Next Article in Journal
Supply Strategies and Business Model Options for Online Retailers of Agricultural Products
Previous Article in Journal
Management of Citrus Cultivation in Emerging Rural Communities in Mexico: Practices and Challenges in the Central-Northern Region of Veracruz
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Sustainability
Volume 16
Issue 20
10.3390/su16208733
sustainability-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

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

by
Yongyun Zhang
1,
Min Gao
1,
Xi Sun
1,2,
Baoling Liang
1,3,
Cuizhi Sun
1,
Qibin Sun
1,4,
Xue Ni
1,5,
Hengjia Ou
1,
Shixin Mai
1,
Shengzhen Zhou
1,6,7,* and
Jun Zhao
1,6,7
1
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Climate Change and Natural Disaster Studies, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
2
Centre for Isotope Research (CIO), Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG), Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
3
Guangzhou Sub-Branch of Guangdong Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Guangzhou 510006, China
4
Dongguan Meteorological Bureau, Dongguan Engineering Technology Research Center of Urban Eco-Environmental Meteorology, Dongguan 523086, China
5
Guangzhou Climate and Agrometeorology Center, Guangzhou 511430, China
6
Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, Zhuhai 519082, China
7
Key Laboratory of Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean System, Ministry of Education, Zhuhai 519082, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2024, 16(20), 8733; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208733
Submission received: 27 August 2024 / Revised: 1 October 2024 / Accepted: 5 October 2024 / Published: 10 October 2024
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

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.
Keywords: PM2.5; nitrate isotopes; sulfate isotopes; source apportionment; formation pathways; South China Sea PM2.5; nitrate isotopes; sulfate isotopes; source apportionment; formation pathways; South China Sea

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, Y.; Gao, M.; Sun, X.; Liang, B.; Sun, C.; Sun, Q.; Ni, X.; Ou, H.; Mai, S.; Zhou, S.; et al. The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea. Sustainability 2024, 16, 8733. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208733

AMA Style

Zhang Y, Gao M, Sun X, Liang B, Sun C, Sun Q, Ni X, Ou H, Mai S, Zhou S, et al. The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea. Sustainability. 2024; 16(20):8733. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208733

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Yongyun, Min Gao, Xi Sun, Baoling Liang, Cuizhi Sun, Qibin Sun, Xue Ni, Hengjia Ou, Shixin Mai, Shengzhen Zhou, and et al. 2024. "The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea" Sustainability 16, no. 20: 8733. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208733

APA Style

Zhang, Y., Gao, M., Sun, X., Liang, B., Sun, C., Sun, Q., Ni, X., Ou, H., Mai, S., Zhou, S., & Zhao, J. (2024). The Isotopic Characteristics, Sources, and Formation Pathways of Atmospheric Sulfate and Nitrate in the South China Sea. Sustainability, 16(20), 8733. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208733

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop