NOx concentrations from ship emissions in harbors Ding et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2010). By analysis of several or traffic hubs were nearly 36 times and 17 times higher than serious haze cases, Huang et al. (2012a) pointed out that sec- the maximum land-based emissions, respectively (Fan et al., ondary inorganic and dust episodes always erupted in spring, 2016). M. Zhao et al. (2013) pointed out that Ni and V were while biomass burning (BB) events were often observed in enriched in submicron particles in the Shanghai port. Re- summer (harvest season for wheat). Further, the high sulfate cently, Liu et al. (2017) also reported that ship plumes con- oxidizing rate (SOR) and nitrate oxidizing rate (NOR) were tributed 2–7 µg m−3 to fine particles within the coastal area of also observed from long-term field measurements in Nan- the Shanghai port, accounting for 20 %–30 % of total PM2:5. jing and Shanghai, indicating that photochemical reactions Known as the “golden canal”, the Yangtze River was an im- in the atmosphere were quite active in these areas (Zhou et portant route for trade and travel. However, there are seldom al., 2016, 2017; An et al., 2015). H. L. Wang et al. (2015) data related to air quality and the influence of ship emissions also found that secondary pollutants contributed the major along the Yangtze River channel. Meanwhile, related obser- fraction of aerosol mass, especially in the Shanghai–Nanjing vations with the synchronous trend in aerosol in the MLYR − 2− city cluster. The increasing trend in the NO3 =SO4 ratios region remain insufficient. since the year 2000 suggested that vehicle sources became To characterize air quality in this region, a round-trip field more important in this region (Kang et al., 2013; Huang et observation voyage, namely the Yangtze River Campaign al., 2012a; Y. Tao et al., 2014; Sun et al., 2017). Furthermore, (YRC), was carried out between Shanghai and Wuhan. This Cheng et al. (2014) estimated that BB contributed 37 % of cruise aimed to characterize the chemical components of at- PM2:5, 70 % of organic carbon (OC), and 61 % of elemental mospheric pollutants, to analyze these spatial distributions, carbon (EC) in harvest. If BB was controlled and even forbid- and to identify potential source contributions. To the best of den in this season, the PM2:5 levels would decrease by 47 % our knowledge, it is the first systematic observation of air in the YRD region (Cheng et al., 2014). Some typical events, pollution along the largest and longest river in China. including fresh combustion pollution from fireworks (Zhang et al., 2010; Kong et al., 2015) and the peak of secondary inorganic aerosol species (sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium, 2 Measurements and methods SNA) derived from the travel rush and re-opening of factories after the China Spring Festival (Huang et al., 2012b; Kong et 2.1 Overview of the YRC al., 2015), have also been focused on and analyzed. Huang et al. (2013) also investigated the chemical composition of A mobile monitoring platform (a container with a length of fine particles in Shanghai, finding that the concentrations of 10.0 m, width of 4.0 m, and height of 2.5 m) was placed on anthropogenic calcium drastically decreased as a result of a vessel (length: 20 m, width 6 m), sailing from 22 Novem- strict monitoring and implementing control of construction ber to 5 December in 2015 along the Yangtze River chan- activity during the Expo Shanghai 2010.