Significant contrasts in aerosol acidity between China and the United States

Zhang, Bingqing; Shen, Huizhong; Liu, Pengfei; Guo, Hongyu; Hu, Yongtao; Chen, Yilin; Xie, Shaodong; Xi, Ziyan; Skipper, T. Nash; Russell, Armistead G.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8341-2021

Articles | Volume 21, issue 10

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8341-2021

© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8341-2021

© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 21, issue 10

Research article

|

01 Jun 2021

Research article |

| 01 Jun 2021

Significant contrasts in aerosol acidity between China and the United States

Bingqing Zhang, Huizhong Shen, Pengfei Liu, Hongyu Guo, Yongtao Hu, Yilin Chen, Shaodong Xie, Ziyan Xi, T. Nash Skipper, and Armistead G. Russell

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8341-2021-supplement

Data sets

Comprehensive Observation Network for Air Pollution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebeiand Its Surrounding Area China National Environmental Monitoring Centre http://123.127.175.60:8765/siteui/index

Observational data in the USA (CASTNET) United States Environmental Protection Agency https://www.epa.gov/castnet

Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN) National Atmospheric Deposition Program http://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/AMoN/

Model code and software

CMAQv5.0.2 US EPA Office of Research and Development https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1079898

ISORROPIA II: a computationally efficient thermodynamic equilibrium model for K+–Ca2+–Mg2+–NH4+–Na+–SO42−–NO3−–Cl−–H2O aerosols (http://nenes.eas.gatech.edu/ISORROPIA/index_old.html) Fountoukis, C. and Nenes, A. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-7-4639-2007

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Short summary

Extended ground-level measurements are coupled with model simulations to comprehensively compare the aerosol acidity in China and the United States. Aerosols in China are significantly less acidic than those in the United States, with pH values 1–2 units higher. Higher aerosol mass concentrations and the abundance of ammonia and ammonium in China, compared to the United States, are leading causes of the pH difference between these two countries.