High time resolution observation of PM2.5 Brown carbon over Xi'an in northwestern China: Seasonal variation and source apportionment

There is growing evidence suggesting the enhancement of brown carbon (BrC) in severe haze episodes. In this study, hourly measurements of BrC in PM2.5 were conducted in Xi'an, a typical city in northwestern China during winter and summer. The absorption coefficient for methanol exacts at 365 nm (b(abs365), methanol, which is typically used as a proxy of methanol-soluble BrC) in the winter sampling period was over 7 times than that in summer. The mass absorption cross-section for methanol extracts (MAC(365), (methanol), normalized by b(abs365), (methanol) to organic carbon, OC) in winter sampling period was nearly 1.5 times of that in the summer. During the winter haze days, the average b(abs365), (methanol) peaked at midnight and the lowest values in the morning, in contrast to high levels in afternoon and low levels at night in non haze days. Unlike the diurnal patterns in winter, summer b(abs365), (methanol) diurnal variation presented high midday and low afternoon levels in haze days. However, in non haze days, the pattern showed high morning levels and night low levels. Haze and non haze variations of chemical species levels, b(abs365), (methanol). and MAC(365), methanol during winter and summer sampling time showed that the effects of atmospheric aging were complex and could either enhance or reduce light absorption of BrC. Source apportionment based on positive matrix factorization receptor model and multiple linear regressions showed that primary emission was an important contributor to BrC emissions during the winter sampling period, whereas secondary formation played an important role in summer. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.