Dew condensation during a typical haze event in Changchun, China

Abstract

Abstract Haze is one of the most serious environmental problems affecting China. This study monitored the changes in dew amount and quality during a haze event that occurred in 2016. Water vapor migrated continuously to the near surface during the haze event. The period of dew condensation increased because of meteorological factors, and the daily dew amount (0.178 mm) was higher during the haze event than in non-haze weather (0.0607 mm). The concentrations of all ions in the dew increased gradually during the haze event, peaking during the most serious period of the haze. The concentrations of SO42− and NH4+ reached 15,325.95 and 13,865.45 μeq/L, which were 2.24 and 10.83 times greater than those obtained before the haze event, respectively. During the haze event, the particulate matter (PM) concentrations within the dew increased, and the mass concentrations of PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 during the worst haze event were 65.3 and 166.1 mg/L, respectively. The dew mainly removed coarse PM; the average removal rates of PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 during the haze event were 13.6% and 16.9%, respectively. Dew can capture PM throughout a haze event, and its purifying effect on the underlying surface was obvious, especially during the beginning of the event.