Quantitative evidence from VOCs source apportionment reveals O₃ control strategies in northern and southern China

Ground-level ozone (O₃) pollution has received widespread attention because its rising trend and adverse ecological impacts. However, the extremely strong photochemical reactions of its precursor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) increase the difficulty of reducing VOCs emissions to alleviate O₃. Here, we carried out a one-year comprehensive observation in two representative cities, Tianjin (TJ, Northern China) and Guangzhou (GZ, Southern China). By revealing the concentration characteristics of three different types of VOCs, i.e., initial VOCs without photochemical reaction (In-VOCs), consumed VOCs (C-VOCs), and measured VOCs after the reaction (M-VOCs), we elucidated the important role of C-VOCs in the formation of O₃. Although the overall trends were similar in both cities, the average concentration level of VOCs in GZ was 8.2 ppbv higher than that in TJ, and the photochemical loss of VOCs was greater by 2.2 ppbv. In addition, various drivers affecting O₃ generation from C-VOCs were specifically explored, and it was found that most alkenes of TJ were key substances for rapid O₃ formation compared to aromatics of GZ. Meanwhile, favorable meteorological conditions such as high temperature (T > 31 °C in TJ, and T > 33 °C in GZ), low relative humidity (56% in TJ and 45% in GZ), and stable atmospheric environment (proper pressure and gentle wind speed) also contribute to the generation of O₃. More importantly, we combined chemical kinetics and receptor model to quantify the three-type VOCs source contributions and assess the potential impact of C-VOCs sources on O₃ production, thus proposing environmental abatement technologies corresponding to the three types of VOCs. The differences in the comparison results of the three-type VOCs highlight the need to reduce O₃ pollution from C-VOCs sources, which provides insights for future clean air policies development.