DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: ENSO modulation of summertime tropospheric ozone over China

Journal Article · · Environmental Research Letters

Ozone (O3) is one of the most critical pollutants affecting air quality in China in recent years. In this study, different impacts of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) warm/cold phases on summertime tropospheric O3 over China are examined based on model simulations, ground measurements, and reanalysis data. Summertime surface O3 concentrations in China show a positive correlation with ENSO index during years 1990–2019, with the largest increases by 20% over southern China in El Niño (warm phase) relative to La Niña (cold phase) years. The ENSO modulation extends to the middle and even upper troposphere. Our analysis indicates that O3 flux convergence associated with weakened southerlies is the primary reason for the increase in tropospheric O3 over southern China. In addition, the O3 increase during El Niño years is mainly from domestic emissions in China. This study highlights the potential significance of ENSO in modulating tropospheric O3 concentrations in China, with great implications for O3 pollution mitigation.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Key R&D Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1861992
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-166063
Journal Information:
Environmental Research Letters, Journal Name: Environmental Research Letters Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 17; ISSN 1748-9326
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (31)

The seasonality and geographic dependence of ENSO impacts on U.S. surface ozone variability: ENSO Impacts on U.S. Ozone Variability journal April 2017
Effects of El Niño on Summertime Ozone Air Quality in the Eastern United States journal December 2017
Ozone and organic nitrates over the eastern United States: Sensitivity to isoprene chemistry: OZONE AND ORGANIC NITRATES OVER EAST U.S. journal October 2013
Impacts of boundary layer mixing on pollutant vertical profiles in the lower troposphere: Implications to satellite remote sensing journal May 2010
Influence of the El Niño southern oscillation on the total ozone column and clear-sky ultraviolet radiation over China journal November 2015
Influence of the West Pacific subtropical high on surface ozone daily variability in summertime over eastern China journal December 2017
La Niña-related tropospheric column ozone enhancement over East Asia journal September 2021
Development and Assessment of a High-Resolution Biogenic Emission Inventory from Urban Green Spaces in China journal December 2021
Rapid Increases in Warm-Season Surface Ozone and Resulting Health Impact in China Since 2013 journal March 2020
Severe Surface Ozone Pollution in China: A Global Perspective journal July 2018
Stratospheric ozone in 3-D models: A simple chemistry and the cross-tropopause flux journal June 2000
Effect of changes in climate and emissions on future sulfate-nitrate-ammonium aerosol levels in the United States: FUTURE INORGANIC AEROSOLS IN THE U.S. journal January 2009
Changes in the relationship between Northeast China summer temperature and ENSO journal January 2010
The response of tropical tropospheric ozone to ENSO: OZONE RESPONSE TO ENSO journal July 2011
Extending Ozone‐Precursor Relationships in China From Peak Concentration to Peak Time journal November 2020
Higher frequency of Central Pacific El Niño events in recent decades relative to past centuries journal May 2019
Ozone pollution in the North China Plain spreading into the late-winter haze season journal March 2021
The relative impacts of El Niño Modoki, canonical El Niño, and QBO on tropical ozone changes since the 1980s journal May 2014
ENSO and Southeast Asian biomass burning modulate subtropical trans-Pacific ozone transport journal June 2020
Exploring atmospheric free-radical chemistry in China: the self-cleansing capacity and the formation of secondary air pollution journal July 2018
Global and Regional Scale Precipitation Patterns Associated with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation journal August 1987
Updated Global Estimates of Respiratory Mortality in Adults ≥30Years of Age Attributable to Long-Term Ozone Exposure journal August 2017
Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report: Present-day tropospheric ozone distribution and trends relevant to vegetation journal January 2018
Impacts of the East Asian summer monsoon on interannual variations of summertime surface-layer ozone concentrations over China journal January 2014
Tropospheric column ozone response to ENSO in GEOS-5 assimilation of OMI and MLS ozone data journal January 2016
Ozone and haze pollution weakens net primary productivity in China journal January 2017
Foreign and domestic contributions to springtime ozone over China journal January 2018
Trends in China's anthropogenic emissions since 2010 as the consequence of clean air actions journal January 2018
Dominant patterns of summer ozone pollution in eastern China and associated atmospheric circulations journal January 2019
Exploring 2016–2017 surface ozone pollution over China: source contributions and meteorological influences journal January 2019
Intensified modulation of winter aerosol pollution in China by El Niño with short duration journal July 2021