Articles | Volume 22, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12153-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12153-2022
Research article
 | 
19 Sep 2022
Research article |  | 19 Sep 2022

Chemical characteristics and sources of PM2.5 in Hohhot, a semi-arid city in northern China: insight from the COVID-19 lockdown

Haijun Zhou, Tao Liu, Bing Sun, Yongli Tian, Xingjun Zhou, Feng Hao, Xi Chun, Zhiqiang Wan, Peng Liu, Jingwen Wang, and Dagula Du

Related authors

Response of PM2.5 chemical composition to variations in anthropogenic emissions and meteorological conditions during COVID-19 lockdown
Yitian Gong, Haijun Zhou, Xi Chun, Zhiqiang Wan, Jingwen Wang, and Chun Liu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1851,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1851, 2023
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Laboratory Studies | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
The role of surface-active macromolecules in the ice-nucleating ability of lignin, Snomax, and agricultural soil extracts
Kathleen A. Alden, Paul Bieber, Anna J. Miller, Nicole Link, Benjamin J. Murray, and Nadine Borduas-Dedekind
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 6179–6195, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6179-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6179-2025, 2025
Short summary
Secondary organic aerosol formation from nitrate radical oxidation of styrene: aerosol yields, chemical composition, and hydrolysis of organic nitrates
Yuchen Wang, Xiang Zhang, Yuanlong Huang, Yutong Liang, and Nga L. Ng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5215–5231, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5215-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5215-2025, 2025
Short summary
Hydrogen peroxide photoformation in particulate matter and its contribution to S(IV) oxidation during winter in Fairbanks, Alaska
Michael Oluwatoyin Sunday, Laura Marie Dahler Heinlein, Junwei He, Allison Moon, Sukriti Kapur, Ting Fang, Kasey C. Edwards, Fangzhou Guo, Jack Dibb, James H. Flynn III, Becky Alexander, Manabu Shiraiwa, and Cort Anastasio
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5087–5100, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5087-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5087-2025, 2025
Short summary
The importance of burning conditions on the composition of domestic biomass-burning organic aerosol and the impact of atmospheric ageing
Rhianna L. Evans, Daniel J. Bryant, Aristeidis Voliotis, Dawei Hu, Huihui Wu, Sara Aisyah Syafira, Osayomwanbor E. Oghama, Gordon McFiggans, Jacqueline F. Hamilton, and Andrew R. Rickard
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4367–4389, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4367-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4367-2025, 2025
Short summary
Heterogeneous phototransformation of halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: influencing factors, mechanisms and products
Yueyao Yang, Yahui Liu, Guohua Zhu, Bingcheng Lin, Shanshan Zhang, Xin Li, Fangxi Xu, He Niu, Rong Jin, and Minghui Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3981–3994, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3981-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3981-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Adam, M. G., Tran, P. T. M., and Balasubramanian, R.: Air quality changes in cities during the COVID-19 lockdown: A critical review, Atmos. Res., 264, 105823, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105823, 2021. 
Bao, R. and Zhang, A.: Does lockdown reduce air pollution? Evidence from 44 cities in northern China, Sci. Total Environ., 731, 139052, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139052, 2020. 
Cao, J. J., Wu, F., Chow, J. C., Lee, S. C., Li, Y., Chen, S. W., An, Z. S., Fung, K. K., Watson, J. G., Zhu, C. S., and Liu, S. X.: Characterization and source apportionment of atmospheric organic and elemental carbon during fall and winter of 2003 in Xi'an, China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 3127–3137, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-5-3127-2005, 2005. 
Castro, L. M., Pio, C. A., Harrison, R. M., and Smith, D. J. T.: Carbonaceous aerosol in urban and rural European atmospheres: estimation of secondary organic carbon concentrations, Atmos. Environ., 33, 2771–2781, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(98)00331-8, 1999. 
Chang, Y., Huang, R.-J., Ge, X., Huang, X., Hu, J., Duan, Y., Zou, Z., Liu, X., and Lehmann, M. F.: Puzzling haze events in China during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdown, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL088533, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088533, 2020. 
Download
Short summary
A single year’s offline measurement was conducted in Hohhot to reveal the chemical characteristics and sources of PM2.5 in a semi-arid region. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because relatively few studies have focused on the chemical composition and sources of PM2.5 with offline measurements. A knowledge gap exists concerning how chemical composition and sources respond to implemented control measures for aerosols, particularly in a semi-arid region.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint