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Observational evidence for Criegee intermediate oligomerization reactions relevant to aerosol formation in the troposphere
Measurements of Criegee intermediate oligomerization signatures in the Amazon rainforest indicate that the role of Criegee intermediate chemistry in the composition of Earth’s troposphere has been underestimated.
- R. L. Caravan
- , T. J. Bannan
- & C. J. Percival
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Article |
Formation of secondary organic aerosol from wildfire emissions enhanced by long-time ageing
The amount of secondary organic aerosol produced from wildfire emissions is much higher than previously thought, according to model simulations of evolution of individual species of organic aerosol over time.
- Yicong He
- , Bin Zhao
- & Neil M. Donahue
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Article |
Ozone pollution mitigation strategy informed by long-term trends of atmospheric oxidation capacity
Summer ozone in urban Beijing increased until 2014 and then decreased, according to 15 years of measurements in August from 2006 to 2020.
- Wenjie Wang
- , Xin Li
- & Yuanhang Zhang
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Atmospheric methane variability through the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation mainly controlled by tropical sources
Abrupt changes in atmospheric methane through the last deglaciation were largely the result of tropical sources responding to shifting rainfall patterns, according to a comparison of precisely dated ice cores in Greenland and Antarctica.
- Ben Riddell-Young
- , Julia Rosen
- & Thomas Blunier
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Editorial |
Healthier air, healthier planet
Air pollution is a leading cause of death globally. Efforts to clean the air will not only save lives but contribute to addressing broader environmental and socioeconomic challenges.
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Comment |
Spotlight on air pollution in Africa
Africa’s worsening air pollution has received too little attention. We argue that actions are needed in energy transition management, transport emission regulation and waste management to protect Africa’s air quality.
- Mohammed Iqbal Mead
- , Gabriel Okello
- & Francis David Pope
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Perspective |
Atmospheric new particle formation from the CERN CLOUD experiment
The CLOUD experiment provides important insights into new particle formation in different atmospheric environments.
- Jasper Kirkby
- , António Amorim
- & Douglas R. Worsnop
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Increasing contribution of nighttime nitrogen chemistry to wintertime haze formation in Beijing observed during COVID-19 lockdowns
Analyses of atmospheric nitrogen chemistry in Beijing’s air pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown suggest an increasing role of nighttime nitrogen chemistry in haze formation above the city.
- Chao Yan
- , Yee Jun Tham
- & Markku Kulmala
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Article |
Sustained emission reductions have restrained the ozone pollution over China
Sustained emission reductions have altered the prevailing regime for ozone formation over China, weakening the trade-off in pollution control between aerosols and ozone, according to analyses of ozone pollution chemistry between 2013 and 2021.
- Yutong Wang
- , Yu Zhao
- & Chris P. Nielsen
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News & Views |
Blowing hot and cold
Measurements from a yearlong drift in sea ice across the Central Arctic show that large amounts of fine sea salt particles are produced during blowing snow events, affecting cloud properties and warming the surface.
- Lyatt Jaeglé
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Article
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Arctic warming by abundant fine sea salt aerosols from blowing snow
Fine sea salt aerosols produced by blowing snow in the Arctic impact cloud properties and warm the surface, according to observations from the MOSAiC expedition.
- Xianda Gong
- , Jiaoshi Zhang
- & Jian Wang
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Article
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Sub-arc mantle fugacity shifted by sediment recycling across the Great Oxidation Event
Subduction of sediments shaped geochemically by an increasingly oxidized atmosphere shifted the redox state of the mantle during the early Proterozoic, according to an analysis of sulfur speciation in apatites from ancient igneous zircons.
- Hugo Moreira
- , Craig Storey
- & Bruno Dhuime
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Local surface cooling from afforestation amplified by lower aerosol pollution
Climate model simulations suggest that reducing aerosol pollution enhances the cooling effects of afforestation, which could partially counteract the warming effect of air quality measures.
- Jun Ge
- , Xin Huang
- & Weidong Guo
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Record of pre-industrial atmospheric sulfate in continental interiors
Atmospheric sulfate aerosols—which could cool the atmosphere—were formed in less acidic cloud water in continental interiors in pre-industrial time than today, according to a triple oxygen isotope analysis of sulfate in weathering carbonates.
- Yongbo Peng
- , Shohei Hattori
- & Huiming Bao
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High natural nitric oxide emissions from lakes on Tibetan Plateau under rapid warming
High-resolution satellite observations reveal that large lakes on the Tibetan Plateau have total nitric oxide emissions comparable to anthropogenic emissions from individual megacities worldwide.
- Hao Kong
- , Jintai Lin
- & Wanyun Xu
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Article |
A primary magmatic source of nitrogen to Earth’s crust
The formation of continental crust may have trapped —and thus not degassed—substantial amounts of magmatic nitrogen over Earth’s history, according to geochemical analyses of igneous rocks from the Hekla volcanic system in Iceland.
- Toby J. Boocock
- , Sami Mikhail
- & Eva E. Stüeken
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Research Briefing |
Isotopic constraints on the contribution of lightning-produced nutrients to Earth’s early biosphere
Lightning can produce bioavailable nitrogen oxides, but it is unknown whether this was a substantial nutrient source for Earth’s earliest biosphere. Comparison of nitrogen isotope measurements from spark discharge experiments to those from the rock record suggests that lightning was likely not the main source of bioavailable nitrogen for the biosphere throughout most of Earth’s history.
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Isotopic constraints on lightning as a source of fixed nitrogen in Earth’s early biosphere
Spark discharge experiments suggest lightning was not the main source of bioavailable nitrogen for the established Archaean biosphere, but could have been significant for Earth’s earliest ecosystems.
- Patrick Barth
- , Eva E. Stüeken
- & Mark Claire
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Article |
Arctic mercury flux increased through the Last Glacial Termination with a warming climate
Mercury deposition onto the Greenland Ice Sheet increased from the Last Glacial Termination to early Holocene as the North Atlantic warmed and sea ice retreated, according to an ice-core mercury record and atmospheric chemistry modelling.
- Delia Segato
- , Alfonso Saiz-Lopez
- & Andrea Spolaor
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News & Views |
A fly in the ozone and climate ointment
The Montreal Protocol has successfully guided the world’s transition from chlorofluorcarbons that deplete ozone to hydrofluorocarbons that pose no direct threat to the ozone layer. A study suggests that a recent rise in atmospheric chlorofluorcarbons is linked to the inadvertent release of these gases during the production of hydrofluorocarbons.
- Ross J. Salawitch
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Article |
Global increase of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons from 2010 to 2020
Levels of five chlorofluorocarbons rose in the atmosphere from 2010 to 2020 despite their production being banned by the Montreal Protocol, probably arising as by-products of hydrofluorocarbon production, according to analysis of abundance and emissions data.
- Luke M. Western
- , Martin K. Vollmer
- & Johannes C. Laube
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Article |
Rapid night-time nanoparticle growth in Delhi driven by biomass-burning emissions
Measurements suggest that emissions from biomass burning drive the rapid growth of particles from nanoscale into sizes relevant for haze formation during the night in Delhi.
- Suneeti Mishra
- , Sachchida Nand Tripathi
- & Andre S. H. Prevot
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Comment |
Atmospheric impacts of the space industry require oversight
Rocket emissions and debris from spacecraft falling out of orbit are having increasingly detrimental effects on global atmospheric chemistry. Improved monitoring and regulation are urgently needed to create an environmentally sustainable space industry.
- Jamie D. Shutler
- , Xiaoyu Yan
- & Hitoshi Nasu
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News & Views |
A step forward to mitigate ozone
For decades, ozone pollution mitigation efforts relied on two chemical regimes. A global modelling analysis has revealed a third regime involving aerosols that would help with the concurrent control of both ozone and particulate pollution.
- Audrey Gaudel
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Research Briefing |
Ozone depletion over the Arctic affects spring climate in the Northern Hemisphere
Ozone depletion is not only a serious health threat but can also affect the climate. Atmospheric chemistry models reveal that springtime Arctic ozone depletion can have major consequences for the seasonal climate in the Northern Hemisphere, including warming over Eurasia and drying across central Europe.
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Suppression of surface ozone by an aerosol-inhibited photochemical ozone regime
Global chemical transport simulations reveal an ozone photochemistry regime where the uptake of hydroperoxyl radicals onto aerosol particles dominates ozone production.
- Peter D. Ivatt
- , Mathew J. Evans
- & Alastair C. Lewis
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Springtime arctic ozone depletion forces northern hemisphere climate anomalies
Ozone depletion in the Arctic stratosphere consistently disrupts surface temperature and precipitation patterns across the Northern Hemisphere, according to atmospheric chemistry–climate modelling and observations.
- Marina Friedel
- , Gabriel Chiodo
- & Thomas Peter
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Article |
Increasing atmospheric helium due to fossil fuel exploitation
Mass spectrometry measurements show that the concentration of helium in the atmosphere has risen over the past five decades due to fossil fuel emissions.
- Benjamin Birner
- , Jeffrey Severinghaus
- & Ralph F. Keeling
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Article |
Winter particulate pollution severity in North China driven by atmospheric teleconnections
Recurring climatic patterns can be used to predict severe winter particulate air pollution over North China, according to an analysis of wintertime particulate concentrations and atmospheric circulation.
- Jiandong Li
- , Xin Hao
- & Jia Zhu
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Secondary organic aerosol formed by condensing anthropogenic vapours over China’s megacities
The formation of secondary organic aerosol in Chinese megacities is dominated by the condensation of anthropogenic organic vapours, according to measurements across three urbanized regions.
- Wei Nie
- , Chao Yan
- & Aijun Ding
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Article |
Sea spray as an obscured source for marine cloud nuclei
Very small aerosols from sea spray make up a larger proportion of cloud condensation nuclei than previously recognized, according to an analysis of five years of aerosol ground-based measurement data from over the Atlantic Ocean.
- Wei Xu
- , Jurgita Ovadnevaite
- & Colin O’Dowd
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Editorial |
Up in the aerosol
The climatic impacts of aerosols are highly uncertain but critical to understanding human-driven climate change. Monitoring of emissions and a better understanding of the varied pathways through which aerosols can influence climate is vital for reducing these uncertainties.
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Equal abundance of summertime natural and wintertime anthropogenic Arctic organic aerosols
Organic aerosols in the Arctic are predominantly fuelled by anthropogenic sources in winter and natural sources in summer, according to observations from eight sites across the Arctic
- Vaios Moschos
- , Katja Dzepina
- & Imad El Haddad
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Dominant role of mineral dust in cirrus cloud formation revealed by global-scale measurements
Cirrus cloud formation in the Northern Hemisphere is primarily triggered by mineral dust, according to global-scale dust observations and a cirrus-formation model.
- Karl D. Froyd
- , Pengfei Yu
- & Daniel M. Murphy
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Decline in bulk deposition of air pollutants in China lags behind reductions in emissions
Deposition of sulfate and nitrate in China has declined more slowly than emissions of their precursors, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, according to a combination of emissions inventory and air quality and statistical modelling.
- Yu Zhao
- , Mengxiao Xi
- & Lei Zhang
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Article |
A nitrogen-rich atmosphere on ancient Mars consistent with isotopic evolution models
The isotopic composition of nitrogen in the Martian atmosphere can be explained by a nitrogen-rich ancient atmosphere, according to models of atmospheric evolution.
- Renyu Hu
- & Trent B. Thomas
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Influence of biogenic emissions from boreal forests on aerosol–cloud interactions
Emissions from the boreal forest biosphere can substantially increase aerosol load above the forest and influence the radiative properties of clouds, according to analysis of observations from a monitoring station in Finland.
- T. Petäjä
- , K. Tabakova
- & V.-M. Kerminen
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Regulation of ionospheric plasma velocities by thermospheric winds
Observations from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ionospheric Connection Explorer confirm the link between thermospheric winds and ionospheric plasma variability.
- Thomas J. Immel
- , Brian J. Harding
- & Jonathan J. Makela
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Delayed and variable late Archaean atmospheric oxidation due to high collision rates on Earth
The oxygenation of Earth may have been delayed due to high late Archaean extraterrestrial impact rates, which acted as a fluctuating sink of atmospheric oxygen, according to a reassessment of past impactor fluxes and atmospheric chemistry modelling.
- S. Marchi
- , N. Drabon
- & T. Lyons
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Emergence of Southern Hemisphere stratospheric circulation changes in response to ozone recovery
Antarctic ozone-hole recovery has caused significant changes in Southern Hemisphere stratospheric circulation, according to atmospheric reanalysis and global climate modelling.
- Brian Zambri
- , Susan Solomon
- & Qiang Fu
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Article |
Open ocean and coastal new particle formation from sulfuric acid and amines around the Antarctic Peninsula
New particles can form rapidly in Antarctica through the reactions of sulfuric acid and amines, suggest ship and station measurements around the Antarctic Peninsula.
- James Brean
- , Manuel Dall’Osto
- & Roy M. Harrison
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Article |
Control of particulate nitrate air pollution in China
Reduction of ammonia emissions may be effective in reducing the nitrate component of fine particulate matter air pollution across the North China Plain, according to the simulation of nitrate trends using the GEOS-Chem atmospheric chemistry model.
- Shixian Zhai
- , Daniel J. Jacob
- & Hong Liao
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Arctic sea-ice loss fuels extreme European snowfall
The loss of Arctic sea-ice enhances evaporation and fuels extreme European winter snowfall, according to an analysis of atmospheric water vapour isotope measurements.
- Hannah Bailey
- , Alun Hubbard
- & Jeffrey M. Welker
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The future lifespan of Earth’s oxygenated atmosphere
Earth’s oxygen-rich atmosphere will probably persist for only one billion more years before it sharply deoxygenates to low-level oxygen similar to those of the Archaean, according to a combined biogeochemistry and climate model.
- Kazumi Ozaki
- & Christopher T. Reinhard
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Implantation of Martian atmospheric ions within the regolith of Phobos
Martian atmospheric atoms are implanted in and alter regolith grains on the nearside surface of Phobos, according to an analysis of observations of ion escape from Mars’s atmosphere.
- Q. Nénon
- , A. R. Poppe
- & J. P. McFadden
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News & Views |
Clearing smog’s particulate problem
Chloride-rich particulate matter has been identified as a major contributor to air-quality deterioration in cities across India. Identification and reduction of chloride emissions could therefore improve visibility and human health across the region.
- Gufran Beig
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Enhanced aerosol particle growth sustained by high continental chlorine emission in India
Half of the reduced visibility due to haze formation in cities in India is attributed to local emission of gas-phase hydrochloric acid from waste-burning and industry, according to measurements of particulate matter and thermodynamic modelling.
- Sachin S. Gunthe
- , Pengfei Liu
- & Hugh Coe
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The vertical structure of CO in the Martian atmosphere from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
The CO mixing ratio in Mars’s atmosphere increases towards the poles because of downward transport of CO from the upper atmosphere, according to an analysis of data from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.
- K. S. Olsen
- , F. Lefèvre
- & A. Shakun
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Disproportionate control on aerosol burden by light rain
Light rain plays a disproportionate role in aerosol wet removal, according to improved simulations on rain intensity and frequency in global climate models.
- Yong Wang
- , Wenwen Xia
- & Guang J. Zhang
Synthesis of 13C-depleted organic matter from CO in a reducing early Martian atmosphere