Widespread surface ozone reduction triggered by dust storm disturbance on ozone production and destruction chemistry
Natural dust storms are associated with changes to atmospheric photochemical processes, including changes in surface ozone, a critical global air pollutant. Here, we quantified the change in surface ozone during dust storms for regions in China by using a synthesis of measurements and modeling approaches. Our results showed that notable reductions of the average ozone concentration (2.0 to 12.2 parts per billion by volume) were observed during the 12 dust storm events from 2016 to 2023, relative to predust storm levels. The chemical interactions of dust particles with ozone production processes played crucial roles in explaining approximately 13 to 35% of the observed ozone reduction, alongside the impact of intense meteorological disturbances on transport and formation of ozone. Among these interactions, the uptake of ozone, reactive nitrogen, and hydroperoxyl radical by dust particles could substantially contribute to the ozone suppression. This study highlighted the importance of interactions between severe dust pollution and atmospheric photochemistry.
Authors
- Yves Balkanski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8241-2858)
- Shijie Cui
- Junfeng Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6215-1953)
- Hong Liao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6628-1798)
- Didier Hauglustaine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4826-5118)
- Meng Chun Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8657-3541)
- Mindong Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3184-3900)
- Haiwei Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4632-7490)
- Philippe Ciais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8560-4943)
- Keqin Tang
- Ke Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9181-3562)
- Bo Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8344-3445)
- Haoran Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7485-4549)
- Nan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9298-3731)
- Qiang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8376-131X)
- Ming Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1743-4927)
- Xinlei Ge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9531-6478)
- Yunjiang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8777-2082)
- Guibin Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6335-3917)
- Jie Fang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8701-3661)
Institutions
- Anhui Jianzhu University (CN)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Hong Kong Baptist University (HK)
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (CN)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Tsinghua–Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (CN)
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (FR)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (CN)
- Nanjing University (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2025-05-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr4297
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 7.80
Funders
- Government of Jiangsu Province