Organosulfates (OSs) are ubiquitous aerosol components, which has seen intense research over years. However, spatial and diurnal variations in OS formation in polluted atmospheres remain poorly understood. In this study, 130 OS species were quantified (or semi-quantified) in ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) collected in urban and suburban Shanghai (East China) in the summer of 2021. Isoprene- and monoterpene-derived OSs were dominant OS groups (averaging 51 % and 19 % of total quantified OSs, respectively), likely indicating a large biogenic contribution to OS formation in summer. Most OSs peaked during daytime, while monoterpene-derived nitrooxy-OSs (NOS_m) increased during nighttime. Accordingly, OSs were largely produced via daytime formation processes, rather than nighttime chemistry, except for NOS_m. Additionally, although OS formation in the urban and suburban areas exhibited similar diurnal variations, the average concentrations of biogenic and anthropogenic OSs decreased significantly from the urban site to the suburban site. Furthermore, we concretized daytime OS formation based on the interactions among OSs, ultraviolet (UV), ozone (O₃), and sulfate (SO${}_{\mathrm{4}}^{\mathrm{2}-}$ ). Indeed, the concentrations of most OSs were significantly correlated with the values of UV[O₃][SO${}_{\mathrm{4}}^{\mathrm{2}-}$ ] during daytime in both urban and suburban Shanghai. In particular, the correlation between major OSs and UV[O₃][SO${}_{\mathrm{4}}^{\mathrm{2}-}$ ] was stronger than the correlation of major OSs with O₃ and SO${}_{\mathrm{4}}^{\mathrm{2}-}$ ; moreover, there was no significant correlation between major OSs and UV. Thus, higher urban OS events were attributed to the enhanced photochemical processes and sulfate level in the urban area. Overall, this study provides field evidence for the influence of photochemical processes and anthropogenic sulfate on OS formation and has important implications for the mitigation of organic particulate pollution.

Mist cannon trucks have been widely applied in megacities in China to reduce the road dust, since they are considered to be more water saving and efficient than the traditional sprinkling trucks. However, their effect on the formation of water-soluble organic compounds and the pollution control of fine particles (PM_2.5) remains unknown. We characterized the variations of chemical compositions in PM_2.5 collected on the road sides during the simulated operations of mist cannon truck and traditional sprinkling truck via Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and ion chromatography. The mass concentrations of water-soluble organic carbon in PM_2.5 showed a significant increase (62 %–70 %) after air spraying. Furthermore, we found that water-soluble organic compounds, particularly organic nitrates, increased significantly via the interactions of reactive gas-phase organics, atmospheric oxidants and aerosol liquid water after air spraying, although the air spraying had a better effect on suppressing road dust than the ground aspersion. Moreover, the formation of PM_2.5 on the road segment where the mist cannon truck passed by was promoted, with an increase of up to 13 % in mass concentration after 25–35 min, on average. Thus, the application of mist cannon trucks potentially worsens the road atmospheric environment through the increase in PM_2.5 levels and the production of a large number of water-soluble organic compounds in PM_2.5. The overall results provide not only valuable insights to the formation processes of water-soluble organic compounds associated with aerosol liquid water in the road environment but also management strategies to regulate the operation of mist cannon trucks in China.