Underappreciated Soil NO x Emissions Amplify Background O 3 Pollution During Compound Dry-Hot Extremes in North China

Zhao Yang; Tong Sha; Feng Wu; Qingcai Chen; K Folkert Boersma; Jun Wang; Yan-Lin Zhang

doi:10.1021/acs.est.6c06361

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Journal article

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Underappreciated Soil NO x Emissions Amplify Background O 3 Pollution During Compound Dry-Hot Extremes in North China

Zhao Yang, Tong Sha, Feng Wu, Qingcai Chen, K Folkert Boersma, Jun Wang and Yan-Lin Zhang

Environmental science & technology

07/13/2026

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6c06361

PMID: 42439235

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Abstract

Increasingly frequent compound dry-hot extremes (CDHEs) are influencing atmospheric chemistry through land-atmosphere feedback. Here we show that summertime surface ozone (O ) concentrations across natural background regions of North China (>35°N) unexpectedly exceed those in urban areas, accompanied by an increasing trend in tropospheric NO vertical column densities (VCDs). This compelling spatial anomaly confirms that natural nitrogen oxides (NO ) sources, particularly soil NO emissions (SNO ), may play a pivotal role in driving O formation. To test this hypothesis, numerical experiments with the Unified Inputs for WRF-Chem (UI-WRF-Chem) are conducted, in which the SNO scheme as a function of the soil temperature and moisture is developed with the constraint of satellite-retrieved SNO fluxes in 2018-2024. During a severe CDHE in summer 2022, extreme dry-hot forcings triggered potent SNO in natural backgrounds. Although natural soils have substantially lower nitrogen availability than croplands, their SNO could contribute to 43% of O production. Our study highlights the urgent need to incorporate NO emissions from natural lands in air quality management strategies as CDHEs are projected to intensify under climate change.

model simulations

extreme climate change

natural sources

ozone pollution

soil nitrogen emissions

Details

Title: Subtitle: Underappreciated Soil NO x Emissions Amplify Background O 3 Pollution During Compound Dry-Hot Extremes in North China
Creators: Zhao Yang - State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control
Tong Sha - State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control
Feng Wu - Chinese Academy of Sciences
Qingcai Chen - Shaanxi University of Science and Technology
K Folkert Boersma - Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
Jun Wang - University of Iowa
Yan-Lin Zhang - Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Environmental science & technology
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6c06361
PMID: 42439235
NLM abbreviation: Environ Sci Technol
ISSN: 0013-936X
eISSN: 1520-5851
Publisher: American Chemical Society
Grant note: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC): 41971150
This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 42205107, 41971150). J.W.'s participation is made possible by the in-kind support (Lichtenberger Family Chair professorship) from the University of Iowa.
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 07/13/2026
Academic Unit: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Physics and Astronomy; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Record Identifier: 9985182519802771

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