Sains Malaysiana 42(8)(2013): 1065–1072

 

PM2.5 and Associated Ionic Species in a Sub-urban Coastal Area of

Kuala Terengganu, Southern South China Sea (Malaysia)

(PM2.5 dan Spesies Ion Berkaitan di Kawasan Bandar Pesisir Pantai, Kuala Terengganu,

Perairan Selatan Laut China Selatan (Malaysia))

 

Norhayati Mohd Tahir*, Meikee Koh & Suhaimi Suratman

Environmental Research Group, Department of Chemical Sciences,

Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia

 

Norhayati Mohd Tahir* & Suhaimi Suratman

Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia

 

Received: 1 November 2011/Accepted: 3 April 2013

 

ABSTRACT

PM2.5 mass concentration and associated water-soluble ionic species in a sub-urban coastal area of Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia were investigated intermittently from year 2006 to 2009. A total of 78 weekly PM2.5 samples were analyzed. The mass concentration of PM2.5 exhibited annual, seasonal and diurnal variations. Temporal distributions of rainfall, sporadic haze episodes and local air flow (sea breeze circulation) were factors controlling PM2.5 mass variations in the study area. Although the PM2.5 concentrations were increased during haze episodes in 2006 (August and October) and 2007 (October), their concentrations however, were still within the international guidelines. The average concentration of individual ions was in decreasing trend; SO42-> NH4+> K+> Na+> NO3-> Cl-> Ca2+. The concentrations of SO42- and NH4+ accounted for > 70% of the water-soluble aerosol mass. More than 80% of ionic species associated with PM2.5 are from non-marine sources. Major processes affecting the ionic composition of PM2.5 are biomass burning, crustal loading and sea spray. Air quality mitigation strategies should focus on anthropogenic activities emitting SO2, which promotes aerosol SO42- formation.

 

Keywords: Aerosols; fine particles; source apportionment, trans-boundary haze episode; water-soluble ionic species

 

ABSTRAK

Satu kajian mengenai kepekatan jisim PM2.5 dan spesies ion larut air di kawasan bandar pesisir pantai Kuala Terengganu telah dijalankan secara berkala mulai tahun 2006 hingga 2009. Sejumlah 78 sampel mingguan telah dianalisis. Kepekatan jisim PM2.5 mempamerkan perubahan harian, musim dan tahunan. Taburan hujan, jerebu yang berlaku sekali-sekala dan aliran udara tempatan (kitaran bayu laut) adalah faktor yang mempengaruhi perubahan kepekatan PM2.5 di kawasan kajian. Walaupun kepekatan PM2.5 didapati meningkat semasa berlakunya jerebu pada 2006 (Ogos dan Oktober) dan 2007 (Oktober), namun nilainya masih di bawah aras piawai kualiti udara antarabangsa.  Kepekatan purata ion individu berkurang mengikut turutan SO42-> NH4+> K+> Na+> NO3-> Cl-> Ca2+. Kepekatan SO42- dan NH4+ menyumbang lebih 70% daripada keseluruhan jisim spesies ion yang dianalisis. Di samping itu, lebih 80% spesies ion ini didapati berpunca daripada sumber bukan marin. Faktor utama yang mempengaruhi kandungan PM2.5 adalah pembakaran biojisim, elemen semula jadi daripada kerak bumi dan semburan daripada laut. Justeru itu, strategi menangani kualiti udara seharusnya memberi penekanan kepada aktiviti antropogenik yang menyebabkan pelepasan SO2 yang menggalakkan pembentukan aerosol SO42-.

 

Kata kunci: Aerosol; jerebu merentasi sempadan; pengenalpastian sumber; spesies ion terlarut air; zarahan halus

REFERENCES

Almeida, S.M., Pio, C.A., Freitas, M.C., Reis, M.A. & Transcoso, M.A. 2005. Source apportionment of fine and coarse particulate matter in a sub-urban area at the Western European Coast. Atmopheric Environment 39: 3127-3138.

Anwar, A., Liew, J., Latif, M.T. & Othman, M.R. 2010. Correlation between hotspots and air quality in Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia in 2006-2007. Sains Malaysiana39: 169-174.

Arimoto, R., Duce, R.A. & Savoie, D.L. 1996. Relationships among aerosol constituents from Asia and the North Pacific during PEM-West A. Journal of Geophysical Research 101: 2011-2023.

Balasubramaniam, R., Qian, W.B., Decesari, S., Facchini, M.C. & Fuzzi, S. 2003. Comprehensive characterization of PM2.5 aerosols in Singapore. Journal of Geophysical Research 108: D16, 4523.

Baumgardner, D., Raga, G.B., Grutter, M., Lammel, G. & Moya, M. 2006. Evolution of anthropogenic aerosols in the coastal town in Salina Cruz, Mexico: Part II particulate phase chemistry. Science of the Total Environment 372: 287-298.

Brook, R.D., Franklin, B., Cascio, W., Hong, Y., Howard, G., Lipsett, M., Luepker, R., Mittleman, M., Samet, J., Smith, S.C. & Ira, T. 2004. Air pollution and cardiovascular disease: A statement from the expert panel on population and prevention science of the American Heart Association. Journal of the American Heart Association 109: 2655-2671.

Chan, Y.C., Simpson, R.W., Mctainsh, G.H., Vowles, P.D., Cohen, D.D. & Bailey, G.M. 1997. Characterisation of chemical species in PM2.5 and PM10 aerosols in Brisbane, Australia. Atmospheric Environment 31: 3773-3785.

Dockery, D.W., Arden Pope III, C., Xu, X., Spengler, J.D., Ware, J.H., Fay, M.E., Ferris, B.G. & Speizer, F.E. 1993. An association between air pollution and mortality in six U.S. cities. The New England Journal of Medicine 329: 1753-1759.

Eleftheriadis, K., Balis, D., Ziomas, I.C., Colbeck, I. & Manalis, N. 1998. Atmospheric aerosol and gaseous species in Athens, Greece. Atmospheric Environment 32: 2183-2191.

Fang, G.C., Chang, C.N., Wu, Y.S., Peter Pi, C.F., Yang, C.J., Chen, C.D. & Chang, S.C. 2002. Ambient suspended particulate matters and related chemical species study in central Taiwan, Taichung during 1998-2001. Atmospheric Environment 36: 1921-1928.

Hernandez-Mena, L., Saldarriaga-Norena, H., Carbajal-Romero, P., Cosio-Ramirez, R. & Esquival-Hernandez, B. 2010. Ionic species associated with PM2.5 in the City of Guadalajara, Mexico during 2007. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 161: 281-293.

Hu, M., Ling, Y.H., Zhang, Y.H., Wang, M., Kim, Y.P. & Moon, K.C. 2002. Seasonal variation of ionic species in fine particles at Qingdao, China. Atmospheric Environment 36: 5853-5859.

Ka, M.W. & Tanner, P.A. 1999. Monitoring long-term variations of aerosol composition: A dual particle-size approach applied to Hong Kong. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 79: 275-286.

Kang, C.M., Lee, H.S., Kang, B.W., Lee, S.K. & Young, S. 2004. Chemical characteristics of acidic gas pollutants and PM2.5 species during hazy episodes in Seoul, South Korea. Atmospheric Environment 38: 4749-4760.

Karthikeyan, S. & Balasubramaniam, R. 2006. Determination of water-soluble inorganic and organic species in atmospheric fine particulate matter. Microchemical Journal 82: 49-55.

Khare, P. & Baruah, B.P. 2010. Elemental characterization and source identification of PM2.5 using multivariate analysis at the suburban site of North-East India. Atmospheric Environment 98: 148-162.

Kocak, M., Mihalopoulos, N. & Kubilay, N. 2007. Contributions of natural sources to high PM10 and PM2.5 events in the eastern Mediterranean. Atmospheric Environment 41: 3806-3818.

Kumar, A. & Sarin, M.M. 2010. Atmospheric water-soluble constituents in fine and coarse mode aerosolsfrom high-altitude site in western India: Long-range transport and seasonal variability. Atmospheric Environment 44: 1245- 1254.

Juneng, L., Latif, M.T., Tangang, F. & Mansor, H. 2009. Spatio-temporal characteristics of PM10 concentrations across Malaysia. Atmospheric Environment 43: 4584-4594.

Liu, H. & Johnny Chan, C.L. 2002. An investigation of air-pollutant pattern under sea-land breezes during a severe air-pollution episode in Hong Kong. Atmospheric Environment 36: 591-601.

Mohd Tahir, N., Poh, S.C., Suhaimi, H., Khalik, H.W., Shamsiah, A.R., Wee, B.S., Suhaimi, E. & Nazaratul, A.S. 2008. Analysis of PM10 in Kuala Terengganu by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences 12: 187-194.

Mohd Tahir, N., Poh, S.C., Suratman, S., Ariffin, M.M., Shazili, N.A.M. & Yunus, K. 2009. Determination of trace metals in airborne particulate matter of Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 83: 199-203.

Park, S.S. & Kim, Y.J. 2004. PM2.5 particle and size-segregated ionic species measured during fall season in three urban sites in Korea. Atmospheric Environment 38: 1459-1471.

Pey, J., Perez, N., Castillo, S., Viana, M., Moreno, T., Pandolf, M., Lopez-Sebastian, J.M., Alastuey, A. & Querol, X. 2009. Geochemistry of regional background aerosols in the Western Mediterranean. Atmospheric Research 94: 422-435.

Pillai, P.S., Babu, S.S. & Moorthy, K.K. 2002. A study of PM, PM10 and PM2.5 concentration at a tropical coastal station. Atmospheric Research 61: 149-167.

Pope III, C.A., Burnett, R.T. & Thun, M.J. 2002. Lung cancer, cardiopulmonary mortality, and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution. Journal of the American Medical Association 287: 1132-1141.

Prodi, F., Belosi, F., Contini, D., Santachiara, G., Matteo, L.D., Gambaro, S., Donateo, A. & Cesari, D. 2009. Aerosol fine fraction in the Venice Lagoon: Particle composition and source. Atmospheric Research 92: 141-150.

Samet, J.M., Francesca Dominici, M.D., Curriero, F.C., Coursac, I. & Zeger, S.L. 2000. Fine particulate air pollution and mortality in 20 U.S. cities. The New England Journal of Medicine 343: 1742-1749.

Seinfield, J.H. & Pandis, S.N. 1998. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change. New York: Wiley.

Sun, Y., Zhuang, G., Tang, A., Wang, Y. & An, Z. 2006. Chemical characteristics of PM2.5 and PM10 in haze-fog episodes in Beijing. Environmental Science and Technology 40: 3148- 3155.

Tan, J., Duan, J., Chen, D., Wang, X., Guo, S., Bi, X., Sheng, G., He, K. & Fu, J. 2009. Chemical characteristic of haze during summer and winter in Guangzhou. Atmospheric Research 94: 238-245.

Tangang, F., Latif, M.T. & Juneng, L. 2010. The Roles of Climate Variability and Climate Change on Smoke Haze Occurrences in the Southeast Asia Region. London: LSE IDEAS.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2010. National Ambient Air Quality Standards. http://www.epa.gov/ air/criteria.html (Accessed on 26 October 2010).

Wang, Y., Zhuang, G., Tang, A., Yuan, H., Sun, Y., Chen, S. & Zheng, A. 2005. The ion chemistry and the source of PM2.5 aerosol in Beijing. Atmospheric Environment 39: 3771-3784.

World Health Organization (WHO). 2008. Air Quality and Health: Particulate Matter.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/index.html (Accessed on 26 October 2010).

Venkataraman, C., Konda Reddy, C., Sajni Josson, M. & Shekar Reddy, M. 2002. Aerosol size and chemical characteristics at Mumbai, India during the INDOEX-IFP (1999). Atmospheric Environment 36: 1979-1991.

Yao, X., Chan, C.K., Fang, M., Cadle, S., Chan, T., Mulawa, P., He, K. & Ye, B. 2002. The water-soluble ionic composition of PM2.5 in Shanghai and Beijing, China. Atmospheric Environment 36: 4223-4234.

 

*Corresponding author; email: hayati@umt.edu.my

 

 

previous