1Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Ji’nan, Shandong, China
2Collaborative innovation Center for climate Change, Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, China
3Center for Environmental Research and Technology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside CA, USA
4State 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
5University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
6Guangzhou Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, China
7Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, Guangzhou, China
1Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Ji’nan, Shandong, China
2Collaborative innovation Center for climate Change, Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, China
3Center for Environmental Research and Technology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside CA, USA
4State 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
5University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
6Guangzhou Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, China
7Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, Guangzhou, China
Received: 16 Jan 2021 – Accepted for review: 13 Feb 2021 – Discussion started: 17 Feb 2021
Abstract. We developed incremental reactivity (IR) scales for 116 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a Chinese megacity (Guangzhou) and elucidated their application in calculating the ozone (O3) formation potential (OFP) in China. Two sets of model inputs (emission-based and observation-based) were designed to localize the IR scales in Guangzhou using the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) box model, and were also compared with those of the U.S. The two inputs differed in how primary pollutant inputs in the model were derived, with one based on emission data and the other based on observed pollutant levels, but the maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) scales derived from them were fairly similar. The IR scales showed a strong dependence on the chemical mechanism (MCM vs. Statewide Air Pollution Research Center), but the discrepancy between China and the U.S. using a similar chemical mechanism was not large. With a given chemical mechanism, the MIR scale for most VOCs showed a relatively small dependence on environmental conditions. However, when the NOx availability decreased, the IR scales became more sensitive to environmental conditions and the discrepancy between the IR scales obtained from emission-based and observation-based inputs increased, thereby implying the necessity to localize IR scales over mixed-limited or NOx-limited areas. This study provides recommendations for the application of IR scales, which has great significance for VOC control in China and other countries suffering from serious O3 air pollution.
We developed the localized incremental reactivity (IR) for VOCs in a Chinese megacity and elucidated their applications in calculating the OFP. The IR scales showed a strong dependence on chemical mechanisms. Both emission- and observation-based inputs are suitable for the MIR calculation, but not the case under mixed-limited or NOx-limited O3 formation regime. We provide suggestions for the application of IR and OFP scales to aid in VOC control in China.
We developed the localized incremental reactivity (IR) for VOCs in a Chinese megacity and...
