Spatial characteristics of VOCs and their ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation potentials in autumn and winter in the Guanzhong Plain, China

As critical precursors of tropospheric ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) largely influence air quality in urban environments. In this study, measurements of 102 VOCs at all five major cities in the Guanzhong Plain (GZP) were conducted during Sep.09-Oct. 13, 2017 (autumn) and Nov. 14, 2017–Jan. 19, 2018 (winter) to investigate the characteristics of VOCs and their roles in O3 and SOA formation. The average concentrations of total VOCs (TVOCs) at Xi'an (XA), Weinan (WN), Xianyang (XY), Tongchuan (TC), and Baoji (BJ) sites were in the range of 55.2–110.2 ppbv in autumn and 42.4–74.3 ppbv in winter. TVOCs concentrations were reduced by 22.4%–43.5% from autumn to winter at XA, WN and BJ. Comparatively low concentrations of TVOCs were observed in XY and TC, ranging from 53.5 to 62.7 ppbv across the sampling period. Alkanes were the major components at all sites, accounting for 26.4%–48.9% of the TVOCs during the sampling campaign, followed by aromatics (4.2%–26.4%). The average concentration of acetylene increased by a factor of up to 4.8 from autumn to winter, indicating the fuel combustion in winter heating period significantly impacted on VOCs composition in the GZP. The OH radical loss rate and maximum incremental reactivity method were employed to determine photochemical reactivities and ozone formation potentials (OFPs) of VOCs, respectively. The VOCs in XA and WN exhibited the highest reactivities in O3 formation, with the OFP of 168–273 ppbv and the OH loss rates of 19.3–40.8 s−1. Alkenes and aromatics primarily related to on-road and industrial emissions contributed 57.8%–76.3% to the total OFP. The contribution of aromatics to the SOA formation at all sites reached 94.1%–98.6%. Considering the potential source-area of VOCs, regional transport of VOCs occurred within the GZP cities. •Urban cities in the Guanzhong Plain exhibited the highest VOCs levels.•Fuel combustion and meteorological conditions impacted on VOCs composition.•VOCs levels were impacted by transport of air mass within the Guanzhong Plain.