Global Chemical Transport Model Research Articles

Anthropogenic NO x emissions of China, the U.S. and Europe from 2019 to 2022 inferred from TROPOMI observations

Anthropogenic nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions are closely associated with human activities. In recent years, global human activity patterns have changed significantly owing to the COVID‐19 epidemic and international energy crisis. However, their effects on NO x emissions are not yet fully understood. In this study, we developed a two-step inversion framework using NO2 observations from the TROPOMI satellite and the GEOS-Chem global atmospheric chemical transport model, and inferred global anthropogenic NO x emissions from 2019 to 2022, focusing on China, the United States (U.S.), and Europe. Our results indicated an 1.68% reduction in NO x emissions in 2020 and a 5.72% rebound in 2021 across all regions. China rebounded faster than the others, surpassing its 2019 levels by July 2020. In 2022, emissions declined in all regions, driven mainly by the Omicron variant, energy shortages, and clean energy policies. Our findings provide valuable insights for the development of effective future emission management strategies.

Direct radiative forcing of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols in China

China is an important emitter of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols (LACs), including black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC). Currently, there are large uncertainties in model-estimated direct radiative forcing (DRF) of LACs, partially due to the poor understanding of the emissions and optical properties of LACs. In this study, we estimated the DRF of LACs over China during the implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (APPCAP) using the global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) coupled with the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model of GCMs (RRTMG). We updated the refractive index of BC, includedbiomass burning (BB) sources, biofuel (BF) and coal combustion (CC) sources in the residential sector as BrC emission sources and the optical properties were updated, which were not fully considered in the previous model studies. Our results showed that model could reasonably capture the spatial and temporal variations of LACs in China with the correlation coefficients between model simulated and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) observed daily absorption aerosol optical depth (AAOD) of LACs at 440 nm above 0.63 and the corresponding values of the normalized mean bias within ±30%. The simulated annual mean LACs AAOD at 440 nm in China was 0.016 (0.021) in 2017 (2014) and BrC contributed about 20% (21%). The estimated annual mean clear-sky LACs DRF at the top of the atmosphere in China was 1.02 W m−2 in 2017 and 1.38 W m−2 in 2014, and the contribution of BrC was about 10% and 11%, respectively, which was dominated by the BF sources (46% in 2017 and 44% in 2014) and the BB sources (38% in 2017 and 43% in 2014), with CC sources being low (16% in 2017 and 13% in 2014). The annual mean AAOD and DRF of LACs in China decreased by 0.005 and 0.36 W m−2 from 2014 to 2017, which were largely attributed to the reductions of anthropogenic emissions during the implementation of APPCAP. Our results would improve the understanding of the light absorption capacity and climate effects of LACs in China.

Co-occurrence of ozone and PM2.5 pollution in urban/non-urban areas in eastern China from 2013 to 2020: Roles of meteorology and anthropogenic emissions

We applied a three-dimensional (3-D) global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to evaluate the influences of meteorology and anthropogenic emissions on the co-occurrence of ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution day (O3-PM2.5PD) in urban and non-urban areas of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) and Yangtze River Delta (YRD) regions during the warm season (April–October) from 2013 to 2020. The model captured the observed O3-PM2.5PD trends and spatial distributions well. From 2013 to 2020, with changes in both anthropogenic emissions and meteorology, the simulated values of O3-PM2.5PD in the urban (non-urban) areas of the BTH and YRD regions were 424.8 (330.1) and 309.3 (286.9) days, respectively, suggesting that pollution in non-urban areas also warrants attention. The trends in the simulated values of O3-PM2.5PD were −0.14 and −0.15 (+1.18 and +0.81) days yr−1 in the BTH (YRD) urban and non-urban areas, respectively. Sensitivity simulations revealed that changes in anthropogenic emissions decreased the occurrence of O3-PM2.5PD, with trends of −0.99 and −1.23 (−1.47 and −1.92) days yr−1 in the BTH (YRD) urban and non-urban areas, respectively. Conversely, meteorological conditions could exacerbate the frequency of O3-PM2.5PD, especially in the urban YRD areas, but less notably in the urban BTH areas, with trends of +2.11 and +0.30 days yr−1, respectively, owing to changes in meteorology only. The increases in T2m_max and T2m were the main meteorological factors affecting O3-PM2.5PD in most BTH and YRD areas. Furthermore, by conducting sensitivity experiments with different levels of pollutant precursor reductions in 2020, we found that volatile organic compound (VOC) reductions primarily benefited O3-PM2.5PD decreases in urban areas and that NOx reductions more notably influenced those in non-urban areas, especially in the YRD region. Simultaneously, reducing VOC and NOx emissions by 50 % resulted in considerable O3-PM2.5PD decreases (58.8–72.6 %) in the urban and non-urban areas of the BTH and YRD regions. The results of this study have important implications for the control of O3-PM2.5PD in the urban and non-urban areas of the BTH and YRD regions.

Development of the tangent linear and adjoint models of the global online chemical transport model MPAS-CO2 v7.3

Abstract. We describe the development of the tangent linear (TL) and adjoint models of the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS)-CO2 transport model, which is a global online chemical transport model developed upon the non-hydrostatic Model for Prediction Across Scales – Atmosphere (MPAS-A). The primary goal is to make the model system a valuable research tool for investigating atmospheric carbon transport and inverse modeling. First, we develop the TL code, encompassing all CO2 transport processes within the MPAS-CO2 forward model. Then, we construct the adjoint model using a combined strategy involving re-calculation and storage of the essential meteorological variables needed for CO2 transport. This strategy allows the adjoint model to undertake a long-period integration with moderate memory demands. To ensure accuracy, the TL and adjoint models undergo vigorous verifications through a series of standard tests. The adjoint model, through backward-in-time integration, calculates the sensitivity of atmospheric CO2 observations to surface CO2 fluxes and the initial atmospheric CO2 mixing ratio. To demonstrate the utility of the newly developed adjoint model, we conduct simulations for two types of atmospheric CO2 observations, namely the tower-based in situ CO2 mixing ratio and satellite-derived column-averaged CO2 mixing ratio (XCO2). A comparison between the sensitivity to surface flux calculated by the MPAS-CO2 adjoint model with its counterpart from CarbonTracker–Lagrange (CT-L) reveals a spatial agreement but notable magnitude differences. These differences, particularly evident for XCO2, might be attributed to the two model systems' differences in the simulation configuration, spatial resolution, and treatment of vertical mixing processes. Moreover, this comparison highlights the substantial loss of information in the atmospheric CO2 observations due to CT-L's spatial domain limitation. Furthermore, the adjoint sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the sensitivities to both surface flux and initial CO2 conditions spread out throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere within a month. MPAS-CO2 forward, TL, and adjoint models stand out for their calculation efficiency and variable-resolution capability, making them competitive in computational cost. In conclusion, the successful development of the MPAS-CO2 TL and adjoint models, and their integration into the MPAS-CO2 system, establish the possibility of using MPAS's unique features in atmospheric CO2 transport sensitivity studies and in inverse modeling with advanced methods such as variational data assimilation.

Influence of Wind Flows on Surface O3 Variation over a Coastal Province in Southeast China

Surface ozone (O3) is influenced not only by anthropogenic emissions but also by meteorological factors, with wind direction being one of the most overlooked factors. Here, we combine the observational data of both O3 and wind flow to compare the variation in surface O3 with wind direction between coastal and inland regions of Fujian, a province in the southeast coast of China with complicated topography. We further conduct a numerical simulation using a global chemical transport model, GEOS-Chem, to interpret the observational results, explore the linkages between these O3 variations and wind flows, and identify the dominant processes for the occurrence of high O3 that varies with wind flows. The results from the observations over 2015–2021 suggest that, over coastal regions, surface O3 concentrations show a strong dependence on wind flow changes. On average, during the daytime, when southeasterly winds prevail, the mean of O3 concentrations reaches 83.5 μg/m3, which is 5.0 μg/m3 higher than its baseline values (the mean O3 concentrations), while the northwesterly winds tend to reduce surface O3 by 6.4 μg/m3. The positive O3 anomalies with southeasterly wind are higher in the autumn and summer than in the spring and winter. During the nighttime, the onshore northeasterly winds are associated with enhanced O3 levels, likely due to the airmass containing less NO2, alleviating the titration effects. Over inland regions, however, surface O3 variations are less sensitive to wind flow changes. The GEOS-Chem simulations show that the prevailing southeasterly and southwesterly winds lead to the positive anomaly of chemical reactions of O3 over coastal regions, suggesting enhanced photochemical production rates. Furthermore, southeasterly winds also aid in transporting more O3 from the outer regions into the coastal regions of Fujian, which jointly results in elevated surface O3 when southeasterly winds dominates. When affected by wind flows in different directions, the chemical reaction and transport in the inland regions do not exhibit significant differences regarding their impact on O3. This could be one of the reasons for the difference in O3 distribution between coastal and inland regions. This study could help to deepen our understanding of O3 pollution and aid in providing an effective warning of high-O3 episodes.

Future Ozone Changes and Their Impacts on Vegetation and Human Health in China Under the Shared Socio‐Economic Pathways

AbstractOzone concentrations in China are increasing in recent years and future changes of ozone and their impacts have attracted much attention. We use global chemical transport model (GEOS‐Chem) to simulate the surface ozone concentrations in China in 2020 and 2050 under four Shared Socio‐economic Pathways and evaluate the impacts of future ozone pollution on vegetation and premature mortality in four polluted regions (Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, BTH; Yangtze River Delta, YRD; Pearl River Delta, PRD; Sichuan Basin, SCB) and three major crop growing areas (Huang–Huai–Hai, HHH; Northeast Plain, NEP; middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, MLRY) in China. The changes of simulated seasonal maximum daily 8‐hr average (MDA8) ozone from 2020 to 2050 (−15.5 to +11.9 ppbv) are significant under SSP126 (low forcing pathway) and SSP245 (medium forcing pathway) scenarios in all regions due to large changes of emissions. MDA8 ozone in summer 2050 will be above the WHO guidelines (100 μg/m3) in BTH, YRD, HHH and MLRY under four scenarios. By 2050, W126 (vegetative ozone exposure index) in summer will be much above the maximum of US secondary standard (21 ppm‐h) in HHH under SSP245, SSP370 (medium to high forcing pathway) and SSP585 (high forcing pathway) scenarios, and in MLRY under SSP370 and SSP585 scenarios. Annual ozone‐related deaths for people over 30 years old will mainly decrease in four polluted areas from 2020 to 2050 under SSPs scenarios, but only increase much under SSP245 scenario in BTH (+3.1 to +4.2 thousand) and YRD (+1.1 to +1.6 thousand).

Quantifying the effects of the microphysical properties of black carbon on the determination of brown carbon using measurements at multiple wavelengths

Abstract. Methods based on the absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) are widely used to estimate the absorption by brown carbon (BrC), and the estimated absorption by BrC can be significantly different from 0, even for pure black carbon (BC). However, few studies have systematically quantified the effects of BC microphysical properties. Moreover, the conditions under which AAE-based methods are applicable are still unclear. In this work, we used BC models partially coated with non-absorbing materials to calculate the total absorption. Since the total absorption is entirely due to BC, the estimated BrC absorption should be 0 if the retrieval methods are accurate. Thus, the ratio of the estimated BrC absorption to BC absorption (ABSBrC) should be the proportion of the BC absorption that is incorrectly attributed to BrC. The results show that a BC AAE of 1 can generally provide reasonable estimates for freshly emitted BC, since ABSBrC is generally in the range of −4.8 % to 2.7 % during that period. However, when BC aerosols are aged, ABSBrC can sometimes reach about 38.7 %. The wavelength dependence of the AAE (WDA) method does not necessarily improve the estimates; sometimes a negative ABSBrC of about −40.8 % is found for partially coated BC. By combining simulations of a global chemical transport model, this work also quantified the effects of BC microphysical properties on BrC global aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) estimates. The AAE = 1 method sometimes leads to a misassigned global mean AAOD of about −0.43–0.46×10-3 if the BC aerosols have a complex morphology. The WDA method does not necessarily improve the estimates. In our cases, the WDA methods based on spherical models could lead to a global-mean misassigned AAOD range of about −0.87–0.04×10-3. At the regional scale, the AAE = 1 method sometimes leads to a distributed AAOD of about −7.3 to 5.7×10-3 in some specific regions. Mie-theory-based WDA methods lead to an estimated AAOD error of about -22×10-3 in some regions (e.g., East Asia). This work also showed that the misattributed BrC absorption would lead to substantial uncertainties in the estimation of the global direct radiative forcing (DRF) of absorbing aerosols from different sources.

Implications of Snowpack Reactive Bromine Production for Arctic Ice Core Bromine Preservation

AbstractSnowpack emissions are recognized as an important source of gas‐phase reactive bromine in the Arctic and are necessary to explain ozone depletion events in spring caused by the catalytic destruction of ozone by halogen radicals. Quantifying bromine emissions from snowpack is essential for interpretation of ice‐core bromine. We present ice‐core bromine records since the pre‐industrial (1750 CE) from six Arctic locations and examine potential post‐depositional loss of snowpack bromine using a global chemical transport model. Trend analysis of the ice‐core records shows that only the high‐latitude coastal Akademii Nauk (AN) ice core from the Russian Arctic preserves significant trends since pre‐industrial times that are consistent with trends in sea ice extent and anthropogenic emissions from source regions. Model simulations suggest that recycling of reactive bromine on the snow skin layer (top 1 mm) results in 9–17% loss of deposited bromine across all six ice‐core locations. Reactive bromine production from below the snow skin layer and within the snow photic zone is potentially more important, but the magnitude of this source is uncertain. Model simulations suggest that the AN core is most likely to preserve an atmospheric signal compared to five Greenland ice cores due to its high latitude location combined with a relatively high snow accumulation rate. Understanding the sources and amount of photochemically reactive snow bromide in the snow photic zone throughout the sunlit period in the high Arctic is essential for interpreting ice‐core bromine, and warrants further lab studies and field observations at inland locations.

Meteorological and anthropogenic drivers of surface ozone change in the North China Plain in 2015–2021

Surface ozone (O3) concentrations in China have increased largely in the past decade. An accurate understanding of O3 pollution evolution is critical for making effective regulatory policies. Here we integrate data- and process-based models to explore the drivers of the observed summertime surface O3 change in the North China Plain (NCP) over 2015–2021. The data-based model by the deep learning (DL) suggests the reverse of meteorological contributions to the observed O3 change, i.e., 0.14 ppb/y in 2015–2019 and −1.74 ppb/y in 2019–2021. This is mainly resulted from the reversed changes in meteorological variables in surface air temperature and relative humidity. The simulations from a global chemical transport model, GEOS-Chem, also support those results, i.e., the meteorological contribution to O3 changes are 0.26 ppb/y in 2015–2019 and −0.74 ppb/y in 2019–2021. Furthermore, our analysis exhibits possible weakened anthropogenic contributions to surface O3 rise, for example, 1.53 and 0.54 ppb/y by DL in 2015–2019 and 2019–2021, respectively. Similarly, GEOS-Chem simulations suggest an accelerated decrease in surface O3 concentrations driven by the decline in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations, i.e., approximately 0.4 and 1.2 ppb in 2015–2019 and 2019–2021, respectively. The combined effects of meteorological and anthropogenic contributions led to a significant decrease in surface O3 concentrations by −1.20 ppb/y in 2019–2021. The findings in this work offer valuable insights to mitigate O3 pollution in China.

A single-point modeling approach for the intercomparison and evaluation of ozone dry deposition across chemical transport models (Activity 2 of AQMEII4).

A primary sink of air pollutants and their precursors is dry deposition. Dry deposition estimates differ across chemical transport models, yet an understanding of the model spread is incomplete. Here, we introduce Activity 2 of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative Phase 4 (AQMEII4). We examine 18 dry deposition schemes from regional and global chemical transport models as well as standalone models used for impact assessments or process understanding. We configure the schemes as single-point models at eight Northern Hemisphere locations with observed ozone fluxes. Single-point models are driven by a common set of site-specific meteorological and environmental conditions. Five of eight sites have at least 3 years and up to 12 years of ozone fluxes. The interquartile range across models in multiyear mean ozone deposition velocities ranges from a factor of 1.2 to 1.9 annually across sites and tends to be highest during winter compared with summer. No model is within 50 % of observed multiyear averages across all sites and seasons, but some models perform well for some sites and seasons. For the first time, we demonstrate how contributions from depositional pathways vary across models. Models can disagree with respect to relative contributions from the pathways, even when they predict similar deposition velocities, or agree with respect to the relative contributions but predict different deposition velocities. Both stomatal and nonstomatal uptake contribute to the large model spread across sites. Our findings are the beginning of results from AQMEII4 Activity 2, which brings scientists who model air quality and dry deposition together with scientists who measure ozone fluxes to evaluate and improve dry deposition schemes in the chemical transport models used for research, planning, and regulatory purposes.

Arctic warming by abundant fine sea salt aerosols from blowing snow

The Arctic warms nearly four times faster than the global average, and aerosols play an increasingly important role in Arctic climate change. In the Arctic, sea salt is a major aerosol component in terms of mass concentration during winter and spring. However, the mechanisms of sea salt aerosol production remain unclear. Sea salt aerosols are typically thought to be relatively large in size but low in number concentration, implying that their influence on cloud condensation nuclei population and cloud properties is generally minor. Here we present observational evidence of abundant sea salt aerosol production from blowing snow in the central Arctic. Blowing snow was observed more than 20% of the time from November to April. The sublimation of blowing snow generates high concentrations of fine-mode sea salt aerosol (diameter below 300 nm), enhancing cloud condensation nuclei concentrations up to tenfold above background levels. Using a global chemical transport model, we estimate that from November to April north of 70° N, sea salt aerosol produced from blowing snow accounts for about 27.6% of the total particle number, and the sea salt aerosol increases the longwave emissivity of clouds, leading to a calculated surface warming of +2.30 W m−2 under cloudy sky conditions.

Parameterizations for sea spray aerosol production flux

Sea spray aerosols (SSA) are important contributors to the global aerosol load, and they have a significant impact on the global climate system and chemical processes. To better assess the environmental impact of SSA emissions, it is important to quantitatively characterize the parametric dependence of SSA production fluxes on other environmental variables, and assess their role in global climate models (GCMs) and chemical transport models (CTMs). There are currently significant differences in the simulation of global SSA production fluxes in various models, and these differences are mainly attributed to the differences in the sea spray source functions (SSSFs). Research in the literature over the last decade has greatly broadened the knowledge of SSSFs and improved our understanding of SSA production fluxes and how they are applied in models. This paper clarifies the derivation process of different SSSFs, and provides a critical review of the application progress of different SSSFs in different models, which plays an important role in improving the accuracy of model simulations to evaluate the impact of SSA. More specifically, we review the studies related to the parameterization of sea spray aerosol production fluxes in the last decade, mainly focusing on the influencing factors of SSA production, the research progress of SSSFs, and the application of SSSFs in the models. The main environmental factors that alter the production flux in SSA include wind speed, sea surface temperature, wave state, salinity, surface active organic matter, etc. To better parameterize the SSA production flux, different expressions of SSSFs have been proposed. This paper mainly summarizes from different variables such as particle size distribution dependence, whitecap coverage, sea surface temperature dependence and wave state dependence. Moreover, many studies have incorporated different SSSFs in different GCMs and CTMs to evaluate the reasonableness of SSSFs and the climate impact of SSA emissions. Finally, we summarize the current results and inadequacy of SSA production flux parameterization, and put forward the prospect of future research direction.

Future Projection of Mortality From Exposure to PM2.5 and O3 Under the Carbon Neutral Pathway: Roles of Changing Emissions and Population Aging

AbstractA global chemical transport model GEOS‐Chem was applied to examine the concentrations of PM2.5 and O3 in China, related health burdens and the relative importance of changes in air pollutants and population aging over 2015–2060 under carbon neutral pathway (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway limiting end‐of‐century radiative forcing to 1.9 W m−2, SSP1‐1.9). Results showed synergistic reductions of 100.0%, 72.0%, and 24.4% in net CO2 emission, concentration of annual mean PM2.5, and the 90th maximum daily average 8‐hr (MDA8) O3 over China, respectively, during 2015–2060. Pollutants‐related deaths owing to changes in pollutants and population were simulated to increase by 38.1% over 2015–2060 because of population aging. Over 2015–2060, sensitivity studies showed that the decline in pollutants alone would mitigate deaths by 5,172.7 thousand, while the population aging alone would increase deaths by 2,633.3 thousand. Carbon neutrality will avoid 3,520.0 thousand deaths in 2060 relative to a higher‐carbon pathway (SSP5‐8.5).

Global nitrogen and sulfur deposition mapping using a measurement–model fusion approach

Abstract. Global reactive nitrogen (N) deposition has more than tripled since 1860 and is expected to remain high due to food production and fossil fuel consumption. Global sulfur emissions have been decreasing worldwide over the last 30 years, but many regions are still experiencing unhealthily high levels of deposition. We update the 2010 global deposition budget for reactive nitrogen and sulfur components with new regional wet deposition measurements from Asia, improving the ensemble results of 11 global chemistry transport models from the second phase of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (HTAP II). The observationally adjusted global N deposition budget is 114.5 Tg N, representing a minor increase of 1 % from the model-only derived values, and the adjusted global sulfur deposition budget is 88.9 Tg S, representing a 6.5 % increase from the modeled values, using an interpolation distance of 2.5∘. Regionally, deposition adjustments can be up to ∼ 73 % for nitrogen and 112 % for sulfur. Our study demonstrates that a global measurement–model fusion approach can improve N and S deposition model estimates at a regional scale, with sufficient availability of observations; however, in large parts of the world, alternative approaches need to be explored. The analysis presented here represents a step forward toward the World Meteorological Organization's goal of global fusion products for accurately mapping harmful air pollution deposition.

Direct gas-phase formation of formic acid through reaction of Criegee intermediates with formaldehyde

Ozonolysis of isoprene is considered to be an important source of formic acid (HCOOH), but its underlying reaction mechanisms related to HCOOH formation are poorly understood. Here, we report the kinetic and product studies of the reaction between the simplest Criegee intermediate (CH2OO) and formaldehyde (HCHO), both of which are the primary products formed in ozonolysis of isoprene. By utilizing time-resolved infrared laser spectrometry with the multifunctional dual-comb spectrometers, the rate coefficient kCH2OO+HCHO is determined to be (4.11 ± 0.25) × 10−12 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 at 296 K and a negative temperature dependence of the rate coefficient is observed and described by an Arrhenius expression with an activation energy of (–1.81 ± 0.04) kcal mol−1. Moreover, the branching ratios of the reaction products HCOOH + HCHO and CO + H2O + HCHO are explored. The yield of HCOOH is obtained to be 37–54% over the pressure (15–60 Torr) and temperature (283–313 K) ranges. The atmospheric implications of the reaction CH2OO + HCHO are also evaluated by incorporating these results into a global chemistry-transport model. In the upper troposphere, the percent loss of CH2OO by HCHO is found by up to 6% which can subsequently increase HCOOH mixing ratios by up to 2% during December-January-February months.

Response of Arctic Black Carbon Contamination and Climate Forcing to Global Supply Chain Relocation.

Black carbon (BC) plays a vital role in Arctic warming. Extensive investigations have been conducted to elucidate the source-receptor relationships of BC between the Arctic and mid-/high-latitude sources. However, it is unclear to what extent source relocation under globalization could disturb Arctic BC contamination and climate forcing from anthropogenic BC emissions. Here, we show that the global supply chain (GSC) relocation featured by the southward shift of industries from high-latitude developed countries to low-latitude developing countries markedly reduces the BC burden in the Arctic using a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) and a multiregional input-output analysis (MRIO). We find that Arctic annual mean BC concentration associated with the GSC relocation drops by ∼15% from the case without the GSC relocation. The total net BC level declines 7% over the entire Arctic and 16% in the European Arctic. We also observed markedly declining BC deposition as well as direct and snow albedo radiative forcing in the Arctic. We show that the Arctic BC burden would be further reduced by decreasing BC emissions in China, attributable to its emission reduction and ongoing shift of the GSC from China to southern and southeastern Asia.

Parameterization of size of organic and secondary inorganic aerosol for efficient representation of global aerosol optical properties

Abstract. Accurate representation of aerosol optical properties is essential for the modeling and remote sensing of atmospheric aerosols. Although aerosol optical properties are strongly dependent upon the aerosol size distribution, the use of detailed aerosol microphysics schemes in global atmospheric models is inhibited by associated computational demands. Computationally efficient parameterizations for aerosol size are needed. In this study, airborne measurements over the United States (DISCOVER-AQ) and South Korea (KORUS-AQ) are interpreted with a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to investigate the variation in aerosol size when organic matter (OM) and sulfate–nitrate–ammonium (SNA) are the dominant aerosol components. The airborne measurements exhibit a strong correlation (r=0.83) between dry aerosol size and the sum of OM and SNA mass concentration (MSNAOM). A global microphysical simulation (GEOS-Chem-TOMAS) indicates that MSNAOM and the ratio between the two components (OM/SNA) are the major indicators for SNA and OM dry aerosol size. A parameterization of the dry effective radius (Reff) for SNA and OM aerosol is designed to represent the airborne measurements (R2=0.74; slope = 1.00) and the GEOS-Chem-TOMAS simulation (R2=0.72; slope = 0.81). When applied in the GEOS-Chem high-performance model, this parameterization improves the agreement between the simulated aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the ground-measured AOD from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET; R2 from 0.68 to 0.73 and slope from 0.75 to 0.96). Thus, this parameterization offers a computationally efficient method to represent aerosol size dynamically.

Contamination of tea leaves by anthraquinone: The atmosphere as a possible source

The detection of anthraquinone in tea leaves has raised concerns due to a potential health risk associated with this species. This led the European Union to impose a maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.02 mg/kg for anthraquinone in dried tea leaves. As atmospheric contamination has been identified as one of the possible sources of anthraquinone residue, this study investigates the contamination resulting from the deposition of atmospheric anthraquinone using a global chemical transport model that accounts for the emission, atmospheric transport, chemical transformation, and deposition of anthraquinone on the surface. The largest contribution to the global atmospheric budget of anthraquinone is from residential combustion followed by the secondary formation from oxidation of anthracene. Simulations suggest that atmospheric anthraquinone deposition could be a substantial source of the anthraquinone found on tea leaves in several tea-producing regions, especially near highly industrialized and populated areas of southern and eastern Asia. The high level of anthraquinone deposition in these areas may result in residues in tea products exceeding the EU MRL. Additional contamination could also result from local tea production operations.

Off‐setting climate change through formation flying of aircraft, a feasibility study reliant on high fidelity gas‐phase chemical kinetic data

AbstractApplication of formation flights to civil aviation is gaining interest, primarily due to the fuel burn reduction achieved by flying through another aircraft's wake. However, it is emerging that there are additional, less‐recognized climate benefits via reduction in ozone and contrail warming through this concept. The NOx threshold level is defined as when the loss rate for OH by reaction with NO2 is equal to the loss rates for OH with CO and CH4, beyond which level, ozone formation will decrease. In this study, The NOx threshold level was calculated at different altitudes and found that at cruise altitude (∼10 km), the amount of NO2 required for parity in OH loss with loss due to reaction with CO and CH4 is around 2 ppb. The spatial and temporal NOx threshold levels were estimated by STOCHEM‐Common Representative Intermediate (CRI) global chemical transport model and In‐service Aircraft for Global Observing System (IAGOS) measurement data and found that northern midlatitudes of the atmosphere are the most favorable region existing with the smallest NOx thresholds (0.5 ppb) needed before reduction in ozone formation is likely to occur at cruise altitude of aircraft. Incorporating the major air traffic corridors into the coarse spatial resolution of the chemical transport model overestimated the NOx compensation point, that is, increased photochemical ozone production. Thus, a simple one‐dimensional (1D) aircraft plume dispersion model was developed with higher spatial and temporal resolution for considering aircraft plumes and its chemistry more accurately. The model run shows that the impact of formation flying aircraft emissions on spatially averaged ozone could be halved if the aircraft could maintain separations inside 4 km relative to well separated flights of 10 km or more.

Analysis of new particle formation events and comparisons to simulations of particle number concentrations based on GEOS-Chem–advanced particle microphysics in Beijing, China

Abstract. Aerosol particles play important roles in air quality and global climate change. In this study, we analyze the measurements of particle size distribution from 12 March to 6 April 2016 in Beijing to characterize new particle formation (NPF) using the observational data of sulfuric acid, meteorological parameters, solar radiation, and the mass concentration of fine particles (PM2.5, particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 µm). During this 26 d campaign, 11 new particle formation events are identified with obvious bursts of sub-3 nm particle number concentrations and subsequent growth of these nucleated particles. It is found that sulfuric acid concentration in Beijing does not have a significant difference between NPF event and non-event days. Low relative humidity (RH) and high daily total solar radiation appear to be favorable for the occurrence of NPF events, which is quite obvious in this campaign. The simulations using four nucleation schemes, i.e., H2SO4–H2O binary homogeneous nucleation (BHN), H2SO4–H2O–NH3 ternary homogeneous nucleation (THN), H2SO4–H2O–ion binary ion-mediated nucleation (BIMN), and H2SO4–H2O–NH3–ion ternary ion-mediated nucleation (TIMN), based on a global chemistry transport model (GEOS-Chem) coupled with an advanced particle microphysics (APM) model, are conducted to study the particle number concentrations and new particle formation process. Our comparisons between measurements and simulations indicate that the BHN scheme and BIMN scheme significantly underestimate the observed particle number concentrations, and the THN scheme captures the total particle number concentration on most NPF event days well but fails to capture the noticeable increase in particle number concentrations on 18 March and 1 April. The TIMN scheme has obvious improvement in terms of total and sub-3 nm particle number concentrations and nucleation rates. This study provides a basis for further understanding of the nucleation mechanism in Beijing.