Quantifying Temperature‐Driven Surface Ozone Formation: Insights From Field Observations
Abstract Tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) pollution has emerged as an increasingly prominent environmental challenge, especially in the context of global warming. This study quantitatively assessed key factors influencing O 3 formation using field observations in cities spanning from northern to southern China and eastern China (Beijing, Haikou, and Suzhou) combined with an interpretable XGBoost‐SHAP model. Model performance was validated across space and time. Temperature explained 33.6% of the total model‐attributed importance for O 3 in Beijing, with effects varying by pollution scenario: highest under co‐pollution (83.3 ± 39.9 μg m −3 , 56%), followed by O 3 pollution (51.9 ± 30.6 μg m −3 , 49%), and PM 2.5 pollution (21.3 ± 11.3 μg m −3 , 25%). A 1°C rise increased O 3 by 6.1 ± 3.0 μg m −3 in Beijing, with lower sensitivities observed in Suzhou and Haikou, consistent with their distinct precursor availability and chemical regimes. During heatwaves (≥35°C), O 3 concentrations were 2.3 times higher than at normal temperatures (≤30°C). These results provide scenario‐specific, quantitative insights into temperature‐driven O 3 formation across contrasting pollution regimes and climatic zones, with implications for climate‐informed air quality management strategies.
Authors
- Biwu Chu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7548-5669)
- Joseph S. Francisco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5461-1486)
- Tianzeng Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8123-0534)
- Yonghong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2498-9143)
- Qingxin Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9668-7008)
- Rongfu Xie
- Ruiyu Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0600-1982)
- Jun Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3065-799X)
- Jianhuai Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9063-3260)
- Yuzhen Fu
- Yang Yue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1588-4959)
- Hong He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8476-8217)
- Peng Zhang
- Xiaochen Wu
- Hao Li
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Fudan University (CN)
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Institute of Urban Environment (CN)
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (CN)
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
- Published
- 2026-10-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2026jd046864
- Primary Topic
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00