New measurements reveal a large contribution of nitrogenous molecules to ambient organic aerosol

Yu，Xu1,2; Li，Qianfeng3; Liao，Kezheng3; Li，Yumin1,4; Wang，Xinming5; Zhou，Yang6,7; Liang，Yongmei8; Yu，Jian Zhen1,2,3,9

2024-12-01

10.1038/s41612-024-00620-6

npj Climate and Atmospheric Science   影响因子和分区

2397-3722

Nitrogen is a significant element that constitutes ambient organic aerosol. Individual N-containing organic molecules are known to have both natural and anthropogenic sources and implicated in a wide-ranging health and environmental effects. Yet, unlike carbon (C), the total quantity of aerosol organic nitrogen (ON) remains largely unquantified, hindering a quantitative understanding of their major sources and impacts. Here, aerosol ON is quantitatively surveyed in hundreds of aerosol filter samples collected from sites of varying urban influence in China using our recently developed method that permits simple, and yet sensitive, simultaneous detection of inorganic and organic nitrogen. Annual average ON concentration was in the range of 0.4–1.4 μg N m, representing 17–31% of aerosol total nitrogen. Monte Carlo simulations constrained by paired ON and OC measurements suggest N-containing organic molecules contributed typically 37–50%, with a 95% confidence interval of [12%, 94%], to ambient organic aerosols. Source apportionment analysis reveals that biomass burning and secondary formation are dominant ON sources, accounting for 21–24% and ~ 30% of ON, respectively. Primary biological aerosol is also a significant source of ON (7–18%), with its contribution more prominent in non-urban atmospheres. The results provide the quantitative data for the extent of presence of organic nitrogenous aerosol and the origin of their major sources. Such data, we anticipate, would bring forth a breakthrough in our ability to describe and model organic aerosols and to assess their environmental impacts, such as atmospheric nitrogen nutrient inputs to ecosystems.

SCI

英语

其他

2-s2.0-85187887554

Scopus

1.Division of Environment & amp; Sustainability,Hong Kong University of Science & amp; Technology,Hong Kong
2.Center for Ocean Research in Honng Kong and Macau,Hong Kong University of Science & amp; Technology,Hong Kong
3.Department of Chemistry,Hong Kong University of Science & amp; Technology,Hong Kong
4.School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,Guangdong,China
5.State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization,Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Guangzhou,China
6.Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory,Ocean University of China,Qingdao,Shandong,China
7.College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences,Ocean University of China,Qingdao,Shandong,China
8.State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing,China University of Petroleum,Beijing,China
9.Fok Ying Tung Graduate Research Institute,Hong Kong University of Science & amp; Technology,Nanshan,Guangzhou,China

Yu，Xu,Li，Qianfeng,Liao，Kezheng,et al. New measurements reveal a large contribution of nitrogenous molecules to ambient organic aerosol[J]. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science,2024,7(1).

Yu，Xu.,Li，Qianfeng.,Liao，Kezheng.,Li，Yumin.,Wang，Xinming.,...&Yu，Jian Zhen.(2024).New measurements reveal a large contribution of nitrogenous molecules to ambient organic aerosol.npj Climate and Atmospheric Science,7(1).

Yu，Xu,et al."New measurements reveal a large contribution of nitrogenous molecules to ambient organic aerosol".npj Climate and Atmospheric Science 7.1(2024).