Aerial observation of air pollutants and aerosols over Bo Hai, China

The first aerial observations of atmospheric pollutants over mainland China were performed as an international collaborative research effort in March, 2002. Observation flights over Bo Hai were made from Dalian to Dandong, Jinzhou, and Qingdao. High concentrations of gaseous pollutants (O3, SO2, and NOx) were observed; SO2 and NOx showed a very good correlation. Comparing the chemical compositions of particulate pollutants showed that there was a high concentration of sulfate ions in fine particles. Concentrations of sulfate and nitrate ions showed good correlations with concentrations of both ammonium and calcium ions, suggesting that the aerosols over the Bo Hai area were well neutralized.