Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortality.

The impacts of climate change on human health are often underestimated or perceived to be in a distant future. Here, we present the projected impacts of climate change in the context of COVID-19, a recent human health catastrophe. We compared projected heat mortality with COVID-19 deaths in 38 cities worldwide and found that in half of these cities, heat-related deaths could exceed annual COVID-19 deaths in less than ten years (at + 3.

Air pollution exposure disparities across age groups in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2010 to 2020.

Air pollution carries different disease burdens across all age groups, with the elderly and children being the most affected. Therefore, it is of practical significance to study air pollution exposure characteristics of different age groups in the context of accelerating aging in China. In this study, we used the number of people and air pollutant concentration data at the township-level scale (the smallest administrative unit in China) to calculate population-weighted PM concentration exposure (PM PWE) values of different age groups in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, quantified the pollution exposure differences among different groups, and analyzed the spatiotemporal changes in such differences and their driving factors.

Component analysis and source identification of atmospheric aerosols at the neighborhood scale in a coastal industrial city in China.

A multiple-site filter-sampling observation study was conducted in a coastal industrial city (Rizhao, 35°10'59″N, 119°23'57″E) to understand the main components, formation mechanisms, and potential sources of particulate matter. The average (±σ) mass concentration of PM across all the sites was 42 (±27) μg/m, with high variability (6-202 μg/m). Water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) were the major contributors (54%-60%) to PM with mean values for sulfate (13 μg/m), nitrate (6 μg/m), and ammonium (7 μg/m) (SNA).

Enhanced Nonagricultural Emissions of Ammonia Influence Aerosol Ammonium in an Urban Atmosphere: Evidence from Kinetic Versus Equilibrium Isotope Fractionation Controls on Nitrogen.

Aerosol ammonium (NH) is a critical component of particulate matter that affects air pollution, climate, and human health. Isotope-based source apportionment of NH is essential for ammonia (NH) mitigation but the role of kinetic vs equilibrium controls on nitrogen isotope (δN) fractionation between NH and NH remains unresolved. Based on concurrent measurements of NH and NH in winter Beijing, we observed that the difference of δN between NH and NH on clean days (3.

North Atlantic Heat Transport Convergence Derived from a Regional Energy Budget Using Different Ocean Heat Content Estimates.

This study uses an oceanic energy budget to estimate the ocean heat transport convergence in the North Atlantic during 2005-2018. The horizontal convergence of the ocean heat transport is estimated using ocean heat content tendency primarily derived from satellite altimetry combined with space gravimetry. The net surface energy fluxes are inferred from mass-corrected divergence of atmospheric energy transport and tendency of the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis combined with top-of-the-atmosphere radiative fluxes from the clouds and the Earth's radiant energy system project.

The 2023 report of the synergetic roadmap on carbon neutrality and clean air for China: Carbon reduction, pollution mitigation, greening, and growth.

The response to climate change and air pollution control demonstrates strong synergy across scientific mechanisms, targets, strategies, and governance systems. This report, based on a monitoring indicator system for coordinated governance of air pollution and climate change, employs an interdisciplinary approach combining natural and social sciences. It establishes 20 indicators across five key areas: air pollution and climate change, governance systems and practices, structural transformation and technologies, atmospheric components and emission reduction pathways, and health impacts and co-benefits.

Aerosol light absorption alleviates particulate pollution during wintertime haze events.

Aerosol light absorption has been widely considered as a contributing factor to the worsening of particulate pollution in large urban areas, primarily through its role in stabilizing the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Here, we report that absorption-dominated aerosol-radiation interaction can decrease near-surface fine particulate matter concentrations ([PM]) at a large-scale during wintertime haze events. A "warm bubble" effect by the significant heating rate of absorbing aerosols above the PBL top generates a secondary circulation, enhancing the upward motion (downward motion) and the convergence (divergence) in polluted (relatively clean) areas, with a net effect of lowering near-surface [PM].

Novel Device for in Situ and Real-Time Detection of the Acidity of Ambient Aerosols: Laboratory Characterization and Ambient Measurements.

Aerosol acidity, defined as pH, is a critical property that influences the formation, evolution, and health and climate effects of atmospheric aerosol particles. Direct measurement of ambient aerosol pH, however, remains challenging for atmospheric scientists. Here, based on the method of colorimetric analysis on aerosol-loaded pH-indicator papers, we develop a new device that can achieve in situ and real-time measurement of the pH of ambient aerosol droplets at a fixed relative humidity of 90%.

Satellite-Based Monitoring of Methane Emissions from China's Rice Hub.

Rice cultivation is one of the major anthropogenic methane sources in China and globally. However, accurately quantifying regional rice methane emissions is often challenging due to highly heterogeneous emission fluxes and limited measurement data. This study attempts to address this issue by quantifying regional methane emissions from rice cultivation with a high-resolution inversion of satellite methane observations from the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI).

New mechanisms of PM induced atherosclerosis: Source dependent toxicity and pathogenesis.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is recognized to induce atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study used ambient PM samples collected in one of the highly polluted regions of Guanzhong Plain in China (2017-2020) and an ApoE mouse model to investigate the association between exposure to PM and atherosclerosis. Despite a substantial decrease in the ambient concentration of PM from 266.

Temperature-driven cotton verticillium wilt: a beta model for risk assessment from laboratory insights to climate scenarios.

Background: Verticillium wilt is a critical disease affecting cotton in the Xinjiang province, a region producing 90% cotton in China. Defining the specific temperature thresholds for disease prevalence is essential but has remained unclear.

Results: This study aimed to establish a model to quantify the relationship between temperature and cotton verticillium wilt disease risk.

Integrable utilization of intermittent sunlight and residual heat for on-demand CO conversion with water.

Abundant residual heat from industrial emissions may provide energy resource for CO conversion, which relies on H gas and cannot be accomplished at low temperatures. Here, we report an approach to store electrons and hydrogen atoms in catalysts using sunlight and water, which can be released for CO reduction in dark at relatively low temperatures (150-300 °C), enabling on-demand CO conversion. As a proof of concept, a model catalyst is developed by loading single Cu sites on hexagonal tungsten trioxide (Cu/WO).

Chemical composition, multiple sources, and health risks of PM: A case study in Linyi, China's plate and logistics capital.

Elucidating the chemical composition, sources, and health risks of fine particulate matter (PM) is crucial for effectively preventing and controlling air pollution. This study collected PM samples in Linyi from November 10, 2021, to October 15, 2022, spanning the period of the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The analysis focused on seasonal variations in the chemical composition of PM, including water-soluble ions, inorganic elements, and carbonaceous aerosols.

Efficient Nitrate Formation in Fog Events Implicates Fog Interstitial Aerosols as Significant Drivers of Atmospheric Chemistry.

Clouds and fogs, consisting of tiny water droplets formed by the condensation of water in supersaturated air, are vital in atmospheric chemistry, as they facilitate multiphase reactions. While measuring high-altitude cloud is challenging, fog as ground-level clouds offer a unique opportunity for direct observation. In this study, we explored radiation fogs in the North China Plain using an advanced aerosol-fog sampling system to measure the chemical and physical properties of both inactivated interstitial aerosols and activated fog droplet residues.

North Atlantic and the Barents Sea variability contribute to the 2023 extreme fire season in Canada.

In the late spring to summer season of 2023, Canada witnessed unprecedented wildfires, with an extensive burning area and smoke spreading as far as the East Coast of the United States and Europe. Here, using multisource data analysis and climate model simulations, we show that an abnormally warm North Atlantic, as well as an abnormally low Barents Sea ice concentration (SIC), are likely key climate drivers of this Canadian fire season, contributing to ~80% of the fire weather anomaly over Canada from June to August 2023. Specifically, the warm North Atlantic forms an anomalous regional zonal cell with ascending air over the Atlantic and descending air encircling Canada, creating hot and dry local conditions.

Temporal change in minimum mortality temperature under changing climate: A multicountry multicommunity observational study spanning 1986-2015.

Background: The minimum mortality temperature (MMT) or MMT percentile (MMTP) is an indicator of population susceptibility to nonoptimum temperatures. MMT and MMTP change over time; however, the changing directions show region-wide heterogeneity. We examined the heterogeneity of temporal changes in MMT and MMTP across multiple communities and in multiple countries.

Dominant atmospheric circulation patterns associated with the rapid intensification of summer flash droughts in Eastern China.

Flash droughts (FDs), which are characterized by rapid intensification, occurred frequently over Eastern China, posing great challenges for drought forecasting and preparation on subseasonal timescale. However, the drivers of the rapid development of FDs are not well understood. By comparing with slow droughts (SDs), this study investigates the dominant physical processes responsible for FDs in four different regions over Eastern China through diagnosing moisture budgets and further linking them to large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns.