Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melanie S. Hammer, Aaron van Donkelaar, Randall V. Martin, Erin E. McDuffie, Alexei Lyapustin, Andrew M. Sayer, N. Christina Hsu, Robert C. Levy, Michael J. Garay, Olga V. Kalashnikova, Ralph A. Kahn
Summary: The study examines the effects of lockdown measures on PM2.5 concentrations during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding significant reductions in China and slight changes in Europe and North America. These changes are attributed to a combination of meteorological conditions and emission reductions, primarily from transportation sources. Regional differences in the sensitivity of PM2.5 to emission sources are demonstrated in this work.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zehui Liu, Harald E. Rieder, Christian Schmidt, Monika Mayer, Yixin Guo, Wilfried Winiwarter, Lin Zhang
Summary: Excessive reactive nitrogen (Nr) contributes significantly to PM2.5 air pollution in Europe, posing health challenges. This study identifies optimal Nr control strategies for Europe, considering emission estimations, air quality modeling, exposure-mortality modeling, Nr control experiments, and cost data. The results show that reducing Nr emissions would greatly reduce PM2.5 and premature deaths in Europe, with NH3 control being more cost-effective than NOx control.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Drew Shindell, Luke Parsons, Greg Faluvegi, Kevin Hicks, Johan Kuylenstierna, Charles Heaps
Summary: Africa is vulnerable to climate change and has low greenhouse gas emissions. However, decarbonization may result in a 'climate penalty' that offsets temperature benefits from CO2 reductions. This study shows that African emissions cuts have weak impacts on temperatures but significantly affect rainfall. Reductions in cooling aerosols and absorbing aerosols contribute to the avoidance of summer drying in certain parts of Africa.
NPJ CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
S. Enrique Puliafito, Tomas R. Bolano-Ortiz, Rafael P. Fernandez, Lucas L. Berna, Romina M. Pascual-Flores, Josefina Urquiza, Ana Lopez-Norena, Maria F. Tames
Summary: This work presents the integration of a high-resolution gas-phase and particulate atmospheric emission inventory for Argentina from 1995 to 2020, aiming to support air quality and climate modeling for evaluating pollutant mitigation strategies by local governments. The inventory provides temporally resolved emission maps, showing pollution reduction during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 compared to previous years.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Steven T. Turnock, Carly L. Reddington, J. Jason West, Fiona M. O'Connor
Summary: This study uses the Earth system model UKESM1 to simulate the changes in surface ozone and PM2.5 concentrations under different NTCF mitigation scenarios. The results show that reducing pollutant emissions can greatly improve human health, especially in Asia. However, if emissions continue at current rates, the health impacts will worsen over South Asia in the short term and across Africa in the long term. Future climate change could offset some of the health benefits achieved by emission reduction measures.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kailan Tian, Yu Zhang, Yuze Li, Xi Ming, Shangrong Jiang, Hongbo Duan, Cuihong Yang, Shouyang Wang
Summary: Regional trade agreements (RTAs) are widely used to promote international trade, but their environmental effects have not been well studied. This study evaluates the economic effects of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and estimates that it will lead to increased CO2 emissions. However, deeper trade liberalization can help mitigate the burdens.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
E. Pisoni, P. Thunis, A. De Meij, J. Wilson, B. Bessagnet, M. Crippa, D. Guizzardi, C. A. Belis, R. Van Dingenen
Summary: The EU is taking ambitious policies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and aims to cut emissions by at least 55% by 2030. These policies have positive side-effects on air quality and additional measures are in place to reduce emissions of air pollutants and improve air quality. Through a modelling study, it is clear that EU policies can bring significant health and economic benefits in terms of morbidity and mortality indicators.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pak Sokharavuth, Sophearith Thiv, Chea Nara, Chandath Him, Sam Sokyimeng, Daven K. Henze, Ryan Holmes, Johan C. I. Kuylenstierna, Christopher S. Malley, Eleni Michalopoulou, Jessica Slater
Summary: Cambodia's 16.5 million people are exposed to air pollution exceeding WHO guidelines, and the government has implemented regulations since 2000. However, rapid economic growth and energy consumption continue to impact air pollution. Cambodia's first Clean Air Plan aims to reduce pollutant emissions over the next decade. The plan includes 14 measures that could substantially reduce emissions and avoid approximately 900 premature deaths per year in 2030. It also contributes to Cambodia's climate change goals by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 19%.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nimish Singh, Shivang Agarwal, Sumit Sharma, Satoru Chatani, Veerabhadran Ramanathan
Summary: This study aims to analyze the reasons behind the high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in India, with the Indo-Gangetic Plain identified as the most polluted region. PM2.5 levels are affected by meteorological conditions, emission sources, and chemical reactions.
ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Helen L. Macintyre, Christina Mitsakou, Massimo Vieno, Mathew R. Heal, Clare Heaviside, Karen S. Exley
Summary: Air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to public health. Future air pollution concentrations are primarily determined by precursor emissions, which are driven by environmental policies relating to climate and air pollution. Detailed health impact assessments (HIA) are necessary to provide quantitative estimates of the impacts of future air pollution to support decision-makers developing environmental policy and targets.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bastien Radola, Sylvain Picaud, Ismael Kenneth Ortega
Summary: This paper investigates the clustering properties of sulfuric acid and benzenedicarboxylic acid molecules through high-level quantum calculations. The results show that organic diacid molecules may enhance the nucleation of small atmospheric clusters, with the phthalic acid isomer being more efficient than the other isomers of benzenedicarboxylic acid.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Corey Lesk, Denes Csala, Robin Hasse, Sgouris Sgouridis, Antoine Levesque, Katharine J. Mach, Daniel Horen Greenford, H. Damon Matthews, Radley M. Horton
Summary: The article discusses the need for a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate risks caused by climate change. The study estimates the CO2 emissions embedded in the broader climate transition using a set of models. The results suggest that while emissions from adaptation-related interventions are relatively low, emissions from deploying renewable energy capacity are much higher. The article emphasizes the importance of considering emissions from mitigation actions and highlights the potential for reducing emissions through ambitious energy decarbonization efforts.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yiqi Zheng, Nadine Unger
Summary: Global air pollution and climate change are major threats to planetary health, with short-lived climate forcers playing a significant role. Global emission reductions are crucial for protecting the Earth's environment, with agriculture and domestic sectors being prioritized for achieving climate and health co-benefits.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amber M. Yeoman, Alastair C. Lewis
Summary: Disposable compressed gas aerosols have been a ubiquitous part of life since the mid-1950s. The signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 led to aerosol propellants changing from halocarbons to less damaging replacements. Global consumption of aerosol units has increased significantly, with personal care products being the largest contributors. With existing policies remaining unchanged, global emissions from compressed aerosols could continue to rise.
ELEMENTA-SCIENCE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Masoumeh Mousavi, Vladimir Martis, Elham H. Fini
Summary: The study highlights the benefits of using inherently functionalized carbon (IFC) from algae to selectively adsorb potentially harmful bitumen emissions, mitigating the effects of intense sunlight exposure and high temperatures on air quality.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Camilla W. Stjern, Piers M. Forster, Hailing Jia, Caroline Jouan, Matthew R. Kasoar, Gunnar Myhre, Dirk Olivie, Johannes Quaas, Bjorn H. Samset, Maria Sand, Toshihiro Takemura, Apostolos Voulgarakis, Christopher D. Wells
Summary: In this study, the response of key climate quantities to changes in greenhouse gases or aerosols is investigated using six global climate models. The results show that ocean temperature changes become evident after a couple of months, while rapid reductions in precipitation occur instantly and stabilize within a few days. The magnitude of precipitation response gradually increases for carbon dioxide and sulfate, and switches from negative to positive after 2 years for carbon dioxide. Rapid cloud adjustments are typically established within the first 24 hours, and the geographical pattern of cloud change is present after the first year. Overall, our work highlights the similarity of major processes and responses simulated by current global models, indicating the robustness of simulated responses to historical and future forcing.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xin Zhou, Graham W. Mann, Wuhu Feng, Sandip S. Dhomse, Martyn P. Chipperfield
Summary: Substantial and prolonged enhancements in stratospheric water vapor have been observed after large-magnitude explosive tropical volcanic eruptions, with aerosol-absorptive heating playing a key role. Analyzing model experiments, this study finds that aerosol-absorptive heating leads to peak increases in stratospheric water vapor approximately 18 and 23 months after a volcanic eruption. The El Nino-Southern Oscillation also modulates this effect.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Olivier Boucher, Nicolas Bellouin, Hannah Clark, Edward Gryspeerdt, Julien Karadayi
Summary: This study presents two methods for optimizing flight trajectories to reduce fuel consumption by taking advantage of wind patterns and constant airspeed. The extent to which actual flight trajectories differ from the fuel-optimal trajectory is not well known, but on average, the transatlantic route is 1% longer than the computed optimal trajectory.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Christopher D. Wells, Lawrence S. Jackson, Amanda C. Maycock, Piers M. Forster
Summary: The regional climate impacts of future emissions scenarios can be estimated by combining Earth system model simulations with a linear pattern scaling model. The study used MESMER to emulate the regional pattern of the surface temperature response based on historical single-forcer and future Shared Socioeconomic Pathway simulations. The results highlight the limitations of linear pattern scaling for strong mitigation pathways and provide guidance for selecting predictor scenarios and introducing other dependent variables in pattern scaling models.
EARTH SYSTEM DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chenwei Fang, Jim M. Haywood, Ju Liang, Ben T. Johnson, Ying Chen, Bin Zhu
Summary: Using the UK Earth System Model version 1 (UKESM1), this study finds that reductions in carbonaceous aerosol and SO2 emissions can significantly impact the South Asian summer monsoon and East Asian summer monsoon, leading to changes in the large-scale circulation over Asia. Reductions in carbonaceous aerosols extend and intensify the summer rainy season in South Asia and East Asia, while reductions in SO2 result in a shorter and weaker rainy season. Overall, decreasing both types of aerosol emissions enhances monsoon precipitation and 850 hPa circulation.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Piers M. Forster, Christopher J. Smith, Tristram Walsh, William F. Lamb, Robin Lamboll, Mathias Hauser, Aurelien Ribes, Debbie Rosen, Nathan Gillett, Matthew D. Palmer, Joeri Rogelj, Karina von Schuckmann, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Blair Trewin, Xuebin Zhang, Myles Allen, Robbie Andrew, Arlene Birt, Alex Borger, Tim Boyer, Jiddu A. Broersma, Lijing Cheng, Frank Dentener, Pierre Friedlingstein, Jose M. Gutierrez, Johannes Guetschow, Bradley Hall, Masayoshi Ishii, Stuart Jenkins, Xin Lan, June-Yi Lee, Colin Morice, Christopher Kadow, John Kennedy, Rachel Killick, Jan C. Minx, Vaishali Naik, Glen P. Peters, Anna Pirani, Julia Pongratz, Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Sophie Szopa, Peter Thorne, Robert Rohde, Maisa Rojas Corradi, Dominik Schumacher, Russell Vose, Kirsten Zickfeld, Valerie Masson-Delmotte, Panmao Zhai
Summary: IPCC assessments are a trusted source of scientific evidence for climate negotiations, but the time gap between report cycles creates an information gap. To fill this gap, we compile monitoring datasets based on IPCC report methods to provide annually updated reliable global climate indicators.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ernesto Reyes-Villegas, Douglas Lowe, Jill S. Johnson, Kenneth S. Carslaw, Eoghan Darbyshire, Michael Flynn, James D. Allan, Hugh Coe, Ying Chen, Oliver Wild, Scott Archer-Nicholls, Alex Archibald, Siddhartha Singh, Manish Shrivastava, Rahul A. Zaveri, Vikas Singh, Gufran Beig, Ranjeet Sokhi, Gordon McFiggans
Summary: In this study, a WRF-Chem VBS parameterization method is proposed to investigate the uncertainty of organic aerosol production. The results showed structural errors in the model, but it was still possible to identify suitable parameter combinations for the analyzed periods using emulator analysis and model evaluation metrics. This method can be used to determine the model uncertainty and provide valuable information to improve our understanding of OA production.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Daniele Visioni, Ben Kravitz, Alan Robock, Simone Tilmes, Jim Haywood, Olivier Boucher, Mark Lawrence, Peter Irvine, Ulrike Niemeier, Lili Xia, Gabriel Chiodo, Chris Lennard, Shingo Watanabe, John C. Moore, Helene Muri
Summary: The Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) is a coordinating framework that aims to understand the physical processes and impacts of solar geoengineering. It has conducted numerous experiments and published over 100 studies. This critical assessment discusses its successes, missed opportunities, contributions to geoengineering research and climate science, and provides recommendations for future experiments and activities.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xuemei Wang, Hamish Gordon, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Meinrat O. Andreae, Ken S. Carslaw
Summary: Global model studies and observations have shown that downward transport of aerosol nucleated in the free troposphere is a major source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) to the global boundary layer. In Amazonia, observations show that this downward transport can occur during strong convective activity. However, it is not clear from these studies over what spatial scale this cycle of aerosol formation and downward supply of CCN is occurring. Based on simulations, it is found that only a small proportion of aerosol originated within the Amazonian regional domain, while the majority came from outside the domain, indicating the importance of long-range transport in controlling CCN in the boundary layer.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alice F. Wells, Andy Jones, Martin Osborne, Lilly Damany-Pearce, Daniel G. Partridge, James M. Haywood
Summary: In June 2019, the Raikoke volcano in the Kuril Islands erupted explosively, releasing approximately 1.5 Tg +/- 0.2 Tg of SO2 and 0.4-1.8 Tg of volcanic ash into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Recent studies have shown that including ash in the model emission scheme is necessary for a more accurate simulation of the volcanic plume's evolution. This study highlights the challenges in obtaining robust and consistent observational constraints but suggests that the evidence supports the inclusion of ash in the UKESM1 model.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ewa M. Bednarz, Daniele Visioni, Ben Kravitz, Andy Jones, James M. Haywood, Jadwiga Richter, Douglas G. MacMartin, Peter Braesicke
Summary: This paper presents a comparison of three state-of-the-art Earth system models to study the atmospheric responses to stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) at various latitudes in the tropics. The study reveals the role of biases in circulation and model microphysics in driving the differences in simulated sulfate distributions. The results contribute to understanding the physical mechanisms and reducing uncertainty in model projections of climate impacts from SAI.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruth Price, Andrea Baccarini, Julia Schmale, Paul Zieger, Ian M. Brooks, Paul Field, Ken S. Carslaw
Summary: In the Arctic, the origin of high Arctic aerosols in late summer has been studied using a global model and field observations. It was found that particles formed outside the Arctic are the main source of boundary layer aerosols during the sea ice melt period. However, as summer progresses, the influence of external sources decreases and is replaced by local particle formation driven by iodic acid. This study suggests a regime shift in late summer, where cloud condensation nuclei become sensitive to local aerosol processes.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ilaria Quaglia, Claudia Timmreck, Ulrike Niemeier, Daniele Visioni, Giovanni Pitari, Christina Brodowsky, Christoph Bruehl, Sandip S. Dhomse, Henning Franke, Anton Laakso, Graham W. Mann, Eugene Rozanov, Timofei Sukhodolov
Summary: This study compares the simulation results of six global models with observational data on the stratospheric aerosol cloud following the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The results show consistent agreement in the rapid reduction of sulfate mass burden in the tropical stratosphere and transport towards the extratropics in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the models overestimate the initial sulfate burden and produce higher surface area density compared to observations.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexander D. James, Finn Pace, Sebastien N. F. Sikora, Graham W. Mann, John M. C. Plane, Benjamin J. Murray
Summary: The formation of NAT crystals without water ice is important for polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) and ozone depletion. Previous studies focused on the nucleating ability of meteoric material in nitric acid, but our study suggests that the sulfuric acid-processed particles also play a significant role in NAT nucleation.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaochao Yu, Hua Zhang, Bing Xie, Piers M. Forster
Summary: Our study examines the effect of emission reductions on precipitation and finds that reducing aerosol emissions increases precipitation in the Northern Hemisphere, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions decreases precipitation in the Southern Hemisphere. Simultaneous emissions reductions lead to an enhanced precipitation contrast between hemispheres, and more aggressive greenhouse gas mitigation policies are necessary to counteract aerosol-induced warming. This study is important for understanding climate change and informing adaptation policies.