Characteristics and sources of PM2.5 and carbonaceous species during winter in Taiyuan, China

Continuous observation of PM2.5 was conducted in Taiyuan, a heavily polluted city in China, during high pollution season from December 2005 to February 2006. The results of this study showed that PM2.5 and carbonaceous species pollution were serious during winter in Taiyuan. The organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC) were accounted for 18.6 +/- 11.2% and 2.9 +/- 1.6% of PM2.5, respectively, which indicated that carbonaceous aerosols were key components for control fine particles pollution in Taiyuan. Coal combustion was a dominant source of OC and EC of PM2.5 in the urban area of Taiyuan during winter. The impact of local and remote particle sources on urban air quality was assessed using PM2.5 concentration rose and 3-day back trajectories of air masses arriving at Taiyuan. The meteorological conditions were found to affect the ambient concentrations of PM2.5, OC, EC and OC/EC ratio. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.