The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea

Yongyun Zhang; Min Gao; Xi Sun; Baoling Liang; Cuizhi Sun; Qibin Sun; Xue Ni; Hengjia Ou; Shixin Mai; Shengzhen Zhou; Jun Zhao

doi:10.3390/su16208733

The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea

Yongyun Zhang, Min Gao, Xi Sun, Baoling Liang, Cuizhi Sun, Qibin Sun, Xue Ni, Hengjia Ou, Shixin Mai, Shengzhen Zhou^*, Jun Zhao

^*Corresponding author for this work

Isotope Research

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Abstract

The South China Sea (SCS) is a crucial region for studying atmospheric aerosols, given its unique geographical location and the interaction of various natural and anthropogenic sources. In this study, we measured the isotopic characteristics of sulfate and nitrate in PM_2.5 and utilized a Bayesian isotope mixing model (SIAR) to analyze their sources and formation pathways. Sulfur isotopic values in sulfate (δ³⁴S-SO₄²⁻) were 8.7 ± 1.8‰, while nitrogen and oxygen isotopic values in nitrate (δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ and δ¹⁸O-NO₃⁻) were −0.9 ± 2.4‰ and 52.3 ± 7.3‰, respectively. The results revealed that sulfate was primarily influenced by marine biogenic sulfur emissions (mostly dimethyl sulfide, DMS), fossil fuel combustion, and biomass burning. Nitrate formation was dominated by the NO₂ + •OH pathway (accounting for 69.8–85.7%), with significant contributions from vehicle emissions, biomass burning, and lightning. These findings offer key insights into the complex interactions between natural and anthropogenic aerosol sources in the SCS, contributing to a broader understanding of marine aerosol chemistry.

Original language	English
Article number	8733
Number of pages	18
Journal	Sustainability (Switzerland)
Volume	16
Issue number	20
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208733
Publication status	Published - Oct-2024

Keywords

formation pathways
nitrate isotopes
PM
source apportionment
South China Sea
sulfate isotopes

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title = "The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea",

abstract = "The South China Sea (SCS) is a crucial region for studying atmospheric aerosols, given its unique geographical location and the interaction of various natural and anthropogenic sources. In this study, we measured the isotopic characteristics of sulfate and nitrate in PM2.5 and utilized a Bayesian isotope mixing model (SIAR) to analyze their sources and formation pathways. Sulfur isotopic values in sulfate (δ34S-SO42−) were 8.7 ± 1.8‰, while nitrogen and oxygen isotopic values in nitrate (δ15N-NO3− and δ18O-NO3−) were −0.9 ± 2.4‰ and 52.3 ± 7.3‰, respectively. The results revealed that sulfate was primarily influenced by marine biogenic sulfur emissions (mostly dimethyl sulfide, DMS), fossil fuel combustion, and biomass burning. Nitrate formation was dominated by the NO2 + •OH pathway (accounting for 69.8–85.7\%), with significant contributions from vehicle emissions, biomass burning, and lightning. These findings offer key insights into the complex interactions between natural and anthropogenic aerosol sources in the SCS, contributing to a broader understanding of marine aerosol chemistry.",

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author = "Yongyun Zhang and Min Gao and Xi Sun and Baoling Liang and Cuizhi Sun and Qibin Sun and Xue Ni and Hengjia Ou and Shixin Mai and Shengzhen Zhou and Jun Zhao",

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T1 - The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea

AU - Zhang, Yongyun

AU - Gao, Min

AU - Sun, Xi

AU - Liang, Baoling

AU - Sun, Cuizhi

AU - Sun, Qibin

AU - Ni, Xue

AU - Ou, Hengjia

AU - Mai, Shixin

AU - Zhou, Shengzhen

AU - Zhao, Jun

PY - 2024/10

Y1 - 2024/10

N2 - The South China Sea (SCS) is a crucial region for studying atmospheric aerosols, given its unique geographical location and the interaction of various natural and anthropogenic sources. In this study, we measured the isotopic characteristics of sulfate and nitrate in PM2.5 and utilized a Bayesian isotope mixing model (SIAR) to analyze their sources and formation pathways. Sulfur isotopic values in sulfate (δ34S-SO42−) were 8.7 ± 1.8‰, while nitrogen and oxygen isotopic values in nitrate (δ15N-NO3− and δ18O-NO3−) were −0.9 ± 2.4‰ and 52.3 ± 7.3‰, respectively. The results revealed that sulfate was primarily influenced by marine biogenic sulfur emissions (mostly dimethyl sulfide, DMS), fossil fuel combustion, and biomass burning. Nitrate formation was dominated by the NO2 + •OH pathway (accounting for 69.8–85.7%), with significant contributions from vehicle emissions, biomass burning, and lightning. These findings offer key insights into the complex interactions between natural and anthropogenic aerosol sources in the SCS, contributing to a broader understanding of marine aerosol chemistry.

AB - The South China Sea (SCS) is a crucial region for studying atmospheric aerosols, given its unique geographical location and the interaction of various natural and anthropogenic sources. In this study, we measured the isotopic characteristics of sulfate and nitrate in PM2.5 and utilized a Bayesian isotope mixing model (SIAR) to analyze their sources and formation pathways. Sulfur isotopic values in sulfate (δ34S-SO42−) were 8.7 ± 1.8‰, while nitrogen and oxygen isotopic values in nitrate (δ15N-NO3− and δ18O-NO3−) were −0.9 ± 2.4‰ and 52.3 ± 7.3‰, respectively. The results revealed that sulfate was primarily influenced by marine biogenic sulfur emissions (mostly dimethyl sulfide, DMS), fossil fuel combustion, and biomass burning. Nitrate formation was dominated by the NO2 + •OH pathway (accounting for 69.8–85.7%), with significant contributions from vehicle emissions, biomass burning, and lightning. These findings offer key insights into the complex interactions between natural and anthropogenic aerosol sources in the SCS, contributing to a broader understanding of marine aerosol chemistry.

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The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea

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