Evolution and chemical characteristics of organic aerosols during wintertime PM2.5 episodes in Shanghai, China: insights gained from online measurements of organic molecular markers

Organic aerosol (OA) is a significant part of urban fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and a lack of detailed knowledge of their sources has increasingly hindered the improvement of air quality in China in recent years, as significant reductions have been achieved in inorganic ion constituents. In this study, a wide range of organic molecular markers in PM2.5 were monitored with a bi-hourly time resolution using a thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatograph system (TAG) in urban Shanghai in winter 2019. The molecular marker data have provided a unique source tracking ability in characterizing the evolution of organic aerosols during nine wintertime episodic events. Episodes primarily influenced by local air masses were characterized with higher proportions in PM2.5 and mass increments of both primary and secondary OA. Rapid increases in both the absolute mass concentration and relative proportion were observed for primary and secondary OA markers, indicative of vehicle emissions (e.g., alkanes, hopanes, and 2,3-dihydroxy-4-oxopentanoic acid) and cooking activities (e.g., saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and C9 acids). In comparison, episodes under significant influences of transported air mass were typically associated with a predominant PM2.5 contribution from secondary inorganic aerosols and enhanced OA contribution from biomass burning activities. The latter was evident from the tracer data (e.g., levoglucosan, aromatic polycarboxylic acids, and nitroaromatic compounds). Secondary OA markers associated with later-generation products of the hydrocarbon oxidation process, such as C3−5 dicarboxylic acids, were the most deficient during local episodes, while notably enhanced during the episodes under the influence of transported air masses, reflecting the different extent and pathways of atmospheric aging processing. The ability to distinguish the variations in the OA evolution during different types of episodes demonstrates the value of online organic molecular measurements for episodic analysis. The results indicate that control of local urban sources such as vehicular and cooking emissions would lessen severity of local episodes, while regional control of precursors for secondary inorganic aerosols and biomass burning activities would reduce PM2.5 episodes under synoptic conditions conducive for regional transport.