Monitoring Atmospheric Ammonia Column Concentrations in the Hefei Region Using Ground-Based High-Resolution Fourier Transform
Infrared Spectroscopy
TONG Ji-ping1, 2, XIE Yu1, 5*, WANG Shi-yi2, 3, YUE Yang1, LI Long1, TAN Wen-zhuo1, SHAN Chang-gong2, QIAN Zheng-wei1, 2, WANG Wei2, 4
1. School of Electronic Information and Automation, Hefei University, Hefei 230601, China
2. Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
3. Science Island Branch, Graduate School, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
4. Institute of Environment Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230022, China
5. Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Applications of Anhui Province, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
Abstract：Ammonia (NH3) readily reacts with acidic pollutants in the atmosphere to form secondary inorganic aerosols, which constitute an important component of particulate matter and indirectly affect the environment and health. Thus, detecting the concentration and variation of ammonia in the atmosphere is of great significance for the study of the causes of particulate matter and pollution prevention and control. This study analyzed the variation characteristics of atmospheric NH3 column concentrations and the driving factors behind the variations in Hefei, China, from 2019 to 2023 using high-resolution Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)spectroscopy at a ground-based remote sensing site. The reliability of Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) satellite data was also validated. Results showed a significant interannual increasing trend in NH3 column concentrations, especially with an annual growth rate of 35.96% in 2022. Pattern of seasonal variation was clear, with the summer peak (3.74×1016 molec·cm-2) being 4.2 times higher than the winter minimum (0.89×1016 molec·cm-2), driven by intensified agricultural emissions and temperature-enhanced volatilization. Further analysis was conducted on the relationship between the ammonia column concentration and meteorological factors such as atmospheric temperature, wind direction, and wind speed. It was found that only in the spring did the ammonia column concentration show a moderate correlation with atmospheric temperature; in the other seasons, the correlation was weak. Moreover, the observed ammonia column concentration was mainly influenced by the local wind direction, while the influence of wind speed did not show a clear pattern. Diurnal analysis identified dual-peak characteristics during morning (08:00) and evening(16:00) rush hours in spring, summer, and autumn, reflecting contributions from non-agricultural sources such as traffic emissions. Furthermore, comparisons between ground-based FTIR and IASI satellite data demonstrated high consistency, with a correlation coefficient from 0.65 to 0.76. In contrast, satellite data exhibited systematic bias, with relative bias from -1.0% to 8.7%, due to retrieval algorithm limitations and cloud interference. This study revealed the variation characteristics of ammonia column concentrations in the Hefei area and the influencing factors, providing a scientific basis for regional ammonia emission reduction strategies, and verifying the accuracy of satellite data for observations in China.
Key words：Ammonia; Total column; FTIR spectroscopy; Ground-based remote sensing; Satellite data
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