Summertime ozone pollution in China affected by stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation

Abstract 3) level has been rising fast in China, with increasing damage to human health and ecosystems. In this study, the impact of stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) on interannual variations in summertime tropospheric O3 over China is investigated based on GEOS-Chem model simulations and satellite retrievals. QBO has a significant positive correlation with near-surface O3 concentrations over central China (92.5–112.5∘  E, 26–38∘  N) when the sea surface temperature (SST) over the eastern tropical Pacific is warmer than normal, with a correlation coefficient of 0.53, but QBO has no significant effect on O3 under the cold SST anomaly. Compared to the easterly phase of QBO, the near-surface O3 concentrations have an increase of up to 3 ppb (5 % relative to the average) over central China during its westerly phase under the warm SST anomaly. O3 also increases above the surface and up to the upper troposphere, with a maximum increase of 2–3 ppb (3 %–5 %) in 850–500 hPa over central China when comparing westerly phase to easterly phase. Process-based analysis and sensitivity simulations suggest that the O3 increase over central China is mainly attributed to the anomalous downward transport of O3 during the westerly phase of QBO when a warm SST anomaly occurs in the eastern tropical Pacific, while the local chemical reactions and horizontal transport processes partly offset the O3 increase. This work suggests a potentially important role of QBO and the related vertical transport process in affecting near-surface O3 air quality, with an indication for O3 pollution prediction and prevention.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Summertime ozone pollution in China affected by stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation ; volume:23 ; number:2 ; year:2023 ; pages:1533-1544 ; extent:12 ; Atmospheric chemistry and physics ; 23, Heft 2 (2023), 1533-1544 (gesamt 12)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Li, Mengyun ; Yang, Yang ; Wang, Hailong ; Li, Huimin ; Wang, Pinya ; Liao, Hong

Further information

• DOI: 10.5194/acp-23-1533-2023
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023033008025954448562
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:41 AM CEST