Nonagricultural Emissions Dominate Urban Atmospheric Amines as Revealed by Mobile Measurements
Yunhua Chang, Hongli Wang, Yaqing Gao, Shengao Jing, Yiqun Lu, Shengrong Lou, Yaqiong Kuang, Kai Cheng, Qingyang Ling, Liang Zhu, Wen Tan, Ru‐Jin Huang
Abstract
Abstract Gaseous amines have recently been identified as the key precursors for frequent new particle formation in polluted urban atmospheres. An open question that arises is why amines are abundant in urban areas despite the absence of agricultural emissions. Here, using the Vocus Proton‐Transfer‐Reaction Time‐of‐Flight Mass‐Spectrometry Mobile Laboratory, we present highly time‐resolved and ultrasensitive measurements of amines to elucidate their atmospheric abundance and source distribution over the Yangtze River Delta city cluster. Our results show strong spatiotemporal heterogeneity in atmospheric C2‐ and C3‐amine levels across various landscapes. Unexpectedly, we found that urban areas were ubiquitous hotspots of amines while amine source strength from agricultural areas were rather low. Corroborated by source measurements and source tracers, all of the evidence suggest that nonagricultural emissions are the most important sources responsible for the observed patterns of urban atmospheric amines, implying significant consequences for the global amine emission inventory.