High Ozone Concentrations Research Articles

Effectiveness of emission controls implemented since 2000 on ambient ozone concentrations in multiple timescales in Japan: An emission inventory development and simulation study

It has been reported that ambient ozone concentrations in Japan have not been effectively suppressed by precursor emission controls. In this study, we developed an unprecedented long-term emission inventory of ozone precursors, including nitrogen oxide (NOX) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), in Japan. The developed emission inventory, which explicitly represents changes in emissions caused by emission controls and variation in activities from 2000 to 2019, revealed that emission controls implemented for vehicles, large point sources, and fugitive VOC sources effectively reduced precursor emissions. The impact of emission changes on ozone concentrations at six different timescales was evaluated using air quality simulations. Three of them corresponded to annual mean values of daily ozone concentrations, and the others corresponded to annual high ozone concentrations. The simulations performed better at higher ozone concentrations. The simulation results suggested that emission controls have helped suppress annual high ozone concentrations, whereas the annual mean values of daily ozone concentrations may have increased in populated urban areas because reduced NOX emissions weakened the titration of ozone. Overall changes in the simulated ozone concentrations over different timescales were generally consistent with those in the observed ozone concentrations. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating the impact of emission controls on ozone concentrations over multiple timescales. The differences in the sensitivities of ozone concentrations to emission controls were clearly explained by the ozone sensitivity regimes implied by the ratios of formaldehyde to nitrogen dioxide. The outcomes of this study could assist countries beyond Japan in developing effective strategies to manage ozone pollution.

Vertical exchange and cross-regional transport of lower-tropospheric ozone over Hong Kong

In recent years, the escalating ozone concentrations in urban areas of China have raised significant public concern. Due to the lack of long-term vertical observation, the characteristics of vertical distribution and long-range transport of ozone are still not well understood. This study utilized 27 years (1994–2020) of ozone sounding observations in Hong Kong, in conjunction with the ERA5 reanalysis data and HYSPLIT backward model, to examine the vertical structure and three-dimensional cross-regional transport of tropospheric ozone over Hong Kong. During spring, ozone concentrations above 850 hPa are found to be higher than those observed during other seasons. Conversely, ozone concentrations below 850 hPa are comparatively elevated in autumn. The stratospheric-tropospheric exchange (STE) process is a crucial factor contributing to high ozone concentrations in the upper troposphere, with 46.2% of trajectories crossing the tropopause and becoming concentrated mainly in the eastern Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. The study identified two obvious peaks in the lower troposphere above Hong Kong, with higher concentrations observed at approximately 700 hPa. The springtime ozone maximum is linked to the long-range cross-regional ozone transport from higher elevations in the Bay of Bengal and the Indo–China Peninsula, which moves eastward and downward under the influence of the southern branch trough. Additionally, transboundary transportation of fire emissions in Southeast Asia, influenced by monsoon circulation, also contributes to the high ozone concentrations during the observation. The autumn ozone maximum occurrs at approximately 925 hPa and is linked to boundary layer dynamics and the southward cross-regional transport of low-altitude ozone from the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions under the influence of the northeasterly Asian monsoon flow. The study advances our knowledge in understanding the vertical profile of ozone and emphasizes the importance of regionally-joint emission control particularly when meteorology-induced cross-regional transportation occurs.

Impact of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns on Ozone Changes in the Pearl River Delta from 2015 to 2020

Based on the ozone observation data and meteorological reanalysis data of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) from 2015 to 2020, the Lamb-Jenkinson weather typing method (LWTs) was used to analyze the characteristics of different circulation types and quantify their contributions to the interannual ozone variation. The results showed that there was a total of 18 weather types in PRD. Type ASW was more likely to occur with ozone pollution, and Type NE was associated with more serious ozone pollution. To better explore the ozone generation mechanism under different weather types, the 18 weather types were merged into five weather categories based on the wind direction change of the 850 hPa wind field and the different positions of the central system. The weather categories with high ozone concentration were the N-E-S directional category[(161±68) μg·m-3] and category A[(122±39) μg·m-3]. The ozone concentrations of these two categories were significantly positively correlated with the daily maximum temperature and the net amount of solar radiation. The N-E-S directional category was the dominant circulation pattern in autumn, whereas category A mostly occurred in spring, and 90% of the ozone pollution events occurring in PRD in spring were related to category A. The contribution of changes in atmospheric circulation frequency and intensity to interannual change in ozone concentration in PRD was 69%, and the contribution of changes in atmospheric circulation frequency alone was 4%. The changes in atmospheric circulation intensity and frequency on ozone-exceeding days contributed comparably to the interannual fluctuations in ozone pollution concentrations.

Association between air pollution exposure and outpatient visits for dermatomyositis in a humid subtropical region of China: a time-series study.

In recent years, a growing number of studies have found that air pollution plays critical roles in the onset and development of autoimmune diseases, but few studies have shown an association between air pollutants and dermatomyositis (DM). We sought to investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to air pollution and outpatient visits for DM and to quantify the burden of DM due to exposure to air pollutants in Hefei, China. Daily records of hospital outpatient visits for DM, air pollutants and meteorological factors data in Hefei from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021 were obtained. We used a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) in conjunction with a generalized linear model (GLM) to explore the association between air pollution and outpatient visits for DM, and conducted stratified analyses by gender, age and season. Moreover, we used attributable fraction (AF) and attributable number (AN) to reflect the burden of disease. A total of 4028 DM clinic visits were recorded during this period. High concentration nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure was associated with increased risk of DM outpatient visits (relative risk (RR) 1.063, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.015-1.114, lag 0-5). Intriguingly, exposure to high concentration ozone (O3) was associated with reduced risk of outpatient visits for DM (RR 0.974, 95% CI 0. 0.954-0.993, lag 0-6). The results of stratified analyses showed that the cold season (vs. warm season) were more susceptible to outpatient visits for DM associated with NO2 and O3 exposure. In addition, we observed that an increased risk of DM outpatient visits was attributable to high concentration NO2 exposure, while high concentration O3 exposure was associated with a decreased risk of DM outpatient visits. This study provided a scientific basis for the etiology research and health protection of DM.

Biocompatibility and Safety Assessment of Combined Topical Ozone and Antibiotics for Treatment of Infected Wounds.

Wound infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, particularly the Gram-negative strains, pose a substantial health risk for patients with limited treatment options. Recently topical administration of gaseous ozone and its combination with antibiotics through portable systems has been demonstrated to be a promising approach to eradicate commonly found Gram-negative strains of bacteria in wound infections. However, despite the significant impact of ozone in treating the growing number of antibiotic-resistant infections, uncontrolled and high concentrations of ozone can cause damage to the surrounding tissue. Hence, before such treatments could advance into clinical usage, it is paramount to identify appropriate levels of topical ozone that are effective in treating bacterial infections and safe for use in topical administration. To address this concern, we have conducted a series of in vivo studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a portable and wearable adjunct ozone and antibiotic wound therapy system. The concurrent ozone and antibiotics are applied through a wound interfaced gas permeable dressing coated with water-soluble nanofibers containing vancomycin and linezolid (traditionally used to treat Gram-positive infections) and connected to a portable ozone delivery system. The bactericidal properties of the combination therapy were evaluated on an ex vivo wound model infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common Gram-negative strain of bacteria found in many skin infections with high resistance to a wide range of currently available antibiotics. The results indicated that the optimized combination delivery of ozone (4 mg h-1) and topical antibiotic (200 μg cm-2) provided complete bacteria eradication after 6 h of treatment while having minimum cytotoxicity to human fibroblast cells. Furthermore, in vivo local and systemic toxicity studies (e.g., skin monitoring, skin histopathology, and blood analysis) on pig models showed no signs of adverse effects of ozone and antibiotic combination therapy even after 5 days of continuous administration. The confirmed efficacy and biosafety profile of the adjunct ozone and antibiotic therapy places it as a strong candidate for treating wound infection with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and further pursuing human clinical trials.

A Novel Molecular Approach for Enhancing the Safety of Ozone in Autohemotherapy and Insights into Heme Pocket Autoxidation of Hemoglobin.

Major ozone autohemotherapy (MAH) is a popular clinical practice for treating a variety of pathological conditions due to the mild and controlled oxidative stress produced by the reaction of ozone gas with other biological components. Previous studies have shown that blood ozonation leads to structural changes in hemoglobin (Hb); therefore, in the present study, the molecular effects of ozonation on Hb of a healthy individual were assessed by ozonating whole blood samples with single doses of ozone at 40, 60, and 80 μg/mL or double doses of ozone at 20 + 20, 30 + 30, and 40 + 40 μg/mL ozone to investigate whether ozonating once versus twice (but with the same final ozone concentration) would have varying effects on Hb. Additionally, our study aimed to verify whether using a very high ozone concentration (80 + 80 μg/mL), despite mixing it with blood in two steps, would result in Hb autoxidation. The pH, oxygen partial pressure, and saturation percentage of the whole blood samples were measured through a venous blood gas test, and the purified Hb samples were analyzed using several techniques including intrinsic fluorescence, circular dichroism and UV-vis absorption spectroscopies, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, dynamic light scattering, and a zeta potential analyzer. Structural and sequence analyses were also used to study the Hb heme pocket autoxidation sites and the residues involved. The results showed that the oligomerization and instability of Hb can be reduced if the ozone concentration to be used in MAH is divided into two doses. Indeed, our study demonstrated that two-step ozonation with 20, 30, and 40 μg/mL of ozone instead of single-dose ozonation with 40, 60, and 80 μg/mL of ozone reduced the potential adverse effects of ozone on Hb including protein instability and oligomerization. Moreover, it was found that for certain residues, their orientation or displacement leads to the entry of excess water molecules into the heme moiety, which can contribute to Hb autoxidation. Additionally, the autoxidation rate was found to be higher in alpha globins compared to beta globins.

Study of the Bacteria Location in a Closed Chamber for Their Inactivation by High Ozone Concentration

Study of the Bacteria Location in a Closed Chamber for Their Inactivation by High Ozone Concentration

Response of cross-correlations between high PM2.5 and O3 with increasing time scales to the COVID-19: different trends in BTH and PRD.

The air pollution in China currently is characterized by high fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) concentrations. Compared with single high pollution events, such double high pollution (DHP) events (both PM2.5 and O3 are above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)) pose a greater threat to public health and environment. In 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 provided a special time window to further understand the cross-correlation between PM2.5 and O3. Based on this background, a novel detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) based on maximum time series of variable time scales (VM-DCCA) method is established in this paper to compare the cross-correlation between high PM2.5 and O3 in Beijing-Tianjin-Heibei (BTH) and Pearl River Delta (PRD). At first, the results show that PM2.5 decreased while O3 increased in most cities due to the effect of COVID-19, and the increase in O3 is more significant in PRD than in BTH. Secondly, through DCCA, the results show that the PM2.5-O3 DCCA exponents α decrease by an average of 4.40% and 2.35% in BTH and PRD respectively during COVID-19 period compared with non-COVID-19 period. Further, through VM-DCCA, the results show that the PM2.5-O3 VM-DCCA exponents [Formula: see text] in PRD weaken rapidly with the increase of time scales, with decline range of about 23.53% and 22.90% during the non-COVID-19 period and COVID-19 period respectively at 28-h time scale. BTH is completely different. Without significant tendency, its [Formula: see text] is always higher than that in PRD at different time scales. Finally, we explain the above results with the self-organized criticality (SOC) theory. The impact of meteorological conditions and atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) variation during the COVID-19 period on SOC state are further discussed. The results show that the characteristics of cross-correlation between high PM2.5 and O3 are the manifestation of the SOC theory of atmospheric system. Relevant conclusions are important for the establishment of regionally targeted PM2.5-O3 DHP coordinated control strategies.

Investigating theBiochemical Responses in Wheat Cultivars Exposed to Thermal Power Plant Emission.

The current study aimed to assess how high concentrations of ozone (O3) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) alter biochemical properties of high yielding wheat cultivars (i.e., HD3086 and HD2967) grown under 10km radius in 8 villages, located around Thermal Power Plant (TPP), Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Significant foliar damage was brought on by O3 and SPM exposure in both wheat cultivars and noted for consecutive 2 years as per emission patterns, air movement and biochemical defense capabilities. The detected air pollutants at the chosen experimental site ranged from 34 to 46ppb O3 and 139-189µg/m3 SPM. Range of biochemical parameter for both cultivars are as pH 6.6-7.1, relative water content (RWC) 44-62%, chlorophyll 0.23-0.35mg/g, ascorbic acid (AA) 54-68mg/g and air pollution tolerance index (APTI) 47-72. It has been observed that SPM deposition had a meaningful impact (P-value = 0.05) on the chlorophyll, pH, RWC and APTI.

Assessing uncertainty and heterogeneity in machine learning-based spatiotemporal ozone prediction in Beijing-Tianjin- Hebei region in China

Accurate prediction of spatiotemporal ozone concentration is of great significance to effectively establish advanced early warning systems and regulate air pollution control. However, the comprehensive assessment of uncertainty and heterogeneity in spatiotemporal ozone prediction remains unknown. Here, we systematically analyze the hourly and daily spatiotemporal predictive performances using convolutional long short term memory (ConvLSTM) and deep convolutional generative adversarial network (DCGAN) models over the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in China from 2013 to 2018. In extensive scenarios, our results show that the machine learning-based (ML-based) models achieve better spatiotemporal ozone concentration prediction performance with multiple meteorological conditions. A further comparison to the air pollution model-Nested Air Quality Prediction Modelling System (NAQPMS) and monitoring observations, the ConvLSTM model demonstrates the practical feasibility of identifying high ozone concentration distribution and capturing spatiotemporal ozone variation patterns at a high spatial resolution (here 15 km × 15 km).

Enhancing ozone production in dielectric barrier discharge utilizing water as electrode

Dielectric barrier discharge is widely used in applications such as ozone generation and surface treatment. This investigation studies the electrical diagnostics and ozone generation capability in a dielectric barrier discharge ozone generator utilizing water acting as the ground electrode for the first time. Results show that specific input energy peaks at 8 kHz when the frequency changes from 5 kHz to 10 kHz. Results also show that the maximum ozone generation efficiency reaches 391.66 g/kWh at discharge frequency of 6 kHz. At power frequency of 7 kHz, the ozone generation efficiency reaches 231 g/kWh and the ozone concentration reaches about 12293.59 ppm. In addition, by comparing with the results of previous studies in the literature, it is concluded that the using water flow as the ground electrode can achieve high ozone efficiency at high ozone concentrations. This investigation provides a new method for high efficient ozone production.

Involvements of Nrf2 and oxidative stress in the ozone-elicited exacerbation in an allergic rhinitis model

Objective and designAn experimental rat allergic rhinitis(AR) model was made to explore the effect of different concentrations of ozone exposure and evaluate the roles of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2) and oxidative stress in ozone exposure. MethodSprague-Dawley rats were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA). Three groups of AR rats were exposed respectively to different concentrations of ozone for 2 h on 6 weeks. Nasal symptoms and OVA- specific Ig E in the serum were evaluated. The pathological changes in the nasal mucosa were examined. Malondialdehyde (MDA) level and activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px,GPX) in the nasal mucosa tissue were measured through a spectrophotometry-based method. Nrf2、Kelch-1ike ECH- associated protein-l (Keap1) proteins was measured by western blotting. GPX1、GPX2 mRNA were detected by quantitative real time-PCR(qRT-PCR). ResultsOur results showed that ozone exposure induced a significant increase of the number of sneezes, nasal rubs, amount of nasal secretion and OVA-sIgE in the serum of AR model. Ozone effected oxidative stress in different concentration. The content of MDA in AREH group was significantly higher than AR groups. The activities of SOD and GSH-Px in nasal mucosa showed different trends in different concentration groups. The activities of SOD and GSH-Px in AREL and AREM groups were higher than AR group, but decreased at AREH group. The nucleoprotein level of Nrf2 in AREL and AREM groups was higher than AR groups. However, in AREH group, it was significantly decreased, compared with AREL and AREM groups. GPX1 and GPX2 mRNA levels in nasal mucosa showed the same trend in different exposure groups. ConclusionsDifferent concentrations of ozone inhalation causes changes of the expression of Nrf2 nuclear protein and its target genes in nasal mucosa of AR. High concentration ozone breaks the redox balance and aggravates oxidative damage in AR. This study suggests that inhibiting oxidative stress might be a solution for ozone-elicited detrimental effects on AR.

Biogenic emissions-related ozone enhancement in two major city clusters during a typical typhoon process

Typhoons could influence air quality via multiple chemical and physical process and has attracted much scientific attention. A typical typhoon, In-Fa, passed through Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and Jing-Jin-Ji (JJJ) after it made a landfall in China. Under such influences, two city clusters both experienced high ozone (O3) concentrations, with JJJ about 5 days earlier than YRD. Data from several environmental monitoring sites and three regional sites indicated that cross-regional transport and biogenic emissions both played an important role in O3 formation. During the typhoon process, O3 precursors were first transported from YRD and its surrounding areas to JJJ due to the summer monsoon. After that, air masses from northern China returned to YRD due to the peripheral winds of the typhoon. High O3 was concentrated in downwind regions, causing fast secondary formation. The peripheral winds and downdrafts of typhoon led to high temperature and stagnant weather, favorable for biogenic emissions. Observed isoprene concentration was doubled. The ratio of isoprene to VOCs also increased by around 5%. The modeling results showed the contribution of BVOCs to O3 could reach 10 ppb in JJJ when the typhoon made its landfall in YRD. When the typhoon moved to JJJ, the cross-transport of air masses from northern China to YRD contributed half of biogenic-emission-related O3. Our research extends the knowledge into the importance of biogenic emissions to O3 and cross-regional transport during a typhoon process.

Rice yield losses due to O3 pollution in China from 2013 to 2020 based on the WRF-CMAQ model

High ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations has been shown to inhibit crops growth and decrease their yields. Current indicators for assessing the impact of O3 on crop yields are usually based on the ambient concentration, without considering recently suggested flux-based indicators (especially stomatal flux) for ecological risk assessment. This study applied the WRF-CMAQ model system, the parameterized Jarvis stomatal conductance model, and the O3 flux model to simulate the changes of O3 uptake flux in rice stomata in major rice growing areas in China during 2013–2020. The yield losses of rice caused by O3 pollution were estimated using both exposure-based (AOT40) and flux-based (PODγ) indicators. The rice yield losses experienced an overall increasing and decreasing trend in 2013–2018 and 2018–2020, respectively. The yield losses estimated by AOT40 were 3.5–5.9% for single rice, 1.8–3.5% for double-early rice, and 2.4–5.4% for double-late rice during 2013–2020, while the losses based on PODγ were 5.1–13.0%, 2.1–10.6%, and 6.7–15.9%, respectively. The yearly rice yield losses based on AOT40 and PODγ were 5.9–11.4 Mt (million metric tons) and 8.0–28.0 Mt for 2013–2020, respectively. This study can provide an important reference for avoiding the impact of O3 pollution and climate change on rice yield in the future.

Physiological status of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) along an ozone pollution gradient

Mexico City is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and one in which air contamination is considered a public health threat. Numerous studies have related high concentrations of particulate matter and ozone to several respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and a higher human mortality risk. However, almost all of those studies have focused on human health outcomes, and the effects of anthropogenic air pollution on wildlife species is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the impacts of air pollution in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) on house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We assessed two physiological responses commonly used as biomarkers: stress response (the corticosterone concentration in feathers), and constitutive innate immune response (the concentration of both natural antibodies and lytic complement proteins), which are non-invasive techniques. We found a negative relationship between the ozone concentration and the natural antibodies response (p = 0.003). However, no relationship was found between the ozone concentration and the stress response or the complement system activity (p > 0.05). These results suggest that ozone concentrations in air pollution within MCMA may constrain the natural antibody response in the immune system of house sparrows. Our study shows, for the first time, the potential impact of ozone pollution on a wild species in the MCMA presenting the Nabs activity and the house sparrow as suitable indicators to assess the effect of air contamination on the songbirds.

A Study on the Retrieval of Ozone Profiles Using FY-3D/HIRAS Infrared Hyperspectral Data

Atmospheric ozone is a pollutant gas that has an important influence on the process of atmospheric radiation transmission and climate change. The Fengyun-3D (FY-3D) satellite Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder (HIRAS) has better spectral performance than other remote sensing payloads. Its observation radiation data contains abundant atmospheric vertical information, which can be used for ozone retrieval, but there are no ozone profile business products being generated at present. Therefore, for the mainland of Hong Kong, based on HIRAS infrared hyperspectral observation data, we used the traditional one-dimensional variational (1D-VAR) physical retrieval algorithm, combined with the radiative transfer model for TOVS (RTTOV), and selected the spectrum channel according to the optimal sensitive profile algorithm. The artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm was used to optimize the prior profiles, and the atmospheric ozone profile retrieval system was established. Finally, a set of ozone profile retrieval schemes suitable for FY-3D/HIRAS were summarized. We used ERA5 reanalysis data and World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre (WOUDC) data to determine true values. The retrieval results were compared with Global Forecast System (GFS) forecast data, Ozone Mapping and Profile Suite (OMPS) ozone products, and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) ozone products. The results show that our ozone profile retrieval scheme makes up for the shortcomings of the conventional physical methods in some atmospheric pressure levels. The overall root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the ozone from the ground to the top of the stratosphere is within 30% on average, which was better than that for the GFS forecast data; the retrieval accuracy RMSE (%) was less than 20% in the pressure layer with the highest ozone concentration (15–25 hPa), which is better than that of OMPS ozone products and AIRS ozone products. The retrieval results prove that FY3D/HIRAS observation data allow ozone profile retrieval. This paper provides a reference for generating independent HIRAS ozone profile product data sets in business, and provides support for the subsequent application of Fengyun-3 series meteorological satellites in atmospheric parameter remote sensing.

Aflatoxin M1 degradation using high voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) technology

ABSTRACT Aflatoxins are one of the highly toxic secondary metabolites with high decomposition temperatures, ranging from 237 °C to 306 °C. Therefore, non-thermal treatments are preferred to ensure safe food while preserving food quality. High voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) is a novel non-thermal technology with the potential to reduce contaminants (e.g. mycotoxins) owing to reactive species such as ozone. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of HVACP to degrade Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in pure water. A dielectric barrier discharge HVACP was performed at 90 kV using modified air (MA65: 65% O2, 30% CO2, 5% N2) fill gas for 1, 3, and 5 min in a direct and indirect mode with no post-treatment or 4.0 h post-storage at room temperature. The chemical properties of water were evaluated. Ozone concentration in both gas and liquid phases was also measured. A 77% reduction of AFM1 was observed after 1 min of direct treatment with no post-treatment storage. The nitrate and peroxide contents after 1 min of direct treatment were 4.50 ± 0.70 and 9.5 ± 0.70 mg/L, respectively. Longer treatment time and direct mode of exposure resulted in a higher ozone concentration in either the gas or liquid phase. These results demonstrate the potential of HVACP as a non-thermal treatment for reducing AFM1 concentration. HVACP was capable of significantly degrading AFM1 using a very short treatment time and 4.0-h post-treatment storage.

Elucidation of spatial disparities of factors that affect air pollutant concentrations in industrial regions at a continental level

Industrial regions and relevant infrastructures are known to contribute to air pollutant emissions; thus, a detailed investigation of the air pollutant concentrations of a region based on specific land uses, with spatial reasoning, can support smart regional planning. However, the current knowledge about the spatial patterns that indicate the relationship between the anthropological or environmental features and the air pollutant concentrations in industrial regions is limited. Thus, in this study, we aimed to identify the factors that affect air-pollutant concentrations due to local spatial impacts in industrial regions across Australia. Considering the large spatial scale, the impact of a global factor can be overwhelmed by another factor due to local spatial impacts, and the phenomenon is a kind of spatial disparity. We developed a novel set of methods, including a point-of-interests-based spatial identification method and geographically weighted regression (with standardised coefficients), to: (i) identify the industrial regions in the study area, (ii) collect the remote sensing factors, and (iii) identify the factors that affect the spatial disparity of air-pollutant concentrations in industrial regions. The results indicated a significant spatial disparity in the air pollutant concentrations in the industrial region, at a continental scale. Anthropogenic factors significantly affected the spatial patterns of air pollutant concentrations in the industrial regions that were remote to cities, whereas meteorological and topographical factors had significant impacts on the air pollutant distributions in urban industrial regions. Furthermore, within the nationwide industrial lands, drives of the relatively high concentrations of ozone and sulphur dioxide, the drivers of the air pollutant concentrations were environmental factors; high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were more associated with the topographical features of the region. The methods proposed in this study can serve as a reliable framework for analysing the air quality of industrial regions and can also, supplement future studies on emissions reduction in industrial parks.

Ozone exposure and health risks of different age structures in major urban agglomerations in People's Republic of China from 2013 to 2018.

High concentration of surface ozone (O3) will cause health risks to people. In order to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of O3 and assess O3 exposure and health risks for different age groups in China, we applied multiple methods including standard deviation ellipse, spatial autocorrelation, and exposure-response functions. Results show that O3 concentrations increased in 64.5% of areas in China from 2013 to 2018. The central plain urban agglomeration (CPU), Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), and Yangtze River Delta (YRD) witnessed the greatest incremental rates of O3 by 16.7%, 14.3%, and 13.1%. Spatially, the trend of O3 shows a significant positive autocorrelation, and high trend values primarily in central and east China. The proportion of the total population exposed to high O3 (above 160μg/m3) increased annually. Compared to 2013, the proportion of the young, adult, and old populations exposed to high O3 increased to different extents in 2018 by 26.8%, 29.6%, and 27.2%, respectively. The extent of population exposure risk areas in China expanded in size, particularly in north and east China. The total premature respiratory mortalities attributable to long-term O3 exposure in six urban agglomerations were about 177,000 in 2018 which has increased by 16.4% compared to that in 2013. Among different age groups, old people are more vulnerable to O3 pollution, so we need to strengthen their relevant health protection of them.

Transmission paths and source areas of near-surface ozone pollution in the Yangtze River delta region, China from 2015 to 2021

Near-ground ozone in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region has become one of the main air pollutants that threaten the health of residents. However, to date, the transport behavior and source areas of ozone in the YRD region have not been systematically analyzed. In this study, by combining the ozone observational record with a HYSPLIT (hybrid single-particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory) model, we tried to reveal the spatiotemporal regularity of the airflow transport trajectory of ozone. Spatially, high ozone concentrations mainly clustered in industrial cities and resource-based cities. Temporally, the center of the ozone pollution shifted westward of Nanjing from 2015 to 2021. With the passage of time, the influence of meteorological elements on the ozone concentration in the YRD region gradually weakened. Marine atmosphere had the most significant impact on the transmission path of ozone in Shanghai, of which the trajectory frequency in 2021 accounted for 64.21% of the total frequency. The transmission trajectory of ozone in summer was different from that in other seasons, and its transmission trajectory was mainly composed of four medium-distance transmission paths: North China-Bohai Sea, East China Sea-West Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, and South China Sea-South China. The contribution source areas mainly shifted to the southeast, and the emission of pollutants from the Shandong Peninsula, the Korean Peninsula-Japan, and the Philippine Sea-Taiwan area increased the impact of ozone pollution in the Shanghai area from 2019 to 2021. This study identified the regional transport path of ozone in the YRD region and provided a scientific reference for the joint prevention and control of ozone pollution in this area.