Chemical characterization of water-soluble ions in highly time-resolved atmospheric fine particles in Istanbul megacity

Abstract

The diurnal and seasonal variations of water-soluble ions (WSIs) in fine particles were investigated in an area predominantly affected by traffic emissions in Besiktas, Istanbul between 2017 and 2018. PM2.5 samples were collected at high time resolutions of 2 h during the daytime and 12 h during the nighttime for six sampling campaigns over all seasons. Five inorganic water-soluble ions (SO42-, NH4+, NO3-, PO4-3, and NO2-) were determined using ion chromatography. Source analysis was investigated with principal component analysis (PCA) and bivariate polar plots. In descending order, WSIs concentrations were SO42->NH4+> NO3-> PO4-3>NO2- during the different seasons. The high time-resolved concentrations ranged as follows: sulfate 1.2-1118.1, ammonium 0.3-289.9, phosphate 2.9-107.6, nitrate 4.6-179.7, and nitrite 0.8-9.0 ng/m(3), with yearly averages of 226.5, 59.0, 58.4, 37.9, and 3.3 ng/m(3), respectively. Except for phosphate, all WSIs had strong seasonal variations with high concentrations during the winter and low concentrations during the summer. Molar ratios revealed that the formation of ammonium sulfate was less likely than ammonium nitrate. Principal component analysis resolved secondary aerosols (43.9%), residential heating (34.6%), shipping emissions (8.7%), and vehicle emissions (6.7%) as the major sources of WSIs, OC, EC, and PM2.5 in Besiktas, Istanbul. Sulfate aerosol originated mainly from two nearby areas, SW and NE, of the sampling site tentatively due to residential heating and shipping emissions, respectively.