Characteristics and source apportionment of PM2.5 during persistent extreme haze events in Chengdu, southwest China

- The formation mechanism of hazes in the city in the Sichuan Basin was investigated.
- Potential source contribution function (PSCF) and source apportionment were studied together.
- The value of the height of PBL amplified by mass concentration of PM2.5 was introduced and studied during haze process.

Based on detailed data from Chengdu Plain (CP) from 6 January to 16 January, two typical haze episodes were analyzed to clarify the haze formation mechanism in winter. Weather conditions, chemical compositions, secondary pollutant transformation, optical properties of aerosols, the potential source contribution function (PSCF) and source apportionment were studied. The planetary boundary layer (PBL) height decreased distinctly during the haze episodes and restrained air pollutant vertical dispersion. As the haze worsened, the value of PBL × PM2.5 increased notably. The [NO3−]/[SO42−] ratio was 0.61, 0.76 and 0.88 during a non-haze period, episode 1 and episode 2, respectively, indicating that the mobile source of the air pollution is increasingly predominant in Chengdu. Water vapor also played a vital role in the formation of haze by accelerating the chemical transformation of secondary pollutants, leading to the hygroscopic growth of aerosols. The PSCF and backward trajectories of the air masses indicated that the pollution mainly came from the south. The secondary inorganic aerosols, vehicle emissions, coal combustion, biomass burning, industry, and dust contributed 34.1%, 24.1%, 12.7%, 12.3%, 7.6%, and 7.2% to PM2.5 masses in episode 1 and 28.9%, 23.1%, 9.4%, 9.5%, 20.3% and 7.5% in episode 2.

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