title: Effect of the pollution control measures on PM2.5during the 2015 China Victory Day Parade: Implication from water-soluble ions and sulfur isotope.
abstract: Air pollution by particulate matter is a serious problem in Beijing. Strict pollution control measures have been carried out in Beijing prior to and during the 2015 China Victory Day Parade in order to improve air quality. This distinct event provides an excellent opportunity for investigating the impact of such measures on the chemical properties of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5). The water-soluble ions as well as sulfur and oxygen isotopes of sulfate in PM2.5collected between August 19 and September 18, 2015 (n = 31) were analyzed in order to trace the sources and formation processes of PM2.5in Beijing. The results exhibit a decrease in concentration of water-soluble ions in PM2.5including aerosol sulfate. In contrast, the mean values of δ34Ssulfate(4.7 ± 0.8‰ vs. 5.0 ± 2.0‰) and δ18Osulfate(18.3 ± 2.3‰ vs. 17.2 ± 6.0) in PM2.5during the air pollution control period and the non-source control period exhibit no significant differences, which suggests that despite a reduction in concentration, the sulfate source remains identical for the two periods. It is inferred that the decrease in concentration of sulfate in PM2.5mainly results from variations in air mass transport. Notably, the air mass during the pollution control period originated mainly from north and northeast and changed to southerly directions thereafter. The sulfur and oxygen isotopes of the sulfate point to coal combustion as the major source of sulfate in PM2.5from the Beijing area.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Xiaokun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: guoqj@igsnrr.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Qingjun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang Guizhou 550002, China.
authors.forename: Congqiang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 24, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Junxing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang Guizhou 550002, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Rongfei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Liyan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D003031:Coal; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D007477:Ions / Q000032:analysis*; D010103:Oxygen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D013431:Sulfates / Q000032:analysis; D013460:Sulfur Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants; D003031:Coal; D007477:Ions; D010103:Oxygen Isotopes; D052638:Particulate Matter; D013431:Sulfates; D013460:Sulfur Isotopes
keywords: Beijing; Oxygen isotope; PM(2.5); Sulfur isotope; Water-soluble ions