Articles | Volume 20, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2911-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2911-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 Mar 2020
Research article |
| 11 Mar 2020
| 11 Mar 2020
How much does traffic contribute to benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon air pollution? Results from a high-resolution North American air quality model centred on Toronto, Canada
Cynthia H. Whaley
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Climate Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Elisabeth Galarneau
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Paul A. Makar
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michael D. Moran
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Junhua Zhang
Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Cynthia H. Whaley, Rashed Mahmood, Knut von Salzen, Barbara Winter, Sabine Eckhardt, Stephen Arnold, Stephen Beagley, Silvia Becagli, Rong-You Chien, Jesper Christensen, Sujay Manish Damani, Xinyi Dong, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Gregory Faluvegi, Mark Flanner, Joshua S. Fu, Michael Gauss, Fabio Giardi, Wanmin Gong, Jens Liengaard Hjorth, Lin Huang, Ulas Im, Yugo Kanaya, Srinath Krishnan, Zbigniew Klimont, Thomas Kühn, Joakim Langner, Kathy S. Law, Louis Marelle, Andreas Massling, Dirk Olivié, Tatsuo Onishi, Naga Oshima, Yiran Peng, David A. Plummer, Olga Popovicheva, Luca Pozzoli, Jean-Christophe Raut, Maria Sand, Laura N. Saunders, Julia Schmale, Sangeeta Sharma, Ragnhild Bieltvedt Skeie, Henrik Skov, Fumikazu Taketani, Manu A. Thomas, Rita Traversi, Kostas Tsigaridis, Svetlana Tsyro, Steven Turnock, Vito Vitale, Kaley A. Walker, Minqi Wang, Duncan Watson-Parris, and Tahya Weiss-Gibbons
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Diego Guizzardi, Monica Crippa, Tim Butler, Terry Keating, Rosa Wu, Jacek W. Kamiński, Jeroen Kuenen, Junichi Kurokawa, Satoru Chatani, Tazuko Morikawa, George Pouliot, Jacinthe Racine, Michael D. Moran, Zbigniew Klimont, Patrick M. Manseau, Rabab Mashayekhi, Barron H. Henderson, Steven J. Smith, Rachel Hoesly, Marilena Muntean, Manjola Banja, Edwin Schaaf, Federico Pagani, Jung-Hun Woo, Jinseok Kim, Enrico Pisoni, Junhua Zhang, David Niemi, Mourad Sassi, Annie Duhamel, Tabish Ansari, Kristen Foley, Guannan Geng, Yifei Chen, and Qiang Zhang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-601, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-601, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
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The global air pollution emission mosaic HTAP_v3.1 is the state-of-the-art database for addressing the evolution of a set of policy-relevant air pollutants over the past 2 decades. The inventory is made by the harmonization and blending of seven regional inventories, gapfilled using the most recent release of EDGAR (EDGARv8). By incorporating the best available local information, the HTAP_v3.1 mosaic inventory can be used for policy-relevant studies at both regional and global levels.
Christian Hogrefe, Stefano Galmarini, Paul A. Makar, Ioannis Kioutsioukis, Olivia E. Clifton, Ummugulsum Alyuz, Jesse O. Bash, Roberto Bellasio, Roberto Bianconi, Tim Butler, Philip Cheung, Alma Hodzic, Richard Kranenburg, Aurelia Lupascu, Kester Momoh, Juan Luis Perez-Camanyo, Jonathan E. Pleim, Young-Hee Ryu, Roberto San Jose, Martijn Schaap, Donna B. Schwede, and Ranjeet Sokhi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-225, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-225, 2025
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Performed under the umbrella of the fourth phase of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII4), this study applies AQMEII4 diagnostic tools to better characterize how dry deposition removes pollutants from the atmosphere in regional-scale models. The results also strongly suggest that improvement and harmonization of the representation of land use in these models would serve the community in their future development efforts.
Hazel Cathcart, Julian Aherne, Michael D. Moran, Verica Savic-Jovcic, Paul A. Makar, and Amanda Cole
Biogeosciences, 22, 535–554, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-535-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-535-2025, 2025
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Deposition from sulfur and nitrogen pollution can harm ecosystems, and recovery from this type of pollution can take decades or longer. To identify risk to Canadian soils, we created maps showing sensitivity to sulfur and nitrogen pollution. Results show that some ecosystems are at risk from acid and nutrient nitrogen deposition: 10 % of protected areas are receiving acid deposition beyond their damage threshold, and 70 % may be receiving nitrogen deposition that could cause biodiversity loss.
Kerry Anderson, Jack Chen, Peter Englefield, Debora Griffin, Paul A. Makar, and Dan Thompson
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 7713–7749, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-7713-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-7713-2024, 2024
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The Global Forest Fire Emissions Prediction System (GFFEPS) is a model that predicts smoke and carbon emissions from wildland fires. The model calculates emissions from the ground up based on satellite-detected fires, modelled weather and fire characteristics. Unlike other global models, GFFEPS uses daily weather conditions to capture changing burning conditions on a day-to-day basis. GFFEPS produced lower carbon emissions due to the changing weather not captured by the other models.
Cynthia Whaley, Montana Etten-Bohm, Courtney Schumacher, Ayodeji Akingunola, Vivek Arora, Jason Cole, Michael Lazare, David Plummer, Knut von Salzen, and Barbara Winter
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 7141–7155, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-7141-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-7141-2024, 2024
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This paper describes how lightning was added as a process in the Canadian Earth System Model in order to interactively respond to climate changes. As lightning is an important cause of global wildfires, this new model development allows for more realistic projections of how wildfires may change in the future, responding to a changing climate.
Debora Griffin, Jack Chen, Kerry Anderson, Paul Makar, Chris A. McLinden, Enrico Dammers, and Andre Fogal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10159–10186, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10159-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10159-2024, 2024
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Satellite-derived CO emissions provide new insights into the understanding of global CO emission rates from wildfires. We use TROPOMI satellite data to create a global inventory database of wildfire CO emissions. These satellite-derived wildfire emissions are used for the evaluation and improvement of existing fire emission inventories and to examine how the wildfire CO emissions have changed over the past 2 decades.
Stefan J. Miller, Paul A. Makar, and Colin J. Lee
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 2197–2219, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-2197-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-2197-2024, 2024
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Roya Ghahreman, Wanmin Gong, Paul A. Makar, Alexandru Lupu, Amanda Cole, Kulbir Banwait, Colin Lee, and Ayodeji Akingunola
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 685–707, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-685-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-685-2024, 2024
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Victoria A. Flood, Kimberly Strong, Cynthia H. Whaley, Kaley A. Walker, Thomas Blumenstock, James W. Hannigan, Johan Mellqvist, Justus Notholt, Mathias Palm, Amelie N. Röhling, Stephen Arnold, Stephen Beagley, Rong-You Chien, Jesper Christensen, Makoto Deushi, Srdjan Dobricic, Xinyi Dong, Joshua S. Fu, Michael Gauss, Wanmin Gong, Joakim Langner, Kathy S. Law, Louis Marelle, Tatsuo Onishi, Naga Oshima, David A. Plummer, Luca Pozzoli, Jean-Christophe Raut, Manu A. Thomas, Svetlana Tsyro, and Steven Turnock
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1079–1118, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1079-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1079-2024, 2024
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It is important to understand the composition of the Arctic atmosphere and how it is changing. Atmospheric models provide simulations that can inform policy. This study examines simulations of CH4, CO, and O3 by 11 models. Model performance is assessed by comparing results matched in space and time to measurements from five high-latitude ground-based infrared spectrometers. This work finds that models generally underpredict the concentrations of these gases in the Arctic troposphere.
Colin J. Lee, Paul A. Makar, and Joana Soares
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2023-185, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2023-185, 2023
Publication in GMD not foreseen
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Clustering is an analysis technique for finding similarities within datasets. We present a new implementation of the hierarchical clustering algorithm that is able to process much larger datasets than was previously possible, by spreading the program out over many connected computers in a high-performance computing system. We show airshed maps of a high-resolution regional model output domain, and find related air pollution profiles at monitoring stations separated by thousands of kilometers.
Xuanyi Zhang, Mark Gordon, Paul A. Makar, Timothy Jiang, Jonathan Davies, and David Tarasick
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 13647–13664, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13647-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13647-2023, 2023
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Measurements of ozone in the atmosphere were made in a forest downwind of oil sands mining and production facilities in northern Alberta. These measurements show that the emissions of other pollutants from oil sands production and processing reduce the amount of ozone in the forest. By using an atmospheric model combined with measurements, we find that the rate at which ozone is absorbed by the forest is lower than typical rates from similar measurements in other forests.
Olivia E. Clifton, Donna Schwede, Christian Hogrefe, Jesse O. Bash, Sam Bland, Philip Cheung, Mhairi Coyle, Lisa Emberson, Johannes Flemming, Erick Fredj, Stefano Galmarini, Laurens Ganzeveld, Orestis Gazetas, Ignacio Goded, Christopher D. Holmes, László Horváth, Vincent Huijnen, Qian Li, Paul A. Makar, Ivan Mammarella, Giovanni Manca, J. William Munger, Juan L. Pérez-Camanyo, Jonathan Pleim, Limei Ran, Roberto San Jose, Sam J. Silva, Ralf Staebler, Shihan Sun, Amos P. K. Tai, Eran Tas, Timo Vesala, Tamás Weidinger, Zhiyong Wu, and Leiming Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9911–9961, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9911-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9911-2023, 2023
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A primary sink of air pollutants is dry deposition. Dry deposition estimates differ across the models used to simulate atmospheric chemistry. Here, we introduce an effort to examine dry deposition schemes from atmospheric chemistry models. We provide our approach’s rationale, document the schemes, and describe datasets used to drive and evaluate the schemes. We also launch the analysis of results by evaluating against observations and identifying the processes leading to model–model differences.
Shoma Yamanouchi, Stephanie Conway, Kimberly Strong, Orfeo Colebatch, Erik Lutsch, Sébastien Roche, Jeffrey Taylor, Cynthia H. Whaley, and Aldona Wiacek
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3387–3418, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3387-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3387-2023, 2023
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Nineteen years of atmospheric composition measurements made at the University of Toronto Atmospheric Observatory (TAO; 43.66° N, 79.40° W; 174 m.a.s.l.) are presented. These are retrieved from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) solar absorption spectra recorded with a spectrometer from May 2002 to December 2020. The retrievals have been optimized for fourteen species: O3, HCl, HF, HNO3, CH4, C2H6, CO, HCN, N2O, C2H2, H2CO, CH3OH, HCOOH, and NH3.
Mark Gordon, Dane Blanchard, Timothy Jiang, Paul A. Makar, Ralf M. Staebler, Julian Aherne, Cris Mihele, and Xuanyi Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7241–7255, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7241-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7241-2023, 2023
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Measurements of the gas sulfur dioxide (SO2) were made in a forest downwind of oil sands mining and production facilities in northern Alberta. These measurements tell us the rate at which SO2 is absorbed by the forest. The measured rate is much higher than what is currently used by air quality models, which is supported by a previous study in this region. This suggests that SO2 may have a much shorter lifetime in the atmosphere at this location than currently predicted by models.
Monica Crippa, Diego Guizzardi, Tim Butler, Terry Keating, Rosa Wu, Jacek Kaminski, Jeroen Kuenen, Junichi Kurokawa, Satoru Chatani, Tazuko Morikawa, George Pouliot, Jacinthe Racine, Michael D. Moran, Zbigniew Klimont, Patrick M. Manseau, Rabab Mashayekhi, Barron H. Henderson, Steven J. Smith, Harrison Suchyta, Marilena Muntean, Efisio Solazzo, Manjola Banja, Edwin Schaaf, Federico Pagani, Jung-Hun Woo, Jinseok Kim, Fabio Monforti-Ferrario, Enrico Pisoni, Junhua Zhang, David Niemi, Mourad Sassi, Tabish Ansari, and Kristen Foley
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2667–2694, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2667-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2667-2023, 2023
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This study responds to the global and regional atmospheric modelling community's need for a mosaic of air pollutant emissions with global coverage, long time series, spatially distributed data at a high time resolution, and a high sectoral resolution in order to enhance the understanding of transboundary air pollution. The mosaic approach to integrating official regional emission inventories with a global inventory based on a consistent methodology ensures policy-relevant results.
Timothy Jiang, Mark Gordon, Paul A. Makar, Ralf M. Staebler, and Michael Wheeler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4361–4372, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4361-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4361-2023, 2023
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Measurements of submicron aerosols (particles smaller than 1 / 1000 of a millimeter) were made in a forest downwind of oil sands mining and production facilities in northern Alberta. These measurements tell us how quickly aerosols are absorbed by the forest (known as deposition rate) and how the deposition rate depends on the size of the aerosol. The measurements show good agreement with a parameterization developed from a recent study for deposition of aerosols to a similar pine forest.
Cynthia H. Whaley, Kathy S. Law, Jens Liengaard Hjorth, Henrik Skov, Stephen R. Arnold, Joakim Langner, Jakob Boyd Pernov, Garance Bergeron, Ilann Bourgeois, Jesper H. Christensen, Rong-You Chien, Makoto Deushi, Xinyi Dong, Peter Effertz, Gregory Faluvegi, Mark Flanner, Joshua S. Fu, Michael Gauss, Greg Huey, Ulas Im, Rigel Kivi, Louis Marelle, Tatsuo Onishi, Naga Oshima, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Jeff Peischl, David A. Plummer, Luca Pozzoli, Jean-Christophe Raut, Tom Ryerson, Ragnhild Skeie, Sverre Solberg, Manu A. Thomas, Chelsea Thompson, Kostas Tsigaridis, Svetlana Tsyro, Steven T. Turnock, Knut von Salzen, and David W. Tarasick
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 637–661, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-637-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-637-2023, 2023
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This study summarizes recent research on ozone in the Arctic, a sensitive and rapidly warming region. We find that the seasonal cycles of near-surface atmospheric ozone are variable depending on whether they are near the coast, inland, or at high altitude. Several global model simulations were evaluated, and we found that because models lack some of the ozone chemistry that is important for the coastal Arctic locations, they do not accurately simulate ozone there.
Cynthia H. Whaley, Rashed Mahmood, Knut von Salzen, Barbara Winter, Sabine Eckhardt, Stephen Arnold, Stephen Beagley, Silvia Becagli, Rong-You Chien, Jesper Christensen, Sujay Manish Damani, Xinyi Dong, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Gregory Faluvegi, Mark Flanner, Joshua S. Fu, Michael Gauss, Fabio Giardi, Wanmin Gong, Jens Liengaard Hjorth, Lin Huang, Ulas Im, Yugo Kanaya, Srinath Krishnan, Zbigniew Klimont, Thomas Kühn, Joakim Langner, Kathy S. Law, Louis Marelle, Andreas Massling, Dirk Olivié, Tatsuo Onishi, Naga Oshima, Yiran Peng, David A. Plummer, Olga Popovicheva, Luca Pozzoli, Jean-Christophe Raut, Maria Sand, Laura N. Saunders, Julia Schmale, Sangeeta Sharma, Ragnhild Bieltvedt Skeie, Henrik Skov, Fumikazu Taketani, Manu A. Thomas, Rita Traversi, Kostas Tsigaridis, Svetlana Tsyro, Steven Turnock, Vito Vitale, Kaley A. Walker, Minqi Wang, Duncan Watson-Parris, and Tahya Weiss-Gibbons
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5775–5828, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5775-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5775-2022, 2022
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Air pollutants, like ozone and soot, play a role in both global warming and air quality. Atmospheric models are often used to provide information to policy makers about current and future conditions under different emissions scenarios. In order to have confidence in those simulations, in this study we compare simulated air pollution from 18 state-of-the-art atmospheric models to measured air pollution in order to assess how well the models perform.
Mahtab Majdzadeh, Craig A. Stroud, Christopher Sioris, Paul A. Makar, Ayodeji Akingunola, Chris McLinden, Xiaoyi Zhao, Michael D. Moran, Ihab Abboud, and Jack Chen
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 219–249, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-219-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-219-2022, 2022
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A new lookup table for aerosol optical properties based on a Mie scattering code was calculated and adopted within an improved version of the photolysis module in the GEM-MACH in-line chemical transport model. The modified version of the photolysis module makes use of online interactive aerosol feedback and applies core-shell parameterizations to the black carbon absorption efficiency based on Bond et al. (2006) to the size bins with black carbon mass fraction of less than 40 %.
Xiao Lu, Daniel J. Jacob, Haolin Wang, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Yuzhong Zhang, Tia R. Scarpelli, Lu Shen, Zhen Qu, Melissa P. Sulprizio, Hannah Nesser, A. Anthony Bloom, Shuang Ma, John R. Worden, Shaojia Fan, Robert J. Parker, Hartmut Boesch, Ritesh Gautam, Deborah Gordon, Michael D. Moran, Frances Reuland, Claudia A. Octaviano Villasana, and Arlyn Andrews
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 395–418, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-395-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-395-2022, 2022
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We evaluate methane emissions and trends for 2010–2017 in the gridded national emission inventories for the United States, Canada, and Mexico by inversion of in situ and satellite methane observations. We find that anthropogenic methane emissions for all three countries are underestimated in the national inventories, largely driven by oil emissions. Anthropogenic methane emissions in the US peak in 2014, in contrast to the report of a steadily decreasing trend over 2010–2017 from the US EPA.
Debora Griffin, Chris A. McLinden, Enrico Dammers, Cristen Adams, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Carsten Warneke, Ilann Bourgeois, Jeff Peischl, Thomas B. Ryerson, Kyle J. Zarzana, Jake P. Rowe, Rainer Volkamer, Christoph Knote, Natalie Kille, Theodore K. Koenig, Christopher F. Lee, Drew Rollins, Pamela S. Rickly, Jack Chen, Lukas Fehr, Adam Bourassa, Doug Degenstein, Katherine Hayden, Cristian Mihele, Sumi N. Wren, John Liggio, Ayodeji Akingunola, and Paul Makar
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7929–7957, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7929-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7929-2021, 2021
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Satellite-derived NOx emissions from biomass burning are estimated with TROPOMI observations. Two common emission estimation methods are applied, and sensitivity tests with model output were performed to determine the accuracy of these methods. The effect of smoke aerosols on TROPOMI NO2 columns is estimated and compared to aircraft observations from four different aircraft campaigns measuring biomass burning plumes in 2018 and 2019 in North America.
Stefano Galmarini, Paul Makar, Olivia E. Clifton, Christian Hogrefe, Jesse O. Bash, Roberto Bellasio, Roberto Bianconi, Johannes Bieser, Tim Butler, Jason Ducker, Johannes Flemming, Alma Hodzic, Christopher D. Holmes, Ioannis Kioutsioukis, Richard Kranenburg, Aurelia Lupascu, Juan Luis Perez-Camanyo, Jonathan Pleim, Young-Hee Ryu, Roberto San Jose, Donna Schwede, Sam Silva, and Ralf Wolke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15663–15697, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15663-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15663-2021, 2021
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This technical note presents the research protocols for phase 4 of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII4). This initiative has three goals: (i) to define the state of wet and dry deposition in regional models, (ii) to evaluate how dry deposition influences air concentration and flux predictions, and (iii) to identify the causes for prediction differences. The evaluation compares LULC-specific dry deposition and effective conductances and fluxes.
Sepehr Fathi, Mark Gordon, Paul A. Makar, Ayodeji Akingunola, Andrea Darlington, John Liggio, Katherine Hayden, and Shao-Meng Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15461–15491, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15461-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15461-2021, 2021
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We have investigated the accuracy of aircraft-based mass balance methodologies through computer model simulations of the atmosphere and air quality at a regional high-resolution scale. We have defined new quantitative metrics to reduce emission retrieval uncertainty by evaluating top-down mass balance estimates against the known simulated meteorology and input emissions. We also recommend methodologies and flight strategies for improved retrievals in future aircraft-based studies.
Xinxin Ye, Pargoal Arab, Ravan Ahmadov, Eric James, Georg A. Grell, Bradley Pierce, Aditya Kumar, Paul Makar, Jack Chen, Didier Davignon, Greg R. Carmichael, Gonzalo Ferrada, Jeff McQueen, Jianping Huang, Rajesh Kumar, Louisa Emmons, Farren L. Herron-Thorpe, Mark Parrington, Richard Engelen, Vincent-Henri Peuch, Arlindo da Silva, Amber Soja, Emily Gargulinski, Elizabeth Wiggins, Johnathan W. Hair, Marta Fenn, Taylor Shingler, Shobha Kondragunta, Alexei Lyapustin, Yujie Wang, Brent Holben, David M. Giles, and Pablo E. Saide
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14427–14469, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14427-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14427-2021, 2021
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Wildfire smoke has crucial impacts on air quality, while uncertainties in the numerical forecasts remain significant. We present an evaluation of 12 real-time forecasting systems. Comparison of predicted smoke emissions suggests a large spread in magnitudes, with temporal patterns deviating from satellite detections. The performance for AOD and surface PM2.5 and their discrepancies highlighted the role of accurately represented spatiotemporal emission profiles in improving smoke forecasts.
Ashu Dastoor, Andrei Ryjkov, Gregor Kos, Junhua Zhang, Jane Kirk, Matthew Parsons, and Alexandra Steffen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12783–12807, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12783-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12783-2021, 2021
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An assessment of mercury levels in air and deposition in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) in Northern Alberta, Canada, was conducted to investigate the contribution of Hg emitted from oil sands activities to the surrounding landscape using a 3D process-based Hg model in 2012–2015. Oil sands Hg emissions are found to be important sources of Hg contamination to the local landscape in proximity to the processing activities, particularly in wintertime.
Paul A. Makar, Craig Stroud, Ayodeji Akingunola, Junhua Zhang, Shuzhan Ren, Philip Cheung, and Qiong Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12291–12316, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12291-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12291-2021, 2021
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Vehicle pollutant emissions occur in an environment where upward transport can be enhanced due to the turbulence created by the vehicles as they move through the atmosphere. An approach for including these turbulence effects in regional air pollution forecast models has been derived from theoretical, observation, and higher-resolution modeling. The enhanced mixing, which occurs in the immediate vicinity of roadways, changes pollutant concentrations on the regional to continental scale.
Zhiyong Wu, Leiming Zhang, John T. Walker, Paul A. Makar, Judith A. Perlinger, and Xuemei Wang
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 5093–5105, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5093-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5093-2021, 2021
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A community dry deposition algorithm for modeling the gaseous dry deposition process in chemistry transport models was extended to include an additional 12 oxidized volatile organic compounds and hydrogen cyanide based on their physicochemical properties and was then evaluated using field flux measurements over a mixed forest. This study provides a useful tool that is needed in chemistry transport models with increasing complexity for simulating an important atmospheric process.
Paul A. Makar, Ayodeji Akingunola, Jack Chen, Balbir Pabla, Wanmin Gong, Craig Stroud, Christopher Sioris, Kerry Anderson, Philip Cheung, Junhua Zhang, and Jason Milbrandt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10557–10587, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10557-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10557-2021, 2021
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We have examined the effects of airborne particles on absorption and scattering of incoming sunlight by the particles themselves via cloud formation. We used an advanced, combined high-resolution weather forecast and chemical transport computer model, for western North America, and simulations with and without the connections between particles and weather enabled. Feedbacks improved weather and air pollution forecasts and changed cloud behaviour and forest-fire pollutant amount and height.
Ulas Im, Kostas Tsigaridis, Gregory Faluvegi, Peter L. Langen, Joshua P. French, Rashed Mahmood, Manu A. Thomas, Knut von Salzen, Daniel C. Thomas, Cynthia H. Whaley, Zbigniew Klimont, Henrik Skov, and Jørgen Brandt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10413–10438, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10413-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10413-2021, 2021
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Future (2015–2050) simulations of the aerosol burdens and their radiative forcing and climate impacts over the Arctic under various emission projections show that although the Arctic aerosol burdens are projected to decrease significantly by 10 to 60 %, regardless of the magnitude of aerosol reductions, surface air temperatures will continue to increase by 1.9–2.6 ℃, while sea-ice extent will continue to decrease, implying reductions of greenhouse gases are necessary to mitigate climate change.
Katherine Hayden, Shao-Meng Li, Paul Makar, John Liggio, Samar G. Moussa, Ayodeji Akingunola, Robert McLaren, Ralf M. Staebler, Andrea Darlington, Jason O'Brien, Junhua Zhang, Mengistu Wolde, and Leiming Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 8377–8392, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8377-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8377-2021, 2021
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We developed a method using aircraft measurements to determine lifetimes with respect to dry deposition for oxidized sulfur and nitrogen compounds over the boreal forest in Alberta, Canada. Atmospheric lifetimes were significantly shorter than derived from chemical transport models with differences related to modelled dry deposition velocities. The shorter lifetimes suggest models need to reassess dry deposition treatment and predictions of sulfur and nitrogen in the atmosphere and ecosystems.
Debora Griffin, Christopher Sioris, Jack Chen, Nolan Dickson, Andrew Kovachik, Martin de Graaf, Swadhin Nanda, Pepijn Veefkind, Enrico Dammers, Chris A. McLinden, Paul Makar, and Ayodeji Akingunola
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 1427–1445, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1427-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1427-2020, 2020
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This study looks into validating the aerosol layer height product from the recently launched TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) for forest fire plume through comparisons with two other satellite products, and interpreting differences due to the individual measurement techniques. These satellite observations are compared to predicted plume heights from Environment and Climate Change's air quality forecast model.
Mark W. Shephard, Enrico Dammers, Karen E. Cady-Pereira, Shailesh K. Kharol, Jesse Thompson, Yonatan Gainariu-Matz, Junhua Zhang, Chris A. McLinden, Andrew Kovachik, Michael Moran, Shabtai Bittman, Christopher E. Sioris, Debora Griffin, Matthew J. Alvarado, Chantelle Lonsdale, Verica Savic-Jovcic, and Qiong Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 2277–2302, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2277-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2277-2020, 2020
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Presented is a description and survey demonstrating the capabilities of the CrIS ammonia product for monitoring, air quality forecast model evaluation, dry deposition estimates, and emission estimates of an agricultural hotspot.
Xiaoyi Zhao, Debora Griffin, Vitali Fioletov, Chris McLinden, Jonathan Davies, Akira Ogyu, Sum Chi Lee, Alexandru Lupu, Michael D. Moran, Alexander Cede, Martin Tiefengraber, and Moritz Müller
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 10619–10642, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-10619-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-10619-2019, 2019
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New nitrogen dioxide (NO2) retrieval algorithms are developed for Pandora zenith-sky measurements. A column-to-surface conversion look-up table was produced for the Pandora instruments; therefore, quick and practical Pandora-based surface NO2 concentration data can be obtained for air quality monitoring purposes. It is demonstrated that the surface NO2 concentration is controlled not only by the planetary boundary layer height but also by both boundary layer dynamics and photochemistry.
Jack Chen, Kerry Anderson, Radenko Pavlovic, Michael D. Moran, Peter Englefield, Dan K. Thompson, Rodrigo Munoz-Alpizar, and Hugo Landry
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 3283–3310, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3283-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3283-2019, 2019
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Emissions from wildland fires can cause significant impacts on regional air quality. We introduce the Canadian Forest Fire Emissions Prediction System and demonstrate its integration with Canada's FireWork operational air quality forecast system with biomass burning emissions. The coupled system shows improved skill in providing short-term, 48 h forecasts of surface air pollutant concentrations (PM2.5, O3, and NO2) from the impacts of regional wildland fires across the North American domain.
Matthew Russell, Amir Hakami, Paul A. Makar, Ayodeji Akingunola, Junhua Zhang, Michael D. Moran, and Qiong Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4393–4417, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4393-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4393-2019, 2019
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High-resolution air-quality forecast modeling results are compared for two different grid spacings for the Environment and Climate Change Canada GEM-MACH model. While the higher-resolution simulations have worse formal error scores, we show that the higher-resolution model nevertheless has the ability to better resolve plume maxima and has better performance when the evaluation occurs using new scoring metrics which operate on an equal-representative-area basis.
Cristen Adams, Chris A. McLinden, Mark W. Shephard, Nolan Dickson, Enrico Dammers, Jack Chen, Paul Makar, Karen E. Cady-Pereira, Naomi Tam, Shailesh K. Kharol, Lok N. Lamsal, and Nickolay A. Krotkov
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 2577–2599, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-2577-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-2577-2019, 2019
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We estimated how much carbon monoxide, ammonia, and nitrogen oxides were emitted in the smoke from the Fort McMurray Horse River wildfire using satellite data and air quality models. The fire emitted amounts of carbon monoxide that were similar to anthropogenic (human-caused) emissions for all of Alberta over a full year. We also estimated large amounts of ammonia and nitrogen oxides emitted from the fire. These results can be used to evaluate the performance of air quality forecasting models.
Wanmin Gong, Stephen R. Beagley, Sophie Cousineau, Mourad Sassi, Rodrigo Munoz-Alpizar, Sylvain Ménard, Jacinthe Racine, Junhua Zhang, Jack Chen, Heather Morrison, Sangeeta Sharma, Lin Huang, Pascal Bellavance, Jim Ly, Paul Izdebski, Lynn Lyons, and Richard Holt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 16653–16687, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16653-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16653-2018, 2018
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The navigability of the Arctic Ocean is increasing with the warming in recent years. Using model simulations at a much finer resolution than previous pan-Arctic studies, the impact of marine shipping emissions on air pollution in the Canadian Arctic is assessed for present (2010) and projected levels in 2030. The study found that shipping emissions have a local-to-regional impact in the Arctic at the current level; the impact will increase significantly in a projected business-as-usual scenario.
Mark Gordon, Paul A. Makar, Ralf M. Staebler, Junhua Zhang, Ayodeji Akingunola, Wanmin Gong, and Shao-Meng Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 14695–14714, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14695-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14695-2018, 2018
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This work uses aircraft-based measurements of smokestack plumes carried out in northern Alberta in 2013. These measurements are used to test equations used to predict how high in the air smokestack plumes rise. It is important to predict plume rise height accurately as it tells us how far downwind pollutants are carried and what air quality can be expected at the surface. We found that the equations that are typically used significantly underestimate the plume rise at this location.
Craig A. Stroud, Paul A. Makar, Junhua Zhang, Michael D. Moran, Ayodeji Akingunola, Shao-Meng Li, Amy Leithead, Katherine Hayden, and May Siu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 13531–13545, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-13531-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-13531-2018, 2018
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It is shown that using measurement-derived volatile organic compound (VOC) and organic aerosol (OA) emissions in the GEM-MACH air quality model provides better overall predictions compared to using bottom-up emission inventories. This work was done to better constrain the fugitive organic emissions from the Athabasca oil sands region, which are a challenge to estimate with bottom-up emission approaches. We use observations from the 2013 Joint Oil Sands Monitoring study.
Junhua Zhang, Michael D. Moran, Qiong Zheng, Paul A. Makar, Pegah Baratzadeh, George Marson, Peter Liu, and Shao-Meng Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 10459–10481, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10459-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10459-2018, 2018
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This paper discusses the development of new synthesized emissions inventories and the generation of air quality model-ready emissions files for the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada, using multiple emissions inventories, continuous emissions monitoring data, and inferred emission rates based on aircraft measurements. Novel facility-specific gridded spatial surrogate fields were generated to allocate emissions spatially within each huge mining facility.
Paul A. Makar, Ayodeji Akingunola, Julian Aherne, Amanda S. Cole, Yayne-abeba Aklilu, Junhua Zhang, Isaac Wong, Katherine Hayden, Shao-Meng Li, Jane Kirk, Ken Scott, Michael D. Moran, Alain Robichaud, Hazel Cathcart, Pegah Baratzedah, Balbir Pabla, Philip Cheung, Qiong Zheng, and Dean S. Jeffries
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 9897–9927, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9897-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9897-2018, 2018
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Complex computer model output was compared to and fused with observation data, to estimate potential damage due to acidifying precipitation for ecosystems in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Estimated deposition was compared to the maximum no-damage ecosystem capacity for sulfur and/or nitrogen uptake; these critical loads were exceeded, for areas between 10 000 and 330 000 square kilometres, depending on ecosystem type: ecosystem damage will occur at 2013 emission levels.
Cynthia H. Whaley, Elisabeth Galarneau, Paul A. Makar, Ayodeji Akingunola, Wanmin Gong, Sylvie Gravel, Michael D. Moran, Craig Stroud, Junhua Zhang, and Qiong Zheng
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 2609–2632, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-2609-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-2609-2018, 2018
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We present a new, high-resolution, North American model of PAHs and benzene, which are toxic air pollutants that cause a variety of negative health impacts. Our simulation in a densely populated region of Canada and the U.S. shows that the model is improved over a previous model. The new model is particularly refined regarding the gas–particle partitioning of these pollutants, which has impacts on deposition and inhalation. The simulation was sensitive to the selection of vehicle emissions.
Ayodeji Akingunola, Paul A. Makar, Junhua Zhang, Andrea Darlington, Shao-Meng Li, Mark Gordon, Michael D. Moran, and Qiong Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 8667–8688, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8667-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8667-2018, 2018
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We examine the manner in which air-quality models simulate lofting of buoyant plumes of emissions from stacks (plume rise) and the impact of the level of detail in algorithms simulating particles' variation in size (particle size distribution). The most commonly used plume rise algorithm underestimates the height of plumes compared to observations, while a revised algorithm has much better performance. A 12-bin size distribution reduced the forecast 2-bin size distribution bias error by 32 %.
Joana Soares, Paul Andrew Makar, Yayne Aklilu, and Ayodeji Akingunola
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6543–6566, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6543-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6543-2018, 2018
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Grouping data on the basis of (dis)similarity can be used to assess the efficacy of monitoring networks. The data are cross-compared in terms of temporal variation and magnitude of concentrations, and sites are ranked according to their level of potential redundancy. The methodology can be applied to measurement data, helping to identify sites with different measuring technologies or data flaws, and to model output, generating maps of areas of spatial representativeness of a monitoring site.
Stephanie C. Pugliese, Jennifer G. Murphy, Felix R. Vogel, Michael D. Moran, Junhua Zhang, Qiong Zheng, Craig A. Stroud, Shuzhan Ren, Douglas Worthy, and Gregoire Broquet
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 3387–3401, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3387-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3387-2018, 2018
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We developed the Southern Ontario CO2 Emissions (SOCE) inventory, which identifies the spatial and temporal distribution (2.5 km and hourly, respectively) of CO2 emissions from seven source sectors. When the SOCE inventory was used with a chemistry transport model, we found strong agreement between modelled and measured mixing ratios. We were able to quantify that natural gas combustion contributes > 80 % of CO2 emissions at nighttime while on-road emissions contribute > 70 % during the day.
Cynthia H. Whaley, Paul A. Makar, Mark W. Shephard, Leiming Zhang, Junhua Zhang, Qiong Zheng, Ayodeji Akingunola, Gregory R. Wentworth, Jennifer G. Murphy, Shailesh K. Kharol, and Karen E. Cady-Pereira
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 2011–2034, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2011-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2011-2018, 2018
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Using a modified air quality forecasting model, we have found that a significant fraction (> 50 %) of ambient ammonia comes from re-emission from plants and soils in the broader Athabasca Oil Sands region and much of Alberta and Saskatchewan. We also found that about 20 % of ambient ammonia in Alberta and Saskatchewan came from forest fires in the summer of 2013. The addition of these two processes improved modelled ammonia, which was a motivating factor in undertaking this research.
Yuan You, Ralf M. Staebler, Samar G. Moussa, Yushan Su, Tony Munoz, Craig Stroud, Junhua Zhang, and Michael D. Moran
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 14119–14143, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14119-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14119-2017, 2017
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A novel approach for traffic emission measurements is shown to have the capacity to provide high-time-resolution accurate concentrations of key air pollutants. A top-down method for quantifying real-world emission rates produced vehicular emission factor estimates for carbon monoxide that agreed well with bottom-up values. Significant ammonia and hydrogen cyanide emissions were observed. The main factors modulating the concentrations were turbulent mixing and traffic density.
Vitali Fioletov, Chris A. McLinden, Shailesh K. Kharol, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Can Li, Joanna Joiner, Michael D. Moran, Robert Vet, Antoon J. H. Visschedijk, and Hugo A. C. Denier van der Gon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 12597–12616, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12597-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12597-2017, 2017
Vitali E. Fioletov, Chris A. McLinden, Nickolay Krotkov, Can Li, Joanna Joiner, Nicolas Theys, Simon Carn, and Mike D. Moran
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 11497–11519, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11497-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11497-2016, 2016
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We introduce the first space-based catalogue of SO2 emission sources seen by OMI. The inventory contains about 500 sources. They account for about a half of all SO2 emissions; the remaining half is likely related to sources emitting less than 30 kt yr−1 and not detected by OMI. The sources are grouped by type (volcanoes, power plants, oil- and gas-related sources, and smelters) and country. The catalogue presented herein can be used for verification of available SO2 emission inventories.
M. W. Shephard, C. A. McLinden, K. E. Cady-Pereira, M. Luo, S. G. Moussa, A. Leithead, J. Liggio, R. M. Staebler, A. Akingunola, P. Makar, P. Lehr, J. Zhang, D. K. Henze, D. B. Millet, J. O. Bash, L. Zhu, K. C. Wells, S. L. Capps, S. Chaliyakunnel, M. Gordon, K. Hayden, J. R. Brook, M. Wolde, and S.-M. Li
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 5189–5211, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-5189-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-5189-2015, 2015
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This study provides direct validations of Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) satellite retrieved profiles against coincident aircraft profiles of carbon monoxide, ammonia, methanol, and formic acid, all of which are of interest for air quality. The comparisons are performed over the Canadian oil sands region during an intensive field campaign in support of the Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for the Oil Sands Monitoring (JOSM). Initial model evaluations are also provided.
M. Gordon, A. Vlasenko, R. M. Staebler, C. Stroud, P. A. Makar, J. Liggio, S.-M. Li, and S. Brown
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 9087–9097, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-9087-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-9087-2014, 2014
D. Wen, L. Zhang, J. C. Lin, R. Vet, and M. D. Moran
Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 1037–1050, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1037-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1037-2014, 2014
P. A. Makar, R. Nissen, A. Teakles, J. Zhang, Q. Zheng, M. D. Moran, H. Yau, and C. diCenzo
Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 1001–1024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1001-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1001-2014, 2014
X. Wang, L. Zhang, and M. D. Moran
Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 799–819, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-799-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-799-2014, 2014
E. Galarneau, P. A. Makar, Q. Zheng, J. Narayan, J. Zhang, M. D. Moran, M. A. Bari, S. Pathela, A. Chen, and R. Chlumsky
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 4065–4077, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-4065-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-4065-2014, 2014
C. A. McLinden, V. Fioletov, K. F. Boersma, S. K. Kharol, N. Krotkov, L. Lamsal, P. A. Makar, R. V. Martin, J. P. Veefkind, and K. Yang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 3637–3656, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-3637-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-3637-2014, 2014
J. R. Brook, P. A. Makar, D. M. L. Sills, K. L. Hayden, and R. McLaren
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 10461–10482, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-10461-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-10461-2013, 2013
L. Zhang, X. Wang, M. D. Moran, and J. Feng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 10005–10025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-10005-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-10005-2013, 2013
E. Solazzo, R. Bianconi, G. Pirovano, M. D. Moran, R. Vautard, C. Hogrefe, K. W. Appel, V. Matthias, P. Grossi, B. Bessagnet, J. Brandt, C. Chemel, J. H. Christensen, R. Forkel, X. V. Francis, A. B. Hansen, S. McKeen, U. Nopmongcol, M. Prank, K. N. Sartelet, A. Segers, J. D. Silver, G. Yarwood, J. Werhahn, J. Zhang, S. T. Rao, and S. Galmarini
Geosci. Model Dev., 6, 791–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-6-791-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-6-791-2013, 2013
D. Wen, J. C. Lin, L. Zhang, R. Vet, and M. D. Moran
Geosci. Model Dev., 6, 327–344, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-6-327-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-6-327-2013, 2013
C. R. Lonsdale, R. G. Stevens, C. A. Brock, P. A. Makar, E. M. Knipping, and J. R. Pierce
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 11519–11531, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11519-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11519-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Atmospheric fate of organosulfates through gas-phase and aqueous-phase reactions with hydroxyl radicals: implications for inorganic sulfate formation
Opinion: The role of AerChemMIP in advancing climate and air quality research
Uncertainties in the effects of organic aerosol coatings on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations and their estimated health effects
Source-explicit estimation of brown carbon in the polluted atmosphere over the North China Plain: implications for distribution, absorption, and the direct radiative effect
Implications of reduced-complexity aerosol thermodynamics on organic aerosol mass concentration and composition over North America
Trends and drivers of soluble iron deposition from East Asian dust to the Northwest Pacific: a springtime analysis (2001–2017)
Modelling of atmospheric variability in gas and aerosols during the ACROSS campaign 2022 of the greater Paris area: evaluation of the meteorology, dynamics and chemistry
Spatial–temporal patterns in anthropogenic and biomass burning emission contributions to air pollution and mortality burden changes in India from 1995 to 2014
A comprehensive global modeling assessment of nitrate heterogeneous formation on desert dust
AERO-MAP: a data compilation and modeling approach to understand spatial variability in fine- and coarse-mode aerosol composition
Long-term trends in aerosol properties derived from AERONET measurements
Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis kinetics of organic hydroperoxides: Computational strategy and structure-activity relationship
Impacts of sea ice leads on sea salt aerosols and atmospheric chemistry in the Arctic
Dimethyl sulfide chemistry over the industrial era: comparison of key oxidation mechanisms and long-term observations
Driving factors of aerosol acidity: a new hierarchical quantitative analysis framework and its application in Changzhou, China
Understanding the long-term trend of organic aerosol and the influences from anthropogenic emission and regional climate change in China
Competing multiple oxidation pathways shape atmospheric limonene-derived organonitrates simulated with updated explicit chemical mechanisms
Population exposure to outdoor NO2, black carbon, and ultrafine and fine particles over Paris with multi-scale modelling down to the street scale
Predicted impacts of heterogeneous chemical pathways on particulate sulfur over Fairbanks (Alaska), the Northern Hemisphere, and the Contiguous United States
Critical load exceedances for North America and Europe using an ensemble of models and an investigation of causes of environmental impact estimate variability: an AQMEII4 study
The influence of ammonia emissions on the size-resolved global atmospheric aerosol composition and acidity
Toxic Dust Emission from Drought-Exposed Lakebeds – A New Air Pollution Threat from Dried Lakes
Observationally Constrained Analysis on the Distribution of Fine and Coarse Mode Nitrate in Global Climate Models
Dust pollution substantially weakens the impact of ammonia emission reduction on particulate nitrate formation
Impacts of meteorology and emission reductions on haze pollution during the lockdown in the North China Plain
Impact of mineral dust on the global nitrate aerosol direct and indirect radiative effect
Aerosol impacts on regional climate: chaotic or physical effect?
The surface tension and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation of sea spray aerosol particles
Exploring the processes controlling secondary inorganic aerosol: evaluating the global GEOS-Chem simulation using a suite of aircraft campaigns
Incorporation of multi-phase halogen chemistry into Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model
Changes in the impacts of ship emissions on PM2.5 and its components in China under the staged fuel oil policies
Influence of land cover change on atmospheric organic gases, aerosols, and radiative effects
Quantifying the impacts of marine aerosols over the southeast Atlantic Ocean using a chemical transport model: implications for aerosol–cloud interactions
Quantifying the impact of global nitrate aerosol on tropospheric composition fields and its production from lightning NOx
Aerosol Composition Trends during 2000–2020: In depth insights from model predictions and multiple worldwide observation datasets
Rapid oxidation of phenolic compounds by O3 and HO●: effects of the air–water interface and mineral dust in tropospheric chemical processes
Modeling the contribution of leads to sea spray aerosol in the high Arctic
Exploring Atmospheric Nitrate Formation Mechanisms during the Winters of 2013 and 2018 in the North China Region via Modeling and Isotopic Analysis
Importance of aerosol composition and aerosol vertical profiles in global spatial variation in the relationship between PM2.5 and aerosol optical depth
The co-benefits of a low-carbon future for PM2.5 and O3 air pollution in Europe
Assessing the effectiveness of SO2, NOx, and NH3 emission reductions in mitigating winter PM2.5 in Taiwan using CMAQ
Modelling of atmospheric concentrations of fungal spores: a 2-year simulation over France using CHIMERE
Cluster-dynamics-based parameterization for sulfuric acid–dimethylamine nucleation: comparison and selection through box and three-dimensional modeling
Observed and CMIP6-model-simulated organic aerosol response to drought in the contiguous United States during summertime
Cooling radiative forcing effect enhancement of atmospheric amines and mineral particles caused by heterogeneous uptake and oxidation
Source-resolved atmospheric metal emissions, concentrations, and deposition fluxes into the East Asian seas
Analysis of secondary inorganic aerosols over the greater Athens area using the EPISODE–CityChem source dispersion and photochemistry model
Global estimates of ambient reactive nitrogen components during 2000–2100 based on the multi-stage model
The role of naphthalene and its derivatives in the formation of secondary organic aerosol in the Yangtze River Delta region, China
Unveiling the optimal regression model for source apportionment of the oxidative potential of PM10
Narcisse Tsona Tchinda, Xiaofan Lv, Stanley Numbonui Tasheh, Julius Numbonui Ghogomu, and Lin Du
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8575–8590, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8575-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8575-2025, 2025
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This study examines the transformation of organosulfates through reaction with HO• radicals. The results show that the nature of substituents on the carbon chain can effectively affect the decomposition rate of organosulfates, and ozone is unveiled as a complementary oxidant in the intermediate steps of this decomposition. The primary products from these reactions include carbonyl compounds and inorganic sulfate, which highlights the role of organosulfates in altering aerosol chemical composition.
Paul T. Griffiths, Laura J. Wilcox, Robert J. Allen, Vaishali Naik, Fiona M. O'Connor, Michael Prather, Alex Archibald, Florence Brown, Makoto Deushi, William Collins, Stephanie Fiedler, Naga Oshima, Lee T. Murray, Bjørn H. Samset, Chris Smith, Steven Turnock, Duncan Watson-Parris, and Paul J. Young
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8289–8328, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8289-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8289-2025, 2025
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The Aerosol Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP) aimed to quantify the climate and air quality impacts of aerosols and chemically reactive gases. We review its contribution to AR6 (Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and the wider understanding of the role of these species in climate and climate change. We identify challenges and provide recommendations to improve the utility and uptake of climate model data, detailed summary tables of CMIP6 models, experiments, and emergent diagnostics.
Sijia Lou, Manish Shrivastava, Alexandre Albinet, Sophie Tomaz, Deepchandra Srivastava, Olivier Favez, Huizhong Shen, and Aijun Ding
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8163–8183, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8163-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8163-2025, 2025
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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), emitted from incomplete combustion, pose serious health risks due to their carcinogenic properties. This research demonstrates that viscous organic aerosol coatings significantly hinder PAH oxidation, with spatial distributions sensitive to the degradation modeling approach. Our findings emphasize the need for accurate modeling of PAH oxidation processes in risk assessments, considering both fresh and oxidized PAHs in evaluating human health risks.
Jiamao Zhou, Jiarui Wu, Xiaoli Su, Ruonan Wang, Imad EI Haddad, Xia Li, Qian Jiang, Ting Zhang, Wenting Dai, Junji Cao, Andre S. H. Prevot, Xuexi Tie, and Guohui Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7563–7580, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7563-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7563-2025, 2025
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Brown carbon (BrC) is a type of airborne particle produced from various combustion sources which is light absorption. Historically, climate models have categorizing organic particles as either non-absorbing or purely reflective. Our study shows that BrC can reduce the usual cooling effect of organic particles. While BrC is often linked to biomass burning, however, BrC from fossil fuels contributes significantly to atmospheric heating.
Camilo Serrano Damha, Kyle Gorkowski, and Andreas Zuend
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5773–5792, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5773-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5773-2025, 2025
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We implemented the BAT-VBS (Binary Activity Thermodynamics volatility basis set) aerosol thermodynamics model in the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model to efficiently account for organic aerosol water uptake, nonideal mixing, and impacts on the gas–particle partitioning of semi-volatile organics. Compared to GEOS-Chem's complex (dry) scheme, we show that the BAT-VBS model can predict substantial enhancements in organic aerosol mass concentration at moderate-to-high relative humidity.
Hanzheng Zhu, Yaman Liu, Man Yue, Shihui Feng, Pingqing Fu, Kan Huang, Xinyi Dong, and Minghuai Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5175–5197, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5175-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5175-2025, 2025
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Dust-soluble iron deposition from East Asia plays an important role in the marine ecology of the Northwest Pacific. Using the developed model, our findings highlight a dual trend: a decrease in the overall deposition of soluble iron from dust but an increase in the solubility of the iron itself due to the enhanced atmospheric processing. The study underscores the critical roles of both dust emission and atmospheric processing in soluble iron deposition and marine ecology.
Ludovico Di Antonio, Matthias Beekmann, Guillaume Siour, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Astrid Bauville, Antonin Bergé, Mathieu Cazaunau, Servanne Chevaillier, Manuela Cirtog, Joel F. de Brito, Paola Formenti, Cecile Gaimoz, Olivier Garret, Aline Gratien, Valérie Gros, Martial Haeffelin, Lelia N. Hawkins, Simone Kotthaus, Gael Noyalet, Diana L. Pereira, Jean-Eudes Petit, Eva Drew Pronovost, Véronique Riffault, Chenjie Yu, Gilles Foret, Jean-François Doussin, and Claudia Di Biagio
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4803–4831, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4803-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4803-2025, 2025
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The summer of 2022 has been considered a proxy for future climate scenarios due to its hot and dry conditions. In this paper, we use the measurements from the Atmospheric Chemistry of the Suburban Forest (ACROSS) campaign, conducted in the Paris area in June–July 2022, along with observations from existing networks, to evaluate a 3D chemistry transport model (WRF–CHIMERE) simulation. Results are shown to be satisfactory, allowing us to explain the gas and aerosol variability at the campaign sites.
Bin Luo, Yuqiang Zhang, Tao Tang, Hongliang Zhang, Jianlin Hu, Jiangshan Mu, Wenxing Wang, and Likun Xue
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4767–4783, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4767-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4767-2025, 2025
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India is facing a severe air pollution crisis that poses significant health risks, particularly from PM2.5 and O3. Our study reveals rising levels of both pollutants from 1995 to 2014, leading to increased premature mortality. While anthropogenic emissions play a significant role, biomass burning also impacts air quality, in particular seasons and regions in India. This study underscores the urgent need for localized policies to protect public health amid escalating environmental challenges.
Rubén Soussé Villa, Oriol Jorba, María Gonçalves Ageitos, Dene Bowdalo, Marc Guevara, and Carlos Pérez García-Pando
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4719–4753, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4719-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4719-2025, 2025
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Desert dust forms nitrate coatings as it travels through the atmosphere. However, current models that predict this process vary greatly due to different methods and inaccuracies. We examined how nitrate forms in a global model, focusing on how gases condense on dust, the lifespan of different particles, and the impact of alkalinity. Our findings show that models work best when they consider reversible gas condensation with alkalinity. This should lead to better estimates of climate impacts.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, P. Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankararaman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Johann Engelbrecht, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbigniew Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gómez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal L. Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4665–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, 2025
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Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth system, but their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Here, we present a new compilation of PM2.5 and PM10 aerosol observations, focusing on the spatial variability across different observational stations, including composition, and demonstrate a method for comparing the data sets to model output.
Zhenyu Zhang, Jing Li, Huizheng Che, Yueming Dong, Oleg Dubovik, Thomas Eck, Pawan Gupta, Brent Holben, Jhoon Kim, Elena Lind, Trailokya Saud, Sachchida Nand Tripathi, and Tong Ying
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4617–4637, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4617-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4617-2025, 2025
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We used ground-based remote sensing data from the Aerosol Robotic Network to examine long-term trends in aerosol characteristics. We found aerosol loadings generally decreased globally, and aerosols became more scattering. These changes are closely related to variations in aerosol compositions, such as decreased anthropogenic emissions over East Asia, Europe, and North America; increased anthropogenic sources over northern India; and increased dust activity over the Arabian Peninsula.
Qiaojing Zhao, Fangfang Ma, Hui Zhao, Qian Xu, Rujing Yin, Hong-Bin Xie, Xin Wang, and Jingwen Chen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1662, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1662, 2025
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The scarcity of kinetic data for key aerosol aqueous-phase reactions contributes to large uncertainties in atmospheric models. We establish a computational strategy to rapidly predict acid-catalyzed hydrolysis kinetics of organic hydroperoxides, an aerosol constituent with high abundance. The kinetic parameters can be integrated into atmospheric models to improve simulations of the global hydrogen peroxide budget and secondary organic aerosol production.
Erin J. Emme and Hannah M. Horowitz
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4531–4545, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4531-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4531-2025, 2025
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There is uncertainty in the sources of Arctic cold-season (November–April) sea salt aerosols. Using a chemical transport model and satellite observations, we quantify Arctic-wide sea salt aerosol emissions from fractures in sea ice, called open sea ice leads, and their atmospheric chemistry impacts for the cold season. We show that sea ice leads contribute to Arctic sea salt aerosols and bromine, especially in under-observed regions.
Ursula A. Jongebloed, Jacob I. Chalif, Linia Tashmim, William C. Porter, Kelvin H. Bates, Qianjie Chen, Erich C. Osterberg, Bess G. Koffman, Jihong Cole-Dai, Dominic A. Winski, David G. Ferris, Karl J. Kreutz, Cameron P. Wake, and Becky Alexander
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4083–4106, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4083-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4083-2025, 2025
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Marine phytoplankton emit dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which forms methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and sulfate. MSA concentrations in ice cores decreased over the industrial era, which has been attributed to pollution-driven changes in DMS chemistry. We use a model to investigate DMS chemistry compared to observations of DMS, MSA, and sulfate. We find that modeled DMS, MSA, and sulfate are influenced by pollution-sensitive oxidant concentrations, characterization of DMS chemistry, and other variables.
Xiaolin Duan, Guangjie Zheng, Chuchu Chen, Qiang Zhang, and Kebin He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3919–3928, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3919-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3919-2025, 2025
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Aerosol acidity is an important parameter in atmospheric chemistry, while its driving factors, especially chemical profiles versus meteorological conditions, are not yet fully understood. Here, we established a hierarchical quantitative analysis framework to understand the driving factors of aerosol acidity on different timescales. Its application in Changzhou, China, revealed distinct driving factors and corresponding mechanisms of aerosol acidity from annual trends to random residuals.
Wenxin Zhang, Yaman Liu, Man Yue, Xinyi Dong, Kan Huang, and Minghuai Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3857–3872, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3857-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3857-2025, 2025
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Understanding long-term organic aerosol (OA) trends and their driving factors is important for air quality management. Our modeling revealed that OA in China increased by 5.6 % from 1990 to 2019, primarily due to a 32.3 % increase in secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) and an 8.1 % decrease in primary organic aerosols (POAs), both largely driven by changes in anthropogenic emissions. Biogenic SOA increased due to warming but showed little response to changes in anthropogenic nitrogen oxide emissions.
Qinghao Guo, Haofei Zhang, Bo Long, Lehui Cui, Yiyang Sun, Hao Liu, Yaxin Liu, Yunting Xiao, Pingqing Fu, and Jialei Zhu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1058, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1058, 2025
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Limonene, a natural compound from plants, reacts with pollutants to form airborne particles that influence air quality and climate. Using advanced models with explicit chemical mechanisms, we show how different reaction pathways shape organonitrate formation, with some increasing and others decreasing particle levels. This approach enhancing predictions of pollution and climate impacts while deepening our understanding of how natural and human-made emissions interact in the atmosphere.
Soo-Jin Park, Lya Lugon, Oscar Jacquot, Youngseob Kim, Alexia Baudic, Barbara D'Anna, Ludovico Di Antonio, Claudia Di Biagio, Fabrice Dugay, Olivier Favez, Véronique Ghersi, Aline Gratien, Julien Kammer, Jean-Eudes Petit, Olivier Sanchez, Myrto Valari, Jérémy Vigneron, and Karine Sartelet
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3363–3387, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3363-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3363-2025, 2025
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To accurately represent the population exposure to outdoor concentrations of pollutants of interest to health (NO2, PM2.5, black carbon, and ultrafine particles), multi-scale modelling down to the street scale is set up and evaluated using measurements from field campaigns. An exposure scaling factor is defined, allowing regional-scale simulations to be corrected to evaluate population exposure. Urban heterogeneities strongly influence NO2, black carbon, and ultrafine particles but less strongly PM2.5.
Sara L. Farrell, Havala O. T. Pye, Robert Gilliam, George Pouliot, Deanna Huff, Golam Sarwar, William Vizuete, Nicole Briggs, Fengkui Duan, Tao Ma, Shuping Zhang, and Kathleen Fahey
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3287–3312, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3287-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3287-2025, 2025
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In this work we implement heterogeneous sulfur chemistry into the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. This new chemistry accounts for the formation of sulfate via aqueous oxidation of SO2 in aerosol liquid water and the formation of hydroxymethanesulfonate (HMS) – often confused by measurement techniques as sulfate. Model performance in predicting sulfur PM2.5 in Fairbanks, Alaska, and other places that experience dark and cold winters is improved.
Paul A. Makar, Philip Cheung, Christian Hogrefe, Ayodeji Akingunola, Ummugulsum Alyuz, Jesse O. Bash, Michael D. Bell, Roberto Bellasio, Roberto Bianconi, Tim Butler, Hazel Cathcart, Olivia E. Clifton, Alma Hodzic, Ioannis Kioutsioukis, Richard Kranenburg, Aurelia Lupascu, Jason A. Lynch, Kester Momoh, Juan L. Perez-Camanyo, Jonathan Pleim, Young-Hee Ryu, Roberto San Jose, Donna Schwede, Thomas Scheuschner, Mark W. Shephard, Ranjeet S. Sokhi, and Stefano Galmarini
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3049–3107, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3049-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3049-2025, 2025
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The large range of sulfur and nitrogen deposition estimates from air quality models results in a large range of predicted impacts. We used models and deposition diagnostics to identify the processes controlling atmospheric sulfur and nitrogen deposition variability. Controlling factors included the uptake of gases and aerosols by hydrometeors, aerosol inorganic chemistry, particle dry deposition, ammonia bidirectional fluxes, gas deposition via plant cuticles and soil, and land use data.
Xurong Wang, Alexandra P. Tsimpidi, Zhenqi Luo, Benedikt Steil, Andrea Pozzer, Jos Lelieveld, and Vlassis A. Karydis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-527, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-527, 2025
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Ammonia (NH3) is an abundant alkaline gas and key precursor in particulate matter formation. While SO2 and NOx emissions have decreased, global NH3 emissions are stable or rising. This study investigates NH3 emission impacts on size-resolved aerosol composition and acidity using the EMAC model, analyzing three emission schemes. Sulphate-nitrate-ammonium aerosols in fine mode sizes are most sensitive to NH3 changes. Regional responses vary. NH3 buffers aerosol acidity, mitigating pH shifts.
Qianqian Gao, Guochao Chen, Xiaohui Lu, Jianmin Chen, Hongliang Zhang, and Xiaofei Wang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-596, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-596, 2025
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Numerous lakes are shrinking due to climate change and human activities, releasing pollutants from dried lakebeds as dust aerosols. The health risks remain unclear. Recently, Poyang and Dongting Lakes faced record droughts, exposing 99 % and 88 % of their areas. We show lakebed dust can raise PM10 to 637.5 μg/m³ and exceed non-carcinogenic (HQ=4.13) and Cr carcinogenic (~2.10×10⁻⁶) risk thresholds, posing growing health threats.
Mingxuan Wu, Hailong Wang, Zheng Lu, Xiaohong Liu, Huisheng Bian, David Cohen, Yan Feng, Mian Chin, Didier A. Hauglustaine, Vlassis A. Karydis, Marianne T. Lund, Gunnar Myhre, Andrea Pozzer, Michael Schulz, Ragnhild B. Skeie, Alexandra P. Tsimpidi, Svetlana G. Tsyro, and Shaocheng Xie
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-235, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-235, 2025
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A key challenge in simulating the lifecycle of nitrate aerosol in global climate models is to accurately represent mass size distribution of nitrate aerosol, which lacks sufficient observational constraints. We found that most climate models underestimate the mass fraction of fine-mode nitrate at surface in all regions. Our study highlights the importance of gas-aerosol partitioning parameterization and simulation of dust and sea salt in correctly simulating mass size distribution of nitrate.
Hanrui Lang, Yunjiang Zhang, Sheng Zhong, Yongcai Rao, Minfeng Zhou, Jian Qiu, Jingyi Li, Diwen Liu, Florian Couvidat, Olivier Favez, Didier Hauglustaine, and Xinlei Ge
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-231, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-231, 2025
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This study investigates how dust pollution influences particulate nitrate formation. We found that dust pollution could reduce the effectiveness of ammonia emission controls by altering aerosol chemistry. Using field observations and modeling, we showed that dust particles affect nitrate distribution between gas and particle phases. Our findings highlight the need for pollution control strategies that consider both human emissions and dust sources for better urban air quality management.
Lang Liu, Xin Long, Yi Li, Zengliang Zang, Fengwen Wang, Yan Han, Zhier Bao, Yang Chen, Tian Feng, and Jinxin Yang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1569–1585, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1569-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1569-2025, 2025
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This study uses WRF-Chem to assess how meteorological conditions and emission reductions affected fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the North China Plain (NCP). It highlights regional disparities: in the northern NCP, adverse weather negated emission reduction effects. In contrast, the southern NCP featured a PM2.5 decrease due to favorable weather and emission reductions. The research highlighted the interaction between emissions, meteorology, and PM2.5.
Alexandros Milousis, Klaus Klingmüller, Alexandra P. Tsimpidi, Jasper F. Kok, Maria Kanakidou, Athanasios Nenes, and Vlassis A. Karydis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1333–1351, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1333-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1333-2025, 2025
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This study investigates the impact of dust on the global radiative effect of nitrate aerosols. The results indicate both positive and negative regional shortwave and longwave radiative effects due to aerosol–radiation interactions and cloud adjustments. The global average net REari and REaci of nitrate aerosols are −0.11 and +0.17 W m−2, respectively, mainly affecting the shortwave spectrum. Sensitivity simulations evaluated the influence of mineral dust composition and emissions on the results.
Jiawang Feng, Chun Zhao, Jun Gu, Gudongze Li, Mingyue Xu, Shengfu Lin, and Jie Feng
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4037, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4037, 2025
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Climate models help study aerosol impacts on regional climate. However, the atmosphere's chaotic nature makes it hard to separate true aerosol impacts from chaotic effects. Our ensemble experiments show that while large-scale aerosol effects are consistent, regional aerosol impacts vary significantly among experiments. We give a formula showing the relationship between chaotic effects and ensemble sizes, emphasizing the necessity of adequate ensemble members to capture reliable aerosol impacts.
Judith Kleinheins, Nadia Shardt, Ulrike Lohmann, and Claudia Marcolli
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 881–903, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-881-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-881-2025, 2025
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We model the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation of sea spray aerosol particles with classical Köhler theory and with a new model approach that takes surface tension lowering into account. We categorize organic compounds into weak, intermediate, and strong surfactants, and we outline for which composition surface tension lowering is important. The results suggest that surface tension lowering allows sea spray aerosol particles in the Aitken mode to be a source of CCN in marine updraughts.
Olivia G. Norman, Colette L. Heald, Solomon Bililign, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Hugh Coe, Marc N. Fiddler, Jaime R. Green, Jose L. Jimenez, Katharina Kaiser, Jin Liao, Ann M. Middlebrook, Benjamin A. Nault, John B. Nowak, Johannes Schneider, and André Welti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 771–795, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-771-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-771-2025, 2025
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This study finds that one component of secondary inorganic aerosols, nitrate, is greatly overestimated by a global atmospheric chemistry model compared to observations from 11 flight campaigns. None of the loss and production pathways explored can explain the nitrate bias alone. The model’s inability to capture the variability in the observations remains and requires future investigation to avoid biases in policy-related studies (i.e., air quality, health, climate impacts of these aerosols).
Kiyeon Kim, Chul Han Song, Kyung Man Han, Greg Yarwood, Ross Beardsley, and Saewung Kim
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-23, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-23, 2025
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Despite the crucial role of halogen radicals in the atmosphere, the current CMAQ model does not account for multi-phase halogen processes. To address this issue, we incorporated 177 halogen reactions, together with anthropogenic and natural halogen emissions into the CMAQ model. Our findings reveal that incorporation of these halogen processes significantly improves model performances compared to ground observations. In addition, we emphasize the influence of halogen radicals on air quality.
Guangyuan Yu, Yan Zhang, Qian Wang, Zimin Han, Shenglan Jiang, Fan Yang, Xin Yang, and Cheng Huang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3892, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3892, 2025
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China has carried out staged low-sulfur fuel policies since 2017. This study simulated the changing spatiotemporal patterns of the impacts of ship emissions on PM2.5 from 2017 to 2021 based on the updated emission inventories and mapping of chemical species in the CMAQ. Fuel policies caused evident relative changes in inorganic and organic components of the shipping-related PM2.5 over China’s port cities. The driving factors of the interannual, seasonal, and diurnal patterns were discussed.
Ryan Vella, Matthew Forrest, Andrea Pozzer, Alexandra P. Tsimpidi, Thomas Hickler, Jos Lelieveld, and Holger Tost
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 243–262, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-243-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-243-2025, 2025
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This study examines how land cover changes influence biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions and atmospheric states. Using a coupled chemistry–climate–vegetation model, we compare present-day land cover (deforested for crops and grazing) with natural vegetation and an extreme reforestation scenario. We find that vegetation changes significantly impact global BVOC emissions and organic aerosols but have a relatively small effect on total aerosols, clouds, and radiative effects.
Mashiat Hossain, Rebecca M. Garland, and Hannah M. Horowitz
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 14123–14143, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14123-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14123-2024, 2024
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Our research examines aerosol dynamics over the southeast Atlantic, a region with significant uncertainties in aerosol radiative forcings. Using the GEOS-Chem model, we find that at cloud altitudes, organic aerosols dominate during the biomass burning season, while sulfate aerosols, driven by marine emissions, prevail during peak primary production. These findings highlight the need for accurate representation of marine aerosols in models to improve climate predictions and reduce uncertainties.
Ashok K. Luhar, Anthony C. Jones, and Jonathan M. Wilkinson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 14005–14028, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14005-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14005-2024, 2024
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Nitrate aerosol is often omitted in global chemistry–climate models, partly due to the chemical complexity of its formation process. Using a global model, we show that including nitrate aerosol significantly impacts tropospheric composition fields, such as ozone, and radiation. Additionally, lightning-generated oxides of nitrogen influence both nitrate aerosol mass concentrations and aerosol size distribution, which has important implications for radiative fluxes and indirect aerosol effects.
Alexandra P. Tsimpidi, Susanne M. C. Scholz, Alexandros Milousis, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Vlassis A. Karydis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3590, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3590, 2024
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This study examines global changes in air pollution from 2000 to 2020, focusing on fine aerosols that impact climate and health. Using models and global data, it finds organic aerosols dominate in many regions, especially with wildfires or natural emissions. Pollution from sulfate and nitrate has decreased in Europe and North America due to regulations, while trends in Asia are more complex. The findings improve understanding and support policies for cleaner air and healthier environments.
Yanru Huo, Mingxue Li, Xueyu Wang, Jianfei Sun, Yuxin Zhou, Yuhui Ma, and Maoxia He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12409–12423, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12409-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12409-2024, 2024
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This work found that the air–water (A–W) interface and TiO2 clusters promote the oxidation of phenolic compounds (PhCs) to varying degrees compared with the gas phase and bulk water. Some byproducts are more harmful than their parent compounds. This work provides important evidence for the rapid oxidation observed in O3/HO• + PhC experiments at the A–W interface and in mineral dust.
Rémy Lapere, Louis Marelle, Pierre Rampal, Laurent Brodeau, Christian Melsheimer, Gunnar Spreen, and Jennie L. Thomas
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12107–12132, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12107-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12107-2024, 2024
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Elongated open-water areas in sea ice, called leads, can release marine aerosols into the atmosphere. In the Arctic, this source of atmospheric particles could play an important role for climate. However, the amount, seasonality and spatial distribution of such emissions are all mostly unknown. Here, we propose a first parameterization for sea spray aerosols emitted through leads in sea ice and quantify their impact on aerosol populations in the high Arctic.
Zhenze Liu, Jianhua Qi, Yuanzhe Ni, Likun Xue, and Xiaohuan Liu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3044, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3044, 2024
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Our study explores the formation of nitrate in the atmosphere of inland and coastal cities in China during the winters of 2013 & 2018. Through air quality modelling & isotope analysis, we found regional differences between these cities; coastal cities show another contribution from the heterogeneous reaction of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5). It turns out that the combined reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ammonia (NH3) is critical to reducing nitrate levels.
Haihui Zhu, Randall V. Martin, Aaron van Donkelaar, Melanie S. Hammer, Chi Li, Jun Meng, Christopher R. Oxford, Xuan Liu, Yanshun Li, Dandan Zhang, Inderjeet Singh, and Alexei Lyapustin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11565–11584, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11565-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11565-2024, 2024
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Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) contributes to 4 million deaths globally each year. Satellite remote sensing of aerosol optical depth (AOD), coupled with a simulated PM2.5–AOD relationship (η), can provide global PM2.5 estimations. This study aims to understand the spatial patterns and driving factors of η to guide future measurement and modeling efforts. We quantified η globally and regionally and found that its spatial variation is strongly influenced by aerosol composition.
Connor J. Clayton, Daniel R. Marsh, Steven T. Turnock, Ailish M. Graham, Kirsty J. Pringle, Carly L. Reddington, Rajesh Kumar, and James B. McQuaid
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10717–10740, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10717-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10717-2024, 2024
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We demonstrate that strong climate mitigation could improve air quality in Europe; however, less ambitious mitigation does not result in these co-benefits. We use a high-resolution atmospheric chemistry model. This allows us to demonstrate how this varies across European countries and analyse the underlying chemistry. This may help policy-facing researchers understand which sectors and regions need to be prioritised to achieve strong air quality co-benefits of climate mitigation.
Ping-Chieh Huang, Hui-Ming Hung, Hsin-Chih Lai, and Charles C.-K. Chou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10759–10772, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10759-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10759-2024, 2024
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Models were used to study ways to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution in Taiwan during winter. After considering various factors, such as physical processes and chemical reactions, we found that reducing NOx or NH3 emissions is more effective at mitigating PM2.5 than reducing SO2 emissions. When considering both efficiency and cost, reducing NH3 emissions seems to be a more suitable policy for the studied environment in Taiwan.
Matthieu Vida, Gilles Foret, Guillaume Siour, Florian Couvidat, Olivier Favez, Gaelle Uzu, Arineh Cholakian, Sébastien Conil, Matthias Beekmann, and Jean-Luc Jaffrezo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10601–10615, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10601-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10601-2024, 2024
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We simulate 2 years of atmospheric fungal spores over France and use observations of polyols and primary biogenic factors from positive matrix factorisation. The representation of emissions taking into account a proxy for vegetation surface and specific humidity enables us to reproduce very accurately the seasonal cycle of fungal spores. Furthermore, we estimate that fungal spores can account for 20 % of PM10 and 40 % of the organic fraction of PM10 over vegetated areas in summer.
Jiewen Shen, Bin Zhao, Shuxiao Wang, An Ning, Yuyang Li, Runlong Cai, Da Gao, Biwu Chu, Yang Gao, Manish Shrivastava, Jingkun Jiang, Xiuhui Zhang, and Hong He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10261–10278, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10261-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10261-2024, 2024
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We extensively compare various cluster-dynamics-based parameterizations for sulfuric acid–dimethylamine nucleation and identify a newly developed parameterization derived from Atmospheric Cluster Dynamic Code (ACDC) simulations as being the most reliable one. This study offers a valuable reference for developing parameterizations of other nucleation systems and is meaningful for the accurate quantification of the environmental and climate impacts of new particle formation.
Wei Li and Yuxuan Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9339–9353, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9339-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9339-2024, 2024
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Droughts immensely increased organic aerosol (OA) in the contiguous United States in summer (1998–2019), notably in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and Southeast (SEUS). The OA rise in the SEUS is driven by the enhanced formation of epoxydiol-derived secondary organic aerosol due to the increase in biogenic volatile organic compounds and sulfate, while in the PNW, it is caused by wildfires. A total of 10 climate models captured the OA increase in the PNW yet greatly underestimated it in the SEUS.
Weina Zhang, Jianhua Mai, Zhichao Fan, Yongpeng Ji, Yuemeng Ji, Guiying Li, Yanpeng Gao, and Taicheng An
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9019–9030, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9019-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9019-2024, 2024
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This study reveals heterogeneous oxidation causes further radiative forcing effect (RFE) enhancement of amine–mineral mixed particles. Note that RFE increment is higher under clean conditions than that under polluted conditions, which is contributed to high-oxygen-content products. The enhanced RFE of amine–mineral particles caused by heterogenous oxidation is expected to alleviate warming effects.
Shenglan Jiang, Yan Zhang, Guangyuan Yu, Zimin Han, Junri Zhao, Tianle Zhang, and Mei Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8363–8381, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8363-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8363-2024, 2024
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This study aims to provide gridded data on sea-wide concentrations, deposition fluxes, and soluble deposition fluxes with detailed source categories of metals using the modified CMAQ model. We developed a monthly emission inventory of six metals – Fe, Al, V, Ni, Zn, and Cu – from terrestrial anthropogenic, ship, and dust sources in East Asia in 2017. Our results reveal the contribution of each source to the emissions, concentrations, and deposition fluxes of metals in the East Asian seas.
Stelios Myriokefalitakis, Matthias Karl, Kim A. Weiss, Dimitris Karagiannis, Eleni Athanasopoulou, Anastasia Kakouri, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Eleni Liakakou, Iasonas Stavroulas, Georgios Papangelis, Georgios Grivas, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Orestis Speyer, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Evangelos Gerasopoulos
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7815–7835, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7815-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7815-2024, 2024
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A state-of-the-art thermodynamic model has been coupled with the city-scale chemistry transport model EPISODE–CityChem to investigate the equilibrium between the inorganic gas and aerosol phases over the greater Athens area, Greece. The simulations indicate that the formation of nitrates in an urban environment is significantly affected by local nitrogen oxide emissions, as well as ambient temperature, relative humidity, photochemical activity, and the presence of non-volatile cations.
Rui Li, Yining Gao, Lijia Zhang, Yubing Shen, Tianzhao Xu, Wenwen Sun, and Gehui Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7623–7636, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7623-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7623-2024, 2024
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A three-stage model was developed to obtain the global maps of reactive nitrogen components during 2000–2100. The results implied that cross-validation R2 values of four species showed satisfactory performance (R2 > 0.55). Most reactive nitrogen components, except NH3, in China showed increases during 2000–2013. In the future scenarios, SSP3-7.0 (traditional-energy scenario) and SSP1-2.6 (carbon neutrality scenario) showed the highest and lowest reactive nitrogen component concentrations.
Fei Ye, Jingyi Li, Yaqin Gao, Hongli Wang, Jingyu An, Cheng Huang, Song Guo, Keding Lu, Kangjia Gong, Haowen Zhang, Momei Qin, and Jianlin Hu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7467–7479, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7467-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7467-2024, 2024
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Naphthalene (Nap) and methylnaphthalene (MN) are key precursors of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), yet their sources and sinks are often inadequately represented in air quality models. In this study, we incorporated detailed emissions, gas-phase chemistry, and SOA parameterization of Nap and MN into CMAQ to address this issue. The findings revealed remarkably high SOA formation potentials for these compounds despite their low emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region during summer.
Vy Dinh Ngoc Thuy, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Ian Hough, Pamela A. Dominutti, Guillaume Salque Moreton, Grégory Gille, Florie Francony, Arabelle Patron-Anquez, Olivier Favez, and Gaëlle Uzu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7261–7282, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7261-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7261-2024, 2024
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The capacity of particulate matter (PM) to generate reactive oxygen species in vivo is represented by oxidative potential (OP). This study focuses on finding the appropriate model to evaluate the oxidative character of PM sources in six sites using the PM sources and OP. Eight regression techniques are introduced to assess the OP of PM. The study highlights the importance of selecting a model according to the input data characteristics and establishes some recommendations for the procedure.
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Short summary
Benzene and polycyclic aromatic compounds are toxic air pollutants and ubiquitous in the environment. Using a chemical transport model, we have determined the net impact of vehicle emissions on ambient concentrations of these species. Traffic emissions were found to be a significant fraction of ambient pollution in the densely populated modelled region of North America. Our simulations demonstrate the air quality benefits that would result from transitioning to a zero-emission vehicle fleet.
Benzene and polycyclic aromatic compounds are toxic air pollutants and ubiquitous in the...
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