Submicron aerosol composition in the world's most polluted megacity: the Delhi Aerosol Supersite study

摘要

Delhi, India, routinely experiences some of the world's highest urban particulate matter concentrations. We established the Delhi Aerosol Supersite study to provide long-term characterization of the ambient submicron aerosol composition in Delhi. Here we report on 1.25 years of highly time-resolved speciated submicron particulate matter (PM sub1/sub ) data, including black carbon (BC) and nonrefractory PM sub1/sub (NR-PM sub1/sub ), which we combine to develop a composition-based estimate of PM sub1/sub (“C-PM sub1/sub ” = BC + NR-PM sub1/sub ) concentrations. We observed marked seasonal and diurnal variability in the concentration and composition of PM sub1/sub owing to the interactions of sources and atmospheric processes. Winter was the most polluted period of the year, with average C-PM sub1/sub mass concentrations of ～210 μ g?m sup?3/sup . The monsoon was hot and rainy, consequently making it the least polluted (C-PM sub1/sub ～50 μ g?m sup?3/sup ) period. Organics constituted more than half of the C-PM sub1/sub for all seasons and times of day. While ammonium, chloride, and nitrate each were ～10 % of the C-PM sub1/sub for the cooler months, BC and sulfate contributed ～5 % each. For the warmer periods, the fractional contribution of BC and sulfate to C-PM sub1/sub increased, and the chloride contribution decreased to less than 2?%. The seasonal and diurnal variation in absolute mass loadings were generally consistent with changes in ventilation coefficients, with higher concentrations for periods with unfavorable meteorology – low planetary boundary layer height and low wind speeds. However, the variation in C-PM sub1/sub composition was influenced by temporally varying sources, photochemistry, and gas–particle partitioning. During cool periods when wind was from the northwest, episodic hourly averaged chloride concentrations reached 50–100 μ g?m sup?3/sup , ranking among the highest chloride concentrations reported anywhere in the world. We estimated the contribution of primary emissions and secondary processes to Delhi's submicron aerosol. Secondary species contributed almost 50?%–70?% of Delhi's C-PM sub1/sub mass for the winter and spring months and up to 60?%–80?% for the warmer summer and monsoon months. For the cooler months that had the highest C-PM sub1/sub concentrations, the nighttime sources were skewed towards primary sources, while the daytime C-PM sub1/sub was dominated by secondary species. Overall, these findings point to the important effects of both primary emissions and more regional atmospheric chemistry on influencing the extreme particle concentrations that impact the Delhi megacity region. Future air quality strategies considering Delhi's situation in both a regional and local context will be more effective than policies targeting only local, primary air pollutants.