Concurrent measurements of nitrate at urban and suburban sites identify local nitrate formation as a driver for urban episodic PM2.5 pollution

Nitrate (NO3−) is often among the leading components of urban particulate matter (PM) during PM pollution episodes. However, the factors controlling its prevalence remain inadequately understood. In this work, we analyzed concurrent hourly monitoring data of NO3− in PM2.5 at a pair of urban and suburban locations (28 km apart) in Hong Kong for a period of two months. The concentration gradient in PM2.5 NO3− was 3.0 ± 2.9 (urban) vs. 1.3 ± 0.9 μg m−3 (suburban) while that for its precursors nitrogen oxides (NOx) was 38.1 vs 4.1 ppb. NO3− accounted for 45 % of the difference in PM2.5 between the sites. Both sites were characterized to have more available NH3 than HNO3. Urban nitrate episodes, defined as periods of urban-suburban NO3− difference exceeding 2 μg m−3, constituted 21 % of the total measurement hours, with an hourly NO3− average gradient of 4.2 and a peak value of 23.6 μg m−3. Our comparative analysis, together with 3-D air quality model simulations, indicates that the high NOx levels largely explain the excessive NO3− concentrations in our urban site, with the gas phase HNO3 formation reaction contributing significantly during the daytime and the N2O5 hydrolysis pathway playing a prominent role during nighttime. This study presents a first quantitative analysis that unambiguously shows local formation of NO3− in urban environments as a driver for urban episodic PM2.5 pollution, suggesting effective benefits of lowering urban NOx. [Display omitted] •PM2.5 NO3− formation concurrently probed at urban and suburban sites in Hong Kong.•91 % (urban) and 76 % (suburban) of the measurement periods were ammonium-rich.•Consistently higher NO3− at the urban site was attributed to local NOx oxidation.•Local NO3− formation contributed significantly to elevated PM2.5 at the urban site.