The long-range transport of aerosols from northern China to Hong Kong - a multi-technique study

The results of the inorganic and organic analyses of aerosol samples collected on the east and west sides of Hong Kong during a dust episode (9-10 May 1996) are reported. The origin of the dust was traced to Northern China. The dust reached Hong Kong by way of the East China Sea. The characteristics of the inorganic elements and organic compounds were quite different from the non-episodic samples collected on 1-2 April 1996, EPD (Environmental Protection Department, Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong, China) results for April-May 1994, and our early studies (Zheng et al., 1997. Atmospheric Environment 31(2), 227-237.). Results from X-ray spectrometry showed pronounced increase in the relative abundance of Al, Fe, Ca, S and Cl in the dust samples compared to the non-episodic samples. The high abundance of Cl in the dust samples suggested the aerosols experienced long-range transport by way of the sea. ICP-MS analysis revealed higher concentrations of Fe, Ca, S and Pb in the episodic samples relative to the values measured during April-May 1994 by EPD. The high Ca content in the soil samples is a characteristic of northern Chinese crustal material (Liu et al., 1985). Hong Kong aerosols are characterized by high octadecenoic acid concentration due to heavy urbanization and Chinese-style stir-fry cooking. A much lower C-18 : 1/C-18 : 0 ratio was found in the episodic samples, however, suggesting the aerosols were transported from a long distance. The high ratio of greater than or equal to C-20/ < C-20 in n-alkanoic acids, the high input of n-alkanes and n-alkanols from plant waxes, and the unusually similar distribution of the organic compounds in the east and west samples suggested the existence of non-local sources on 9-10 May 1996. The compositions and distributions of lipids in the aerosol samples collected during the episode corresponded well with those of the eolian dust samples over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Back trajectories and low altitude (< 3 km) mesoscale flow modeling were performed, suggesting the existence of a mesoscale atmospheric structure off the east China coast, which could be responsible for the dust episode. Surface charts indicated the presence of suspended dust near Shanghai on 8 May 1996. Taiwan also experienced a similar episode on 8-9 May 1996. This integrated, multi;technique approach provides clear evidence that the 9-10 May episode was attributed to a consequence of Asian Dust. This is the first scientific report of Asian Dust in Hong Kong. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.