Rapid transport of East Asian pollution to the deep tropics

Ashfold, M. J.; Pyle, J. A.; Robinson, A. D.; Meneguz, E.; Nadzir, M. S. M.; Phang, S. M.; Samah, A. A.; Ong, S.; Ung, H. E.; Peng, L. K.; Yong, S. E.; Harris, N. R. P.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3565-2015

Articles | Volume 15, issue 6

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3565-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3565-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 15, issue 6

Research article

|

31 Mar 2015

Research article |

| 31 Mar 2015

Rapid transport of East Asian pollution to the deep tropics

M. J. Ashfold, J. A. Pyle, A. D. Robinson, E. Meneguz, M. S. M. Nadzir, S. M. Phang, A. A. Samah, S. Ong, H. E. Ung, L. K. Peng, S. E. Yong, and N. R. P. Harris

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Views and downloads (calculated since 05 Dec 2014)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Dec 2014	98	66	8	172
Jan 2015	28	16	26	70
Feb 2015	22	14	19	55
Mar 2015	70	31	17	118
Apr 2015	468	263	24	755
May 2015	99	82	18	199
Jun 2015	57	53	6	116
Jul 2015	62	74	3	139
Aug 2015	36	37	4	77
Sep 2015	51	24	1	76
Oct 2015	67	29	0	96
Nov 2015	56	25	5	86
Dec 2015	27	18	6	51
Jan 2016	47	24	3	74
Feb 2016	43	18	0	61
Mar 2016	24	7	1	32
Apr 2016	22	10	0	32
May 2016	23	12	1	36
Jun 2016	8	7	1	16
Jul 2016	14	8	3	25
Aug 2016	16	8	0	24
Sep 2016	12	2	2	16
Oct 2016	13	4	4	21
Nov 2016	9	5	5	19
Dec 2016	8	4	0	12
Jan 2017	19	4	1	24
Feb 2017	16	6	1	23
Mar 2017	22	8	1	31
Apr 2017	27	13	1	41
May 2017	30	3	0	33
Jun 2017	26	6	0	32
Jul 2017	22	17	0	39
Aug 2017	15	21	3	39
Sep 2017	14	8	0	22
Oct 2017	14	10	0	24
Nov 2017	18	16	2	36
Dec 2017	15	14	1	30
Jan 2018	10	13	0	23
Feb 2018	10	7	4	21
Mar 2018	32	15	2	49
Apr 2018	24	12	0	36
May 2018	27	14	0	41
Jun 2018	16	8	3	27
Jul 2018	18	7	1	26
Aug 2018	22	13	1	36
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Oct 2018	22	15	3	40
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Feb 2019	11	6	1	18
Mar 2019	12	6	1	19
Apr 2019	10	8	1	19
May 2019	24	8	0	32
Jun 2019	6	2	1	9
Jul 2019	14	7	0	21
Aug 2019	15	4	1	20
Sep 2019	12	3	0	15
Oct 2019	26	6	2	34
Nov 2019	7	5	2	14
Dec 2019	10	4	0	14
Jan 2020	11	2	0	13
Feb 2020	10	1	1	12
Mar 2020	19	4	0	23
Apr 2020	35	4	2	41
May 2020	38	8	3	49
Jun 2020	41	5	0	46
Jul 2020	47	8	9	64
Aug 2020	31	4	5	40
Sep 2020	27	5	0	32
Oct 2020	15	5	1	21
Nov 2020	17	3	1	21
Dec 2020	38	12	0	50
Jan 2021	43	12	0	55
Feb 2021	24	11	0	35
Mar 2021	20	5	4	29
Apr 2021	28	9	1	38
May 2021	35	10	1	46
Jun 2021	38	6	1	45
Jul 2021	25	7	1	33
Aug 2021	21	16	1	38
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Oct 2021	10	36	1	47
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Dec 2021	12	6	1	19
Jan 2022	25	14	3	42
Feb 2022	16	7	4	27
Mar 2022	15	5	4	24
Apr 2022	14	1	1	16
May 2022	15	3	1	19
Jun 2022	13	4	3	20
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Aug 2022	14	4	4	22
Sep 2022	12	4	8	24
Oct 2022	15	3	9	27
Nov 2022	21	5	5	31
Dec 2022	19	2	1	22
Jan 2023	19	5	1	25
Feb 2023	22	9	0	31
Mar 2023	20	6	0	26
Apr 2023	16	5	0	21
May 2023	37	14	0	51
Jun 2023	48	3	2	53
Jul 2023	48	4	2	54
Aug 2023	48	12	4	64
Sep 2023	43	5	1	49
Oct 2023	60	7	3	70
Nov 2023	35	5	0	40
Dec 2023	56	11	3	70
Jan 2024	50	5	0	55
Feb 2024	46	5	1	52
Mar 2024	45	13	1	59
Apr 2024	46	9	4	59
May 2024	23	11	2	36
Jun 2024	48	7	1	56
Jul 2024	25	11	4	40
Aug 2024	39	6	2	47
Sep 2024	23	7	0	30
Oct 2024	27	9	1	37
Nov 2024	20	12	4	36
Dec 2024	37	13	0	50
Jan 2025	43	9	2	54
Feb 2025	64	11	5	80
Mar 2025	23	6	2	31
Apr 2025	27	16	1	44
May 2025	31	7	0	38
Jun 2025	64	10	1	75
Jul 2025	35	21	1	57
Aug 2025	56	10	2	68
Sep 2025	45	15	3	63
Oct 2025	28	22	1	51
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Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 05 Dec 2014)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Dec 2014	98	66	8	172
Jan 2015	28	16	26	70
Feb 2015	22	14	19	55
Mar 2015	70	31	17	118
Apr 2015	468	263	24	755
May 2015	99	82	18	199
Jun 2015	57	53	6	116
Jul 2015	62	74	3	139
Aug 2015	36	37	4	77
Sep 2015	51	24	1	76
Oct 2015	67	29	0	96
Nov 2015	56	25	5	86
Dec 2015	27	18	6	51
Jan 2016	47	24	3	74
Feb 2016	43	18	0	61
Mar 2016	24	7	1	32
Apr 2016	22	10	0	32
May 2016	23	12	1	36
Jun 2016	8	7	1	16
Jul 2016	14	8	3	25
Aug 2016	16	8	0	24
Sep 2016	12	2	2	16
Oct 2016	13	4	4	21
Nov 2016	9	5	5	19
Dec 2016	8	4	0	12
Jan 2017	19	4	1	24
Feb 2017	16	6	1	23
Mar 2017	22	8	1	31
Apr 2017	27	13	1	41
May 2017	30	3	0	33
Jun 2017	26	6	0	32
Jul 2017	22	17	0	39
Aug 2017	15	21	3	39
Sep 2017	14	8	0	22
Oct 2017	14	10	0	24
Nov 2017	18	16	2	36
Dec 2017	15	14	1	30
Jan 2018	10	13	0	23
Feb 2018	10	7	4	21
Mar 2018	32	15	2	49
Apr 2018	24	12	0	36
May 2018	27	14	0	41
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Jul 2018	18	7	1	26
Aug 2018	22	13	1	36
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Oct 2018	22	15	3	40
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Jan 2019	12	11	5	28
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Oct 2022	15	3	9	27
Nov 2022	21	5	5	31
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Jan 2023	19	5	1	25
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Mar 2023	20	6	0	26
Apr 2023	16	5	0	21
May 2023	37	14	0	51
Jun 2023	48	3	2	53
Jul 2023	48	4	2	54
Aug 2023	48	12	4	64
Sep 2023	43	5	1	49
Oct 2023	60	7	3	70
Nov 2023	35	5	0	40
Dec 2023	56	11	3	70
Jan 2024	50	5	0	55
Feb 2024	46	5	1	52
Mar 2024	45	13	1	59
Apr 2024	46	9	4	59
May 2024	23	11	2	36
Jun 2024	48	7	1	56
Jul 2024	25	11	4	40
Aug 2024	39	6	2	47
Sep 2024	23	7	0	30
Oct 2024	27	9	1	37
Nov 2024	20	12	4	36
Dec 2024	37	13	0	50
Jan 2025	43	9	2	54
Feb 2025	64	11	5	80
Mar 2025	23	6	2	31
Apr 2025	27	16	1	44
May 2025	31	7	0	38
Jun 2025	64	10	1	75
Jul 2025	35	21	1	57
Aug 2025	56	10	2	68
Sep 2025	45	15	3	63
Oct 2025	28	22	1	51
Nov 2025	17	5	0	22

Latest update: 07 Nov 2025

Short summary

We use observations and model calculations to show that "cold surges" occurring during Northern Hemisphere winter can rapidly transport East Asian pollution to equatorial Southeast Asia. As well as affecting atmospheric composition near the surface, we argue that strong convection can subsequently lift the polluted air masses to the tropical upper troposphere. This suggests a potentially important connection between midlatitude pollution sources and the lower stratosphere.