Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions
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10.5194/acpd-8-8847-2008
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/8/8847/2008/
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/8/8847/2008/acpd-8-8847-2008.html
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/8/8847/2008/acpd-8-8847-2008.pdf
8847
8879
2008-05-19
Source characteristics of volatile organic compounds during high ozone episodes in Hong Kong, Southern China
J. Zhang
jingzhang@bnu.edu.cn
T. Wang
W. L. Chameides
C. Cardelino
D. R. Blake
D. G. Streets
School of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
Dept. of Civil and Structural Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ., Hong Kong, China
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA
now at: Nicholas School, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Measurements of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) are analyzed to
characterize the sources impacting the Hong Kong area. The ratios of
different VOC species, m,p-xylenes-to-ethylbenzene,
C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>14</sub>-to-toluene and p-xylene-to-total xylenes are used for
diagnostic analyses. Photochemical age analysis shows that the sources of
reactive aromatics, the most important contributor to the photochemical
reactivity, do not appear to be preferentially located in downtown Hong
Kong. In addition, they do not appear to be dominated by mobile emissions
based on the analyses of speciated VOC data from an earlier study, but
related to industrial, waterfront, and fuel-storage activities. The ratios,
p-xylene-to-total xylenes and dSO<sub>2</sub>/dNO<sub>y</sub>, suggest that the
anomalously high pollutant concentrations in western Hong Kong in the early
morning hours of two episode days appear to have come from transport of
urban-type emissions. Comparison of observed ambient ratios of selected VOC
and their ratios in the speciated VOC emission inventories for Hong Kong and
adjacent Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region give mixed results. The observed
ratio C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>14</sub>-to-toluene is consistent with the speciated version of
the VOC emission inventory. The ratios of selected alkanes are not. This may
be caused by the inaccuracies in the inventory and/or the speciation method.
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