Articles | Volume 26, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13175-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13175-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 18 Sep 2026
| 18 Sep 2026
Continental pollutants modulate organic nitrogen and light absorption of marine organic aerosols over East Asian marginal seas
Chao Yu
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Lin Zheng
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Yujue Wang
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
Meijing Guo
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Xu Yu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Yuqi Guo
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Sisi Song
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Kyoung-Soon Jang
Bio-Chemical Analysis Team, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju, 28119, Republic of Korea
Xiaohong Yao
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
Jian Zhen Yu
Division of Environment & Sustainability, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong, China
Huiwang Gao
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
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Shuhui Zhu, Min Zhou, Liping Qiao, Dan Dan Huang, Qiongqiong Wang, Shan Wang, Yaqin Gao, Shengao Jing, Qian Wang, Hongli Wang, Changhong Chen, Cheng Huang, and Jian Zhen Yu
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Wing Sze Chow, Kezheng Liao, X. H. Hilda Huang, Ka Fung Leung, Alexis K. H. Lau, and Jian Zhen Yu
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Long-term monitoring data of PM2.5 chemical composition provide essential information for evaluation and planning of control measures. Here we present a 10-year (2008–2017) time series of PM2.5, its major components, and select source markers in an urban site in Hong Kong. The dataset verified the success of local vehicular emission control measures as well as reduction of sulfate and regional sources such as industrial and coal combustion and crop residue burning emissions over the decade.
Qiongqiong Wang, Shan Wang, Yuk Ying Cheng, Hanzhe Chen, Zijing Zhang, Jinjian Li, Dasa Gu, Zhe Wang, and Jian Zhen Yu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11239–11253, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11239-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11239-2022, 2022
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Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is often enhanced during fine-particulate-matter (PM2.5) episodes. We examined bi-hourly measurements of SOA molecular tracers in suburban Hong Kong during 11 city-wide PM2.5 episodes. The tracers showed regional characteristics for both anthropogenic and biogenic SOA as well as biomass-burning-derived SOA. Multiple tracers of the same precursor revealed the dominance of low-NOx formation pathways for isoprene SOA and less-aged monoterpene SOA during winter.
Rongshuang Xu, Sze In Madeleine Ng, Wing Sze Chow, Yee Ka Wong, Yuchen Wang, Donger Lai, Zhongping Yao, Pui-Kin So, Jian Zhen Yu, and Man Nin Chan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5685–5700, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5685-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5685-2022, 2022
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To date, while over a hundred organosulfates (OSs) have been detected in atmospheric aerosols, many of them are still unidentified, with unknown precursors and formation processes. We found the heterogeneous OH oxidation of an α-pinene-derived organosulfate (C10H17O5SNa, αpOS-249, αpOS-249) can proceed at an efficient rate and transform into more oxygenated OSs, which have been commonly detected in atmospheric aerosols and α-pinene-derived SOA in chamber studies.
Yee Ka Wong, Kin Man Liu, Claisen Yeung, Kenneth K. M. Leung, and Jian Zhen Yu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5017–5031, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5017-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5017-2022, 2022
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Coarse particulate matter (PM) has been shown to cause adverse health impacts, but compared to PM2.5, the source of coarse PM is less studied through field measurements. We collected chemical composition data for coarse PM in Hong Kong for a 1-year period. Using statistical models, we found that regional transport of fugitive dust is responsible for the elevated coarse PM. This work sets an example of how field measurements can be effectively utilized for evidence-based policymaking.
Yating Gao, Dihui Chen, Yanjie Shen, Yang Gao, Huiwang Gao, and Xiaohong Yao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 1515–1528, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1515-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1515-2022, 2022
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This study focuses on spatiotemporal heterogeneity of observed gaseous amines, NH3, their particulate counterparts in PM2.5 over different sea zones, and the disproportional release of alkaline gases and corresponding particulate counterparts from seawater in the sea zones in terms of different extents of enrichment of TMAH+ and DMAH+ in the sea surface microlayer (SML). A novel hypothesis is delivered.
Ying Zhou, Simo Hakala, Chao Yan, Yang Gao, Xiaohong Yao, Biwu Chu, Tommy Chan, Juha Kangasluoma, Shahzad Gani, Jenni Kontkanen, Pauli Paasonen, Yongchun Liu, Tuukka Petäjä, Markku Kulmala, and Lubna Dada
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17885–17906, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17885-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17885-2021, 2021
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We characterized the connection between new particle formation (NPF) events in terms of frequency, intensity and growth at a near-highway location in central Beijing and at a background mountain site 80 km away. Due to the substantial contribution of NPF to the global aerosol budget, identifying the conditions that promote the occurrence of regional NPF events could help understand their contribution on a large scale and would improve their implementation in global models.
Liang Xu, Xiaohuan Liu, Huiwang Gao, Xiaohong Yao, Daizhou Zhang, Lei Bi, Lei Liu, Jian Zhang, Yinxiao Zhang, Yuanyuan Wang, Qi Yuan, and Weijun Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17715–17726, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17715-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17715-2021, 2021
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We quantified different types of marine aerosols and explored the Cl depletion of sea salt aerosol (SSA) in the eastern China seas and the northwestern Pacific Ocean. We found that anthropogenic acidic gases in the troposphere were transported longer distances compared to the anthropogenic aerosols and could significantly impact remote marine aerosols. Meanwhile, variations of chloride depletion in SSA can serve as a potential indicator for anthropogenic gaseous pollutants in remote marine air.
Dihui Chen, Yanjie Shen, Juntao Wang, Yang Gao, Huiwang Gao, and Xiaohong Yao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16413–16425, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16413-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16413-2021, 2021
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The study provides solid evidence to demonstrate that atmospheric trimethylamine (TMAgas) and particulate trimethylaminium in PM2.5 (TMAH+) observed in marine atmospheres were uniquely derived from seawater emissions. As sea-derived TMAgas correlated significantly with DMAgas and NH3gas, sea-derived DMAgas and NH3gas can be estimated and can quantify the contribution to the observed species in the marine atmosphere. Similarly, the contributions of primary DMAH+ have also been estimated.
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Short summary
Atmospheric organic nitrogen is an important fraction in marine aerosols, and plays vital roles in organic aerosol absorption and maintaining primary productivity in the open ocean. However, abundance or sources of aerosol organic nitrogen remain unclear in the marine boundary layer. Here, we found that anthropogenic secondary pollutants and dust drove the organic nitrogen formation and the light absorption by organic aerosols over East Asian marginal seas.
Atmospheric organic nitrogen is an important fraction in marine aerosols, and plays vital roles...
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