Characterization, Distribution, and Source Analysis of Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) of Atmospheric Bulk Deposition in Shanghai, China

Abstract

The bulk deposition of both PAHs and metals is a significant, mounting issue for the urban ecological environment. However, studies generally performed on these pollutants have focused on the regions surrounding a pollution source; thus, it most likely overestimated pollutants in the cities. Therefore, 72 atmospheric bulk deposition samples were collected from six sites located along a transect from the suburbs to the city center in Shanghai over a 1-year period (February 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013). The seasonal variation, spatial distribution, and sources of multiple metals (Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, K, Na, and Mg) and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds were determined. The results indicated that the annual average rate of dust deposition in Shanghai was 43,100 ± 54,800 mg/ m 2 /year. There were significant or high enrichments of Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb, and higher depositional fluxes were observed for Zn, Pb, and Cd in the Huangpu district and for Cu in the Minhang district. The deposition fluxes of the PAHs exhibited the following order: urban fringe zone > city center > rural zone (background site). However, unlike in northern Chinese cities, the high-molecular-weight PAHs accounted for most of the PAHs. Furthermore, there were higher depositional fluxes of PAHs in March, July, and October. Overall, the factors influencing urban air quality may include construction, fossil fuel combustion, the abrasion of tires and brake linings (directly related to traffic), the corrosion of galvanized protection barriers, and increasing population density.

Deposition Mapping of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in the Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada and Linkages to Ecosystem Impacts

“…The fluxes are similar to measurements in Turkey, Korea, and China, where the deposition fluxes are in the order of 1000–10 000 ng m –2 d –1 . PAH deposition fluxes over the surface mineable area were also greater than bulk deposition fluxes to urban areas, − where coal combustion and vehicular traffic often contribute to elevated airborne PAHs. It is important to note that the global deposition data have not included alk-PAHs which make up the bulk of the deposition in the AOSR.…”

Airborne concentration and deposition of trace metals and metalloids in an urban area downwind of a manganese alloy plant

“…Numerous research studies have determined the levels of metals and metalloids in atmospheric deposition in rural (Connan et al, 2013;Hovmand et al, 2008;Tositti et al, 2018) and urban areas (Davis and Birch, 2011;Guo et al, 2017;Liang et al, 2016;Norouzi et al, 2017;Omrani et al, 2017) around the world. Other studies focused on the assessment of metal and metalloid deposition in areas located close to specific anthropogenic activities, such as road traffic (Al Ali et al, 2017;Aljazzar and Kocher, 2016), port operations (Castillo et al, 2013b;Taylor, 2015), and industrial activities such as the steel-making industry (Amodio et al, 2014), copper (Cu) smelters (Fedorová et al, 2015), Pb smelters (Qiu et al, 2016), Fe ore works (Hančuľák et al, 2011), mining (Castillo et al, 2013a;Marrugo-Negrete et al, 2014), glass making plants (Rossini et al, 2010) or municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) (Venturini et al, 2013).…”

Microorganisms and heavy metals associated with atmospheric deposition in a congested urban environment of a developing country: Sri Lanka

“…Atmospheric deposition is potentially an important part in the biogeochemical cycling of different pollutants such as heavy metals (HMs), bacteria and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (Bari et al, 2014;Liang et al, 2016;Smets et al, 2016). The deposition of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) on ground surfaces can occur via dry and wet deposition processes.…”