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Unexpected response of nitrogen deposition to nitrogen oxide controls and implications for land carbon sink. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3126. [PMID: 35668096 PMCID: PMC9170707 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30854-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial ecosystems in China receive the world’s largest amount of reactive nitrogen (N) deposition. Recent controls on nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) emissions in China to tackle air pollution are expected to decrease N deposition, yet the observed N deposition fluxes remain almost stagnant. Here we show that the effectiveness of NOx emission controls for reducing oxidized N (NOy = NOx + its oxidation products) deposition is unforeseen in Eastern China, with one-unit reduction in NOx emission leading to only 55‒76% reductions in NOy-N deposition, as opposed to the high effectiveness (around 100%) in both Southern China and the United States. Using an atmospheric chemical transport model, we demonstrate that this unexpected weakened response of N deposition is attributable to the enhanced atmospheric oxidizing capacity by NOx emissions reductions. The decline in N deposition could bear a penalty on terrestrial carbon sinks and should be taken into account when developing pathways for China’s carbon neutrality. Recent vigorous controls in anthropogenic nitrogen oxide emissions in China cannot result in proportionate decreases in regional atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Enhanced atmospheric oxidizing capacity offsets those reductions of precursor emissions.
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Cheng J, Tong D, Zhang Q, Liu Y, Lei Y, Yan G, Yan L, Yu S, Cui RY, Clarke L, Geng G, Zheng B, Zhang X, Davis SJ, He K. Pathways of China's PM2.5 air quality 2015–2060 in the context of carbon neutrality. Natl Sci Rev 2021; 8:nwab078. [PMID: 34987838 PMCID: PMC8692930 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Clean air policies in China have substantially reduced particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution in recent years, primarily by curbing end-of-pipe emissions. However, reaching the level of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines may instead depend upon the air quality co-benefits of ambitious climate action. Here, we assess pathways of Chinese PM2.5 air quality from 2015 to 2060 under a combination of scenarios that link global and Chinese climate mitigation pathways (i.e. global 2°C- and 1.5°C-pathways, National Determined Contributions (NDC) pledges and carbon neutrality goals) to local clean air policies. We find that China can achieve both its near-term climate goals (peak emissions) and PM2.5 air quality annual standard (35 μg/m3) by 2030 by fulfilling its NDC pledges and continuing air pollution control policies. However, the benefits of end-of-pipe control reductions are mostly exhausted by 2030, and reducing PM2.5 exposure of the majority of the Chinese population to below 10 μg/m3 by 2060 will likely require more ambitious climate mitigation efforts such as China's carbon neutrality goals and global 1.5°C-pathways. Our results thus highlight that China's carbon neutrality goals will play a critical role in reducing air pollution exposure to the level of the WHO guidelines and protecting public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Cheng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Dan Tong
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yu Lei
- Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Gang Yan
- Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Liu Yan
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Sha Yu
- Joint Global Change Research Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University Research Court, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Ryna Yiyun Cui
- Center for Global Sustainability, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Leon Clarke
- Center for Global Sustainability, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Guannan Geng
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Bo Zheng
- Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiaoye Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather & Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry of CMA, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Steven J Davis
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Kebin He
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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Huang L, Chen K, Zhou M. Climate change and carbon sink: a bibliometric analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:8740-8758. [PMID: 31912388 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-07489-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, climate change and carbon sinks have been widely studied by the academic community, and relevant research results have emerged in abundance. In this paper, a scientometric analysis of 747 academic works published between 1991 and 2018 related to climate change and carbon sinks is presented to characterize the intellectual landscape by identifying and revealing the basic characteristics, research power, intellectual base, research topic evolution, and research hotspots in this field. The results show that ① the number of publications in this field has increased rapidly and the field has become increasingly interdisciplinary; ② the most productive authors and institutions in this subject area are in the USA, China, Canada, Australia, and European countries, and the cooperation between these researchers is closer than other researchers in the field; ③ 11 of the 747 papers analyzed in this study have played a key role in the evolution of the field; and ④ in this paper, we divide research hotspots into three decade-long phases (1991-1999, 2000-2010, and 2011-present). Drought problems have attracted more and more attention from scholars. In the end, given the current trend of the studies, we conclude a list of research potentials of climate change and carbon sinks in the future. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of climate change and carbon sink research to better understand the global trends and directions that have emerged in this field over the past 28 years, which can also provide reference for future research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Huang
- College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, Liaoning, China
| | - Ke Chen
- College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, Liaoning, China
| | - Mi Zhou
- College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, Liaoning, China.
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