Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3771
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3771
20 Jan 2025
 | 20 Jan 2025

Climate-driven biogenic emissions alleviate the impact of man-made emission reduction on O3 control in Pearl River Delta region, southern China

Nan Wang, Song Liu, Jiawei Xu, Yanyu Wang, Chun Li, Hua Lu, and Fumo Yang

Abstract. O3 concentrations in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) during summer are typically low and often overlooked. However, integrated observational data reveal a consistent increase in summer O3 levels over recent decades (+0.96 ppb/year), contradicting China's efforts to reduce anthropogenic emissions. Our dynamically calculated natural emissions show that biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions in the region significantly increased between 2001 and 2020, primarily due to climate change and alterations in vegetation cover, with climate-driven BVOC emissions accounting for approximately 80 % of the increase. Furthermore, parallel simulations using the WRF-CMAQ model indicate that climate-driven BVOC emissions, by enhancing atmospheric oxidative capacity and accelerating O3 formation, have weakened or even offset the benefits of anthropogenic emission reductions, contributing 6.2 ppb to O3 formation and leading to an unexpected rise in O3 levels. This study enhances our understanding of the mechanisms behind natural emissions in urban O3 formation under climate change and provides insights for future O3 pollution control strategies.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

13 Aug 2025
Climate-driven biogenic emissions alleviate the impact of human-made emission reductions on O3 control in the Pearl River Delta region, southern China
Nan Wang, Song Liu, Jiawei Xu, Yanyu Wang, Chun Li, Yuning Xie, Hua Lu, and Fumo Yang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8859–8870, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8859-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8859-2025, 2025
Short summary
Nan Wang, Song Liu, Jiawei Xu, Yanyu Wang, Chun Li, Hua Lu, and Fumo Yang

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3771', Anonymous Referee #1, 11 Feb 2025
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Nan Wang, 24 Mar 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3771', Anonymous Referee #2, 22 Feb 2025
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC2', Nan Wang, 24 Mar 2025

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3771', Anonymous Referee #1, 11 Feb 2025
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Nan Wang, 24 Mar 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3771', Anonymous Referee #2, 22 Feb 2025
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC2', Nan Wang, 24 Mar 2025

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Nan Wang on behalf of the Authors (24 Mar 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
EF by Daria Karpachova (25 Mar 2025)  Author's response 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (07 Apr 2025) by Minghuai Wang
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (30 Apr 2025)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (02 May 2025) by Minghuai Wang
AR by Nan Wang on behalf of the Authors (11 May 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (01 Jun 2025) by Minghuai Wang
AR by Nan Wang on behalf of the Authors (03 Jun 2025)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

13 Aug 2025
Climate-driven biogenic emissions alleviate the impact of human-made emission reductions on O3 control in the Pearl River Delta region, southern China
Nan Wang, Song Liu, Jiawei Xu, Yanyu Wang, Chun Li, Yuning Xie, Hua Lu, and Fumo Yang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8859–8870, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8859-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8859-2025, 2025
Short summary
Nan Wang, Song Liu, Jiawei Xu, Yanyu Wang, Chun Li, Hua Lu, and Fumo Yang
Nan Wang, Song Liu, Jiawei Xu, Yanyu Wang, Chun Li, Hua Lu, and Fumo Yang

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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
We found that climate warming and changes in vegetation have increased biogenic volatile organic compound emissions in the Pearl River Delta region. These increasing natural emissions, mainly due to climate warming, are weakening the benefits of reducing man-made emission control, leading to higher ozone levels. This work helps us understand how climate change influences air quality and provides important insights for improving pollution control strategies in the future.
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