Ion Composition of Fog Water and Its Relation to Air Pollutants during Winter Fog Events in Nanjing, China

Intensive field experiments focused on fog chemistry were carried out in the northern suburb of Nanjing during the winters of 2006 and 2007. Thirty-seven fog water samples were collected in nine fog events. Based on the chemical analysis results of those samples and the simultaneous measurements of air pollution gases and atmospheric aerosols, the chemical characteristics of fog water and their relations with air pollutants during fog evolution were investigated. The results revealed an average total inorganic ionic concentration TIC = 21.18 meq/L, and the top three ion concentrations were those of SO4 2−, NH4 + and Ca2+ (average concentrations 6.99, 5.95, 3.77 meq/L, respectively). However, the average pH value of fog water was 5.85, which is attributable to neutralization by basic ions (NH4 + and Ca2+). The average TIC value of fog water measured in advection–radiation fog was around 2.2 times that in radiation fog, and the most abundant cation was NH4 + in advection–radiation fog and Ca2+ in radiation fog. In dense fog episodes, the concentration variations of primary inorganic pollution gases showed a “V”-shaped pattern, while those of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) displayed a “Λ”-shaped pattern. The dense fog acted as both the source and sink of atmospheric aerosol particles; fog processes enhanced particle formation, leading to the phenomenon that the aerosol concentration after fog dissipation was higher than that before the fog, and at the same time, mass concentration of PM10 reached the lowest value in the late stage of extremely dense fog episodes because of the progressive accumulated effect of wet deposition of large fog droplets. Both air pollution gases and aerosols loading controlled the ion compositions of fog water. The Ca2+ in fog water originated from airborne particles, while SO4 2− and NH4 + were from both heterogeneous production and soluble particulate species.