1. Isotopic evidence for acidity-driven enhancement of sulfate formation after SO2 emission control
- Author
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Naga Oshima, Joel Savarino, Sakiko Ishino, Nozomi Suzuki, Becky Alexander, Naohiro Yoshida, Koji Fujita, Tomás Sherwen, Yoshinori Iizuka, Shuting Zhai, Shohei Hattori, A. Yamada, Sumito Matoba, Asuka Tsuruta, Ryu Uemura, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP ), and Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
- Subjects
[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean, Atmosphere ,Multidisciplinary ,Ozone ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Chemical transport model ,chemistry.chemical_element ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Oxygen ,Observational evidence ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Ice core ,13. Climate action ,Environmental chemistry ,[SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology ,Sulfate ,Air quality index ,Sulfur dioxide ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
After the 1980s, atmospheric sulfate reduction is slower than the dramatic reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. However, a lack of observational evidence has hindered the identification of causal feedback mechanisms. Here, we report an increase in the oxygen isotopic composition of sulfate ([Formula: see text]) in a Greenland ice core, implying an enhanced role of acidity-dependent in-cloud oxidation by ozone (up to 17 to 27%) in sulfate production since the 1960s. A global chemical transport model reproduces the magnitude of the increase in observed [Formula: see text] with a 10 to 15% enhancement in the conversion efficiency from SO2 to sulfate in Eastern North America and Western Europe. With an expected continued decrease in atmospheric acidity, this feedback will continue in the future and partially hinder air quality improvements.
- Published
- 2021