TY - JOUR ID - 10.1016/j.jes.2020.09.007 TI - Light absorption properties and potential sources of brown carbon in Fenwei Plain during winter 2018–2019 AU - Wenyu Zhang AU - Weigang Wang AU - Jie Li AU - Shuangliang Ma AU - Chaofan Lian AU - Kun Li AU - Bo Shi AU - Mingyuan Liu AU - Yanyu Li AU - QingQing Wang AU - Yele Sun AU - Shengrui Tong AU - Maofa Ge VL - 33 IS - 4 PB - SP - 53 EP - 63 PY - JF - Journal of Environmental Sciences JA - J. Environ. Sci. UR - http://www.jesc.ac.cn/jesc_en/ch/reader/view_abstract.aspx?file_no=S1001074220303818&flag=1 KW - Corresponding authors.;Brown carbon;Light absorption;Potential source analysis;Fenwei Plain AB - A distinctive kind of organic carbon aerosol that could absorb ultraviolet-visible radiation is called brown carbon (BrC), which has an important positive influence on radiative budget and climate change. In this work, we reported the absorption properties and potential source of BrC based on a seven-wavelength aethalometer in the winter of 2018–2019 at an urban site of Sanmenxia in Fenwei Plain in central China. Specifically, the mean value of BrC absorption coefficient was 59.6 ± 36.0 Mm−1 at 370 nm and contributed 37.7% to total absorption, which made a significant impact on visibility and regional environment. Absorption coefficients of BrC showed double-peak pattern, and BrC had shown small fluctuations under haze days compared with clean days. As for the sources of BrC, BrC absorption coefficients expressed strong correlations with element carbon aerosols and primary organic carbon aerosols, indicating that most of BrC originated from primary emissions. The linear correlations between trace metal elements (K, As, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Pb) and BrC absorption coefficients further referred that the major sources of BrC were primary emissions, like coal burning, biomass burning, and vehicle emissions. The moderate relationship between BrC absorption coefficients and secondary organic aerosols suggested that secondary production of BrC also played an important role. The 120 hr backward air mass trajectories analysis and concentration-weighted trajectories analysis were also used to investigate potential sources of BrC in and around this area, which inferred most parts of BrC were derived from local emissions. ER -