High efficiency of livestock ammonia emission controls in alleviating particulate nitrate during a severe winter haze episode in northern China

Although nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission controls have been implemented for several years, northern China is still facing high particulate nitrate (NO3-) pollution during severe haze events in winter. In this study, the thermodynamic equilibrium model (ISORROPIA-II) and the Weather Research and Forecast model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) were used to study the efficiency of NH3 emission controls on alleviating particulate NO3- during a severe winter haze episode. We found that particulate-NO3- formation is almost NH3-limited in extremely high pollution but HNO3-limited on the other days. The improvements in manure management of livestock husbandry could reduce 40 % of total NH3 emissions (currently 100 kt month−1) in northern China in winter. Consequently, particulate NO3- was reduced by approximately 40 % (on average from 40.8 to 25.7 µg m−3). Our results indicate that reducing livestock NH3 emissions would be highly effective in reducing particulate NO3- during severe winter haze events.