Chemical Characterization of Water-Soluble Organic Aerosols at Jeju Island Collected During ACE-Asia

Hong Yang; Jinhui Xu; Wai-Shing Wu; Chun Hong Wan; Jian Zhen Yu

doi:10.1071/EN04006

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Chemical Characterization of Water-Soluble Organic Aerosols at Jeju Island Collected During ACE-Asia

Hong Yang ^A , Jinhui Xu ^B , Wai-Shing Wu ^A , Chun Hong Wan ^A and Jian Zhen Yu ^A ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

^B Atmospheric, Marine, and Coastal Environment Program, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

^C Corresponding author (e-mail: chjianyu@ust.hk).

Environmental Chemistry 1(1) 13-17 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN04006
Submitted: 10 March 2004 Accepted: 29 April 2004 Published: 30 June 2004

Environmental Context. Atmospheric aerosols — particles suspended in the atmosphere — are responsible for many phenomena, including formation of cloud condensation nuclei and degradation of regional visibility. Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) components make up a significant fraction of the aerosols' carbon mass, and have consequently received increasing attention from researchers. The chemical composition of the WSOC fraction, and thus their sources and effects, are not well known. This study focusses on WSOC from samples collected in South Korea as part of ACE-Asia (Asia-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment), a large international collaboration including Asia, the USA, Europe and Australia.

Abstract. During the Asia-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia) intensive field campaign, aerosol samples of less than 2.5 μm diameter were collected at Jeju Island, South Korea, for chemical characterization of the water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) fraction. The WSOC fraction had an average mass concentration of roughly half of that of sulfate and accounted for about two-thirds of the organic carbon mass. Thirty individual water-soluble organic compounds, belonging to the classes of mono- and di-carboxylic acids, aliphatic amines, and amino acids, were identified, accounting for 14% of the WSOC on a carbon basis. Oxalic acid was the most abundant single component. An additional 3% of the WSOC was estimated to be monomeric carbohydrates. Thermal analysis of the aerosol’s water extracts indicated that a significant fraction (~50%) of WSOC was thermally recalcitrant, possibly consisting of polymeric materials.

Keywords. : ACE-Asia — atmospheric chemistry — aerosols — dusts — organic compounds (water soluble)

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, China (HKUST6185/00P). We also thank Steven Cliff and the δ-group at the University of California, Davis for providing the mass measurements.

References

Chemical Characterization of Water-Soluble Organic Aerosols at Jeju Island Collected During ACE-Asia

Acknowledgements

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