Direct measurement of the deposition of submicron soot particles on leaves of Platanus acerifolia tree

Abstract

Submicron soot particles (<1.0 μm in aerodynamic diameter) are responsible for global warming and health burdens worldwide. However, studies on bio-monitoring of submicron soot particles and their associated sources by using tree leaves are not comprehensively illustrated. Here, we determined the seasonal trends of submicron soot particles on the leaves of the Platanus acerifolia collected from two cities (Lu'an, Anhui Province, and Nanjing, Jiangsu Province) in the Yangtze River Delta region, China. The source apportionment of submicron soot particles was performed using stable carbon isotopic analyses. Significant seasonal trends of submicron soot particles were observed in two cities with averaged levels of 0.41–1.36 mg m⁻² in cold seasons and averaged levels of 0.13–0.24 mg m⁻² in warm seasons. The levels of δ¹³C for submicron soot at the suburban site of Lu'an city were observed to be in the range of −25.6‰ to −18.2‰ with fossil fuels dominated (∼58%) in summer and −23.0‰ to −15.6‰ with biomass burning dominated in winter (∼67%). In comparison, the ranges in the levels of δ¹³C in submicron soot were found to be from −26.5‰ to −20.4‰ in winter, and −24.2‰ to −17.9‰ in summer at the urban site of Nanjing. Fossil fuels accounted for a large fraction of submicron soot with average contributions of 53% in winter and 73% in summer, respectively. These findings demonstrate that Platanus acerifolia trees could be used as an effective and low-cost bio-monitoring tool for monitoring the pollution status of submicron soot and associated source contribution.