Article
Environmental Sciences
A. Rathore, G. S. Gopikrishnan, J. Kuttippurath
Summary: At higher concentrations, tropospheric ozone can cause respiratory difficulties, premature human mortality, and harm vegetation. It is produced as a byproduct of chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight. This study analyzes the trends and effects of tropospheric ozone in India, highlighting its significant increase and impact on regional warming, public health, and ecosystem dynamics.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xavier Querol, Jordi Massague, Andres Alastuey, Teresa Moreno, Gotzon Gangoiti, Enrique Mantilla, Jose Jaime Dueguez, Miguel Escudero, Eliseo Monfort, Carlos Perez Garcia-Pando, Herve Petetin, Oriol Jorba, Victor Vazquez, Jesus de la Rosa, Alberto Campos, Marta Munoz, Silvia Monge, Maria Hervas, Rebeca Javato, Maria J. Cornide
Summary: Traffic flow decreased during lockdown in Spain, leading to reduced NO2 levels but less than expected decrease in PM2.5. After lockdown, there was a persistent shift from public transport to private vehicles, impacting air quality.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
An Qi, Hua Zhang, Shuyun Zhao, Tijian Wang, Qianxia Liu, Zaizhi Wang, Sunling Gong, Bing Xie, Yi Liu
Summary: This study evaluates the performance of a newly developed atmospheric chemistry-climate model in determining past and future tropospheric ozone levels. The model is able to reproduce the distribution and seasonal changes of tropospheric ozone in 2010 and shows an increase in ozone burden in China. In the future, tropospheric ozone burden is projected to decrease globally but increase in South Asia and Africa.
JOURNAL OF METEOROLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pengfei Yu, Robert W. Portmann, Yifeng Peng, Cheng-Cheng Liu, Yunqian Zhu, Elizabeth Asher, Zhixuan Bai, Ye Lu, Jianchun Bian, Michael Mills, Anja Schmidt, Karen H. Rosenlof, Owen B. Toon
Summary: Volcanic and wildfire events between 2014 and 2022 injected 3.2 Tg of sulfur dioxide and 0.8 Tg of smoke aerosols into the stratosphere. The simulated stratospheric lifetime of the injections during this period is 50% longer than previous volcanic injections. These injections resulted in a global mean effective radiative forcing of -0.18 W m(-2), which is 40% of the radiative forcing caused by the Pinatubo eruption. The smoke aerosols from wildfires have a greater negative radiative forcing compared to volcanic sulfate.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Begie C. Perdigones, Soojin Lee, Ronald C. Cohen, Jeong-Hoo Park, Kyung-Eun Min
Summary: This study analyzes the effects of changing emissions on the formation mechanisms of tropospheric ozone (O3), providing insights for regulatory directions. The research finds that reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions can reduce the number of summer days in violation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for O3, and reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions can also have positive effects.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Begie C. Perdigones, Soojin Lee, Ronald C. Cohen, Jeong-Hoo Park, Kyung-Eun Min
Summary: This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the effects of changing emissions on the formation mechanisms of tropospheric ozone (O-3) and presents a new approach to quantify the ozone production rate and its sensitivity to precursor levels. The study reveals that in the South Coast Air Basin, reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions is crucial to decrease the number of summer days with ozone violations, and reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions would also be beneficial.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaodan Ma, Jianping Huang, Tianliang Zhao, Cheng Liu, Kaihui Zhao, Jia Xing, Wei Xiao
Summary: This study analyzes surface observations and satellite retrieval data to determine the increase in surface ozone in the North China Plain region, finding that anthropogenic emission control strategies and changes in aerosol concentrations are the main driving factors. Numerical simulations indicate that reduction of O3 precursor emissions and aerosol radiative effect contribute significantly to the increase in surface ozone, emphasizing the importance of considering aerosol chemistry in future research for developing more effective emission control strategies.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tingting Li, Jun Li, Zeyu Sun, Hongxing Jiang, Chongguo Tian, Gan Zhang
Summary: Due to anthropogenic activities, the release of reactive nitrogen (Nr) has significantly changed the sources of atmospheric nitrogen aerosol. This study measured the concentrations and stable isotopes (d(15)N) of NH4+ and NO3- in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in a subtropical megacity in South China to understand their levels, sources, and environmental fate. The results showed that NH4+ and NO3- were essential components of atmospheric nitrogen aerosol, with N-NH4+ and N-NO3- contributing 45.8% and 23.2% to total nitrogen (TN), respectively. The dominant sources for NH4+ and NO3- were anthropogenic combustion activities, such as coal combustion, biomass burning, and vehicles, contributing 63.2% and 88.3%, respectively. Overall, this study highlights the significant impact of human activities on inorganic Nr and emphasizes the importance of adopting clean energy and efficient biomass use to reduce nitrogen emissions and mitigate air pollution.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenjie Wang, David D. Parrish, Siwen Wang, Fengxia Bao, Ruijing Ni, Xin Li, Suding Yang, Hongli Wang, Yafang Cheng, Hang Su
Summary: In the past decade, ozone pollution has become a severe environmental problem in China's major cities. This study investigated the long-term trend of ozone pollution in China from 2014 to 2020 based on observational records. The study found that ozone concentrations were slightly higher in urban areas compared to non-urban areas. The highest concentrations occurred during summer in northern China and during autumn or spring in southern China. Despite the decrease in ozone precursors, ozone concentrations generally increased over the 7-year period, with a slower rate of increase after 2017. There were seasonal differences in the long-term trend, with ozone concentrations decreasing in summer and increasing in winter from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, a photochemical box model analysis suggested a shift in the ozone sensitivity regime in urban areas of China during the study period.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Zhaozhong Feng, Yansen Xu, Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Lulu Dai, Tianyi Zhang, Evgenios Agathokleous, Vicent Calatayud, Elena Paoletti, Arideep Mukherjee, Madhoolika Agrawal, Rokjin J. Park, Yujin J. Oak, Xu Yue
Summary: East Asia is highly affected by surface ozone pollution, leading to significant yield losses in crops. China has the highest relative yield loss, followed by Japan and South Korea. The study emphasizes the urgent need for mitigation action and agronomic measures to combat rising ozone levels and protect crop production.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jordi Massague, Juan Contreras, Alberto Campos, Andres Alastuey, Xavier Querol
Summary: The study found that most of the ozone episodes in the Guadalquivir Valley are caused by contributions from long-range transport, as well as local and regional pollution accumulation. These episodes are mainly due to vertical recirculation of air masses and accumulation of pollutants. Therefore, it is crucial to forecast these recirculation and accumulation processes in the GV basin in order to reduce ozone precursor emissions effectively.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dillon Elsbury, Amy H. Butler, John R. Albers, Melissa L. Breeden, Andrew O'Neil Langford
Summary: Stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) is a significant source of ozone for the troposphere, particularly in western North America. The variability and location of the Pacific jet stream and the amount of ozone in the lower stratosphere are important factors controlling STT in this region, which may change with increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Xinbing Ren, Junsong Wu, Chongshui Gong, Wenkang Gao, Dandan Zhao, Yongjing Ma, Jinyuan Xin
Summary: Rapid economic development has significantly affected air pollution and aerosol properties in Taiyuan City. Despite the implementation of pollution control measures, aerosol optical depth and radiative forcing remain relatively high. Increased humidity leads to higher particulate matter concentration and atmospheric extinction.
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Clara Jaen, Mireia Udina, Joan Bech
Summary: This study analyzed two episodes of unusual exceedances of ozone concentration in NE Spain during the summer of 2019, finding that high ozone values recorded inland were mainly due to precursors advection from Barcelona Metropolitan Area. By comparing measured and modeled concentrations, it was confirmed that precursor advection from AMB influenced the ozone concentration in the region.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Matthew S. Johnson, Kevin Strawbridge, K. Emma Knowland, Christoph Keller, Michael Travis
Summary: In the summer of 2019, Siberian wildfires significantly impacted air quality and composition in western Canada through trans-Pacific and trans-Arctic transport pathways. Observations and simulations indicated that the effects were mainly seen in the free troposphere.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lei Chen, Hong Liao, Jia Zhu, Ke Li, Yang Bai, Xu Yue, Yang Yang, Jianlin Hu, Meigen Zhang
Summary: This study systematically examines the historical and future changes in premature respiratory mortalities caused by ozone (O3) exposure in China and identifies the primary factors contributing to these changes. The historical assessment for 2013-2019 is based on gridded O3 concentrations, while the future prediction for 2019-2030 uses projected O3 concentrations under different scenarios. The study finds that the deterioration of O3 air quality is the main factor driving the increase in O3-mortality during 2013-2019, but population aging will become the leading cause of future O3-mortality rises from 2019 to 2030.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yan Li, Baojie Li, Hong Liao, Bing-Bing Zhou, Jing Wei, Yuxia Wang, Yuzhu Zang, Yang Yang, Rui Liu, Xiaorui Wang
Summary: China's non-poverty-stricken areas have more severe PM2.5 pollution than poverty-stricken areas, leading to higher premature mortality. China's total PM2.5-related premature mortality is relatively evenly distributed across regions of different GDP per capita levels, but slightly increased from 2015 to 2020 due to the change in age structure. PM2.5-related premature deaths are more severe for populations of low socioeconomic status, and this environmental health inequality may be amplified by population aging. Migration from China's poverty-stricken areas to developed cities has contributed to a significant number of premature deaths.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fengyi Chang, Jiandong Li, Nan Li, Hong Liao
Summary: We used the WRF-Chem model to simulate a stratospheric intrusion (SI) event in eastern China and investigate its impact on near-surface O3 pollution. The large-scale circulation of SI was characterized by a deep trough over central China, South Asia high, and Western Pacific Subtropical high. The results showed that SI contributed up to 6.5 ppb to the surface O3 concentration, mainly through horizontal advection. The study highlights the natural effect of SI on O3 pollution in eastern China and its implications for the development of an O3 pollution alert system.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yang Yang, Liangying Zeng, Hailong Wang, Pinya Wang, Hong Liao
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
J. F. Brewer, D. J. Jacob, S. H. Jathar, Y. He, A. Akherati, S. Zhai, D. S. Jo, A. Hodzic, B. A. Nault, P. Campuzano-Jost, J. L. Jimenez, R. J. Park, Y. J. Oak, H. Liao
Summary: We propose a new Volatility Basis Set (VBS) representation for aromatic Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) and apply it to atmospheric chemistry models. Our scheme was able to simulate the observations of organic aerosol (OA) from the KORUS-AQ field campaign better than the default schemes used in GEOS-Chem, showing improved representation of vertical profiles, diurnal cycle, and partitioning between hydrocarbon-like OA and oxidized OA. Our results confirm the significant contributions of oxidized primary OA, aromatic SOA, and semi- and intermediate volatile organic compounds (S/IVOCs) to the OA budget in South Korea.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mijie Pang, Jianbing Jin, Arjo Segers, Huiya Jiang, Li Fang, Hai Xiang Lin, Hong Liao
Summary: In 2021 spring, there were recurring super dust storms in East Asia, causing significant health damages and property losses. To minimize the damage and issue early warnings, an accurate dust forecast is crucial. The development of a dust storm forecasting system is introduced by combining a chemical transport model, LOTOS-EUROS, and the Localized EnKF (LEnKF) assimilation approach. Ground-based PM10 measurements from an air quality monitoring network are assimilated, and sequential assimilation tests are conducted. The assimilation-based forecasting system shows better performance in dust forecasting compared to the model-only forecast, as validated by independent MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD) data. The implementation of LEnKF, with the benefit of localization, improves the resolution of PM10 measurements with limited ensemble members and exhibits superior performance.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Su Li, Yang Yang, Hailong Wang, Pengwei Li, Ke Li, Lili Ren, Pinya Wang, Baojie Li, Yuhao Mao, Hong Liao
Summary: Observations show that tropospheric ozone (O3) concentrations in Southeast Asia have been increasing rapidly since the 1990s. This study uses a modeling technique to quantify the contributions of different regions and emission sectors to the increase in O3 concentrations. The results indicate that the increase in local NOx emissions dominates the trend of O3 concentration in Southeast Asia, and ground transportation is the largest contributor to the rapid increase.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Jiyuan Gao, Yang Yang, Hailong Wang, Pinya Wang, Baojie Li, Jiandong Li, Jiangfeng Wei, Meng Gao, Hong Liao
Summary: This study investigates the fast and slow climate responses in China to changes in domestic and foreign anthropogenic aerosol emissions. The results show that both domestic and foreign aerosol changes contribute to the warming in China, with domestic emissions affecting primarily through rapid atmospheric adjustments and foreign aerosol changes influencing through slow oceanic processes. The comparable influence of domestic and foreign aerosol changes highlights the importance of international collaboration in climate mitigation efforts.
NPJ CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jinyan Dong, Baojie Li, Yan Li, Rui Zhou, Cong Gan, Yongqi Zhao, Rui Liu, Yating Yang, Teng Wang, Hong Liao
Summary: In recent years, there has been an increase in atmospheric ammonia (NH3) concentrations in China. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution, urban-rural gradient, and contributing factors (meteorology, social, atmospheric acid gases, and NH3 emissions) of NH3 in China from 2008 to 2019 using satellite observations. The results showed a significant increase in NH3 concentrations, with the highest levels in the North China Plain. The NH3 concentrations were higher in urban areas compared to rural areas, and the gap between urban and rural NH3 concentrations was widening. Atmospheric acid gases were identified as the main factor contributing to the increase in NH3 concentrations.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shixian Zhai, Daniel J. Jacob, Drew C. Pendergrass, Nadia K. Colombi, Viral Shah, Laura Hyesung Yang, Qiang Zhang, Shuxiao Wang, Hwajin Kim, Yele Sun, Jin-Soo Choi, Jin-Soo Park, Gan Luo, Fangqun Yu, Jung-Hun Woo, Younha Kim, Jack E. Dibb, Taehyoung Lee, Jin-Seok Han, Bruce E. Anderson, Ke Li, Hong Liao
Summary: Air quality network data in China and South Korea reveal high concentrations of coarse particulate matter (PM), with coarse PM contributing nearly half of PM10. The dominant source of coarse PM is anthropogenic fugitive dust, as indicated by strong daily correlations with carbon monoxide. Reductions in construction and vehicle traffic due to COVID-19 led to a significant decrease in coarse PM concentrations in 2020. The inclusion of anthropogenic coarse PM in air quality models helps to explain the formation of fine particulate nitrate and its sensitivity to emissions of ammonia and sulfur dioxide.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nadia K. Colombi, Daniel J. Jacob, Laura Hyesung Yang, Shixian Zhai, Viral Shah, Stuart K. Grange, Robert M. Yantosca, Soontae Kim, Hong Liao
Summary: Despite efforts to decrease emissions, surface ozone pollution in South Korea has increased over the past 2 decades and consistently exceeds the air quality standard. A study of the trends in surface ozone and NO2 concentrations from 2015 to 2019 reveals an increase in ozone concentration in April-May and a decrease in NO2 concentration by 22%. Global atmospheric chemistry models can successfully simulate surface ozone and explain the emission-driven ozone trend in the Seoul metropolitan area.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Chao Liu, Yang Yang, Hailong Wang, Lili Ren, Jiangfeng Wei, Pinya Wang, Hong Liao
Summary: Since the implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in 2013, aerosol emissions in East Asia have decreased significantly, while emissions in South Asia have continued to increase, resulting in a dipole pattern of aerosol emissions between the two regions. A study investigating the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) responses to these changes found that the reduction in East Asian emissions alone led to a positive aerosol effective radiative forcing (ERF) and a slight warming in summer. When considering both the emission reductions in East Asia and the increases in South Asia, the ERF and warming over central-eastern China were further enhanced, while the rainfall decreased slightly. Overall, the study highlights the important role of South Asian aerosols in changing the East Asian climate.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mengyun Li, Yang Yang, Hailong Wang, Huimin Li, Pinya Wang, Hong Liao
Summary: In recent years, the level of near-surface ozone (O3) in China has been increasing rapidly, leading to significant damage to human health and ecosystems. This study investigates the impact of the stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) on the interannual variations of summertime tropospheric O3 over China. The results show that QBO has a significant positive correlation with near-surface O3 concentrations over central China under warm sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Huimin Li, Yang Yang, Jianbing Jin, Hailong Wang, Ke Li, Pinya Wang, Hong Liao
Summary: This study quantifies the impacts of future climate change on ozone (O3) pollution in Asia and predicts near-surface O3 concentrations from 2020 to 2100. The results show that under high-forcing scenarios, O3 concentrations will increase by 5%-20% in South China, Southeast Asia, and South India, and by less than 10% in North China and the Gangetic Plains. Furthermore, the study finds that summertime O3 pollution in eastern China will expand from North China to South China and extend into the cold season in a warmer future.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Huibin Dai, Hong Liao, Ke Li, Xu Yue, Yang Yang, Jia Zhu, Jianbing Jin, Baojie Li, Xingwen Jiang
Summary: Frequent co-polluted days by ozone and PM2.5 were observed in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2013 to 2020. The chemical and physical characteristics of these days were different from those of single ozone or PM2.5 pollution, and they have significant implications for air quality management.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
