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The atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) characterizes the ability of the atmosphere to scavenge air pollutants. However, it is not well understood in China, where anthropogenic emissions have changed dramatically in the past decade. A detailed analysis of different parameters that determine the AOC in China is presented on the basis of numerical simulations performed with the regional chemical-meteorological model WRF-Chem. The model results, with the aerosol effects of extinction and heterogeneous processes taken into account, show that the presence of aerosols leads to a decrease in surface ozone of approximately 8-10 ppbv in NOx-limited rural areas and an increase of 5-10 ppbv in VOC-limited urban areas. The ozone reduction in NOx-sensitive regions is due to the combined effect of nitrogen dioxide and peroxy radical uptake on particles and of the light extinction by aerosols, which affects the photodissociation rates. The ozone increase in VOC-sen- sitive areas is attributed to the uptake of NO2 by aerosols, which is offset by the reduced ozone formation associated with HO2 uptake and with the aerosol extinction. Our study concludes that more than 90% of the daytime AOC is due to the reaction of the hydroxyl radical with VOCs and carbon monoxide. In urban areas, during summertime, the main contributions to daytime AOC are the reactions of OH with alkene (30-50%), oxidized volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) (33-45%), and carbon monoxide (20-45%). In rural areas, the largest contribution results from the reaction of OH with alkenes (60%). Nocturnal AOC is dominantly attributed to the nitrate radical (50-70%). Our results shed light on the contribution of aerosol-related NOx loss and the high reactivity of alkenes for photochemical pollution. With the reduction of aerosols and anthropogenic ozone precursors, the chemistry of nitrogen and temperature-sensitive VOCs will become increasingly important. More attention needs to be paid to the role of photodegradable OVOCs and nocturnal oxidants in the formation of secondary pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To perform realistic high-resolution air quality modeling in a polluted urban area, the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model is used with an embedded large-eddy simulation (LES) module and with online chemistry. As an illustration, a numerical experiment is conducted in the megacity Hong Kong, which is characterized by multi-type pollution sources as well as complex topography. The multi-resolution simulations from mesoscale to LES scales are evaluated by comparing to ozone sounding profiles and surface observations. The comparisons show that both mesoscale and LES simulations reproduce well the mean concentrations of the chemical species and their diurnal variations at the background stations. However, the mesoscale simulations largely underestimate the NOX concentrations and overestimate O3 at the roadside stations due to the coarse representation of the traffic emissions. The LES simulations improve the agreement with the measurements near the road traffic, and the LES with the highest spatial resolution (33.3 m) provides the best results. The LES simulations show more detailed structures in the spatial distributions of chemical species than the mesoscale simulations, highlighting the capability of LES to resolve high-resolution photochemical transformations in urban areas. Compared to the mesoscale model results, the LES simulations show similar evolutions in the profiles of the chemical species as a function of the boundary layer development over a diurnal cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropospheric ozone (O3) concentration is increasing in China along with dramatic changes in precursor emissions and meteorological conditions, adversely affecting human health and ecosystems. O3 is formed from the complex nonlinear photochemical reactions from nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although the mechanism of O3 formation is rather clear, describing and analyzing its changes and formation potential at fine spatial and temporal resolution is still a challenge today. In this study, we briefly summarized and evaluated different approaches that indicate O3 formation regimes. We identify that atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) is a better indicator of photochemical reactions leading to the formation of O3 and other secondary pollutants. Results show that AOC has a prominent positive relationship to O3 in the major city clusters in China, with a goodness of fit (R2) up to 0.6. This outcome provides a novel perspective in characterizing O3 formation and has significant implications for formulating control strategies of secondary pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]