[Particle mass concentrations and size distribution during and after the Beijing Olympic Games]

To study the variance characteristics of particle mass and number concentration during and after the Beijing Olympic Games, on-line measurements of particle mass and number concentration were conducted on the rooftop of a two-story building near the 325 m meteorological observation tower in the courtyard of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics during 2008-08-08 - 2008- 10-07 by using TEOM and APS. Sources and transportation of atmospheric particles during the experiment were discussed with surface meteorology data and backward trajectories calculated using HYSPLIT model. It had been found that the average mass concentration of PM2.5-10 and PM2.5 were (23.1 +/- 1.6) microg x m(-3) and (55.5 +/- 7.3) microg x m(-3) during the Olympic time, which were 18.2% and 16.0% lower than non-Olympic time, and 22.3% and 18.0% lower than non-Source control time. In Olympic time, average number concentration of PN2.5-10 and PN0.5-2.5 were (15 +/- 1) cm(-3) and (3138 +/- 567) cm(-3), which were 23.4% and 27.5% lower than non-Olympic time, and 29.5% and 34.3% lower than non-Source control time. According to the correlation analysis result of particle matter and meteorological factors, there were significant linear relationships between wind speed, relative humidity and precipitation of prior day and particle mass and number concentrations, stepwise regression analysis showed that 42% and 53% of the variance in mass and number concentration of fine particle were both accounted for wind speed and relative humility, while 21% and 39% of the variance in mass and number concentration of coarse particle were both accounted for wind speed and precipitation of prior day. For the entire period, 46% of total air masses came from regions south of Beijing like Baoding and Shijiazhuang and were favor to increase both the mass and number concentration of fine particles, whereas air masses transported from the north and near north regions had a great effect on scavenging both fine and coarse particles in Beijing, indicating coarse particles mostly came from local sources and fine particles mainly influenced by regional transport in Beijing. According to the comparative analysis result of two accumulation- diffusion processes, meteorological factors were only the causes of particle mass and number fluctuations, while the significant decrease of coarse and fine particles concentrations were mainly contributed to weaker emission of particles from local sources and weaker transport from regional area around Beijing, suggesting synchronous emission abatement of six provinces and cities of North China is the main factor that ensured the excellent air quality during the Olympic Games.