Aerial observations of air masses transported from East Asia to the Western Pacific: Vertical structure of polluted air masses

•We conducted aerial observations in December 2010 over the northern East China Sea.•On Dec. 11 Ca2+, SO42−, Al, Ca, Fe, and Zn in aerosol were high with Asian dust.•Level of pollutants was low in the boundary layer on Dec. 12 in oceanic air.•Layered structures were characterized by spiral-like vertical observation flights.

There has been only limited information about the vertical chemical structure of the atmosphere, so far. We conducted aerial observations on 11, 12, and 14 December 2010 over the northern part of the East China Sea to analyze the spatial distribution of atmospheric pollutants from East Asia and to elucidate transformation processes of air pollutants during the long-range transport. On 11 December, a day on which Asian dust created hazy conditions, the average PM10 concentration was 40.69 μg m−3, and we observed high concentrations of chemical components such as Ca2+, NO3-, SO42−, Al, Ca, Fe, and Zn. The height of the boundary layer was about 1200 m, and most species of pollutants (except for dust particles and SO2) had accumulated within the boundary layer. In contrast, concentrations of pollutants were low in the boundary layer (up to 1000 m) on 12 December because clean Pacific air from the southeast had diluted the haze. However, we observed natural chemical components (Na+, Cl-, Al, Ca, and Fe) at 3000 m, the indication being that dust particles, including halite, were present in the lower free troposphere. On 14 December, peak concentrations of SO2 and black carbon were measured within the boundary layer (up to 700 m) and at 2300 m. The concentrations of anthropogenic chemical components such as NO3-, NH4+, and Zn were highest at 500 m, and concentrations of both anthropogenic and natural chemical components (SO42−, Pb, Ca2+, Ca, Al, and Fe) were highest at 2000 m. Thus, it was clearly indicated that the air above the East China Sea had a well-defined, layered structure below 3000 m.