Articles | Volume 23, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4149-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4149-2023
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
05 Apr 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 05 Apr 2023

Foreign emissions exacerbate PM2.5 pollution in China through nitrate chemistry

Jun-Wei Xu, Jintai Lin, Gan Luo, Jamiu Adeniran, and Hao Kong

Related authors

The underappreciated role of transboundary pollution in future air quality and health improvements in China
Jun-Wei Xu, Jintai Lin, Dan Tong, and Lulu Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10075–10089, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10075-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10075-2023, 2023
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Investigating the contribution of grown new particles to cloud condensation nuclei with largely varying preexisting particles – Part 2: Modeling chemical drivers and 3-D new particle formation occurrence
Ming Chu, Xing Wei, Shangfei Hai, Yang Gao, Huiwang Gao, Yujiao Zhu, Biwu Chu, Nan Ma, Juan Hong, Yele Sun, and Xiaohong Yao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6769–6786, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6769-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6769-2024, 2024
Short summary
Technical note: Influence of different averaging metrics and temporal resolutions on the aerosol pH calculated by thermodynamic modeling
Haoqi Wang, Xiao Tian, Wanting Zhao, Jiacheng Li, Haoyu Yu, Yinchang Feng, and Shaojie Song
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6583–6592, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6583-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6583-2024, 2024
Short summary
Dual roles of the inorganic aqueous phase on secondary organic aerosol growth from benzene and phenol
Jiwon Choi, Myoseon Jang, and Spencer Blau
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6567–6582, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6567-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6567-2024, 2024
Short summary
Global source apportionment of aerosols into major emission regions and sectors over 1850–2017
Yang Yang, Shaoxuan Mou, Hailong Wang, Pinya Wang, Baojie Li, and Hong Liao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6509–6523, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6509-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6509-2024, 2024
Short summary
Modeling atmospheric brown carbon in the GISS ModelE Earth system model
Maegan A. DeLessio, Kostas Tsigaridis, Susanne E. Bauer, Jacek Chowdhary, and Gregory L. Schuster
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6275–6304, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6275-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6275-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

An, Z., Huang, R. J., Zhang, R., Tie, X., Li, G., Cao, J., Zhou, W., Shi, Z., Han, Y., Gu, Z., and Ji, Y.: Severe haze in northern China: A synergy of anthropogenic emissions and atmospheric processes, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 116, 8657–8666, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900125116, 2019. 
Bai, Z., Winiwarter, W., Klimont, Z., Velthof, G., Misselbrook, T., Zhao, Z., Jin, X., Oenema, O., Hu, C., and Ma, L.: Further Improvement of Air Quality in China Needs Clear Ammonia Mitigation Target, Environ. Sci. Technol., 53, 10542–10544, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04725, 2019. 
Breider, T. J., Mickley, L. J., Jacob, D. J., Ge, C., Wang, J., Payer Sulprizio, M., Croft, B., Ridley, D. A., McConnell, J. R., Sharma, S., Husain, L., Dutkiewicz, V. A., Eleftheriadis, K., Skov, H., and Hopke, P. K.: Multidecadal trends in aerosol radiative forcing over the Arctic: Contribution of changes in anthropogenic aerosol to Arctic warming since 1980, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 3573–3594, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD025321, 2017. 
Download
Executive editor
This paper investigates the influence of internationally-transported pollution on China, with a specific highlight on the formation of secondary PM2.5 in the form of nitrate. While sources from within China have traditionally been of most interest for domestic air quality policy, these have diminished over recent years, so sources from outside China may become more significant. The topic of transboundary exchange of air pollution has long been studied in other parts of the world, in particular among CLRTAP signatory countries in North America and Europe, but East Asian transboundary pollution represents a different challenge, in part owing to differences in geography and emissions, but also compared to Europe in particular, the transportation scales are much larger. This work not only quantifies the impacts of long distance pollution on Chinese air quality, but also highlights the complex chemical interactions between the local and transboundary pollutants. Papers such as this will likely influence the debate regarding international controls of air pollutants.
Short summary
Research on the sources of Chinese PM2.5 pollution has focused on the contributions of China’s domestic emissions. However, the impact of foreign anthropogenic emissions has typically been simplified or neglected. Here we find that foreign anthropogenic emissions play an important role in Chinese PM2.5 pollution through chemical interactions between foreign-transported pollutants and China’s local emissions. Thus, foreign emission reductions are essential for improving Chinese air quality.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint