Spatial and temporal changes of the ozone sensitivity in China based on satellite and ground-based observations

Ground-level ozone (O-3) pollution has been steadily getting worse in most parts of eastern China during the past 5 years. The non-linearity of O-3 formation with its precursors like nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are complicating effective O-3 abatement plans. The diagnosis from space-based observations, i.e. the ratio of formaldehyde (HCHO) columns to tropospheric NO2 columns (HCHO / NO2), has previously been proved to be highly consistent with our current understanding of surface O-3 chemistry. HCHO / NO2 ratio thresholds distinguishing O-3 formation sensitivity depend on regions and O-3 chemistry interactions with aerosol. To shed more light on the current O-3 formation sensitivity over China, we have derived HCHO / NO2 ratio thresholds by directly connecting satellite-based HCHO / NO2 observations and ground-based O-3 measurements over the major Chinese cities in this study. We find that a VOC-limited regime occurs for HCHO / NO2 < 2.3, and a NOx-limited regime occurs for HCHO / NO2 > 4.2. The HCHO / NO2 between 2.3 and 4.2 reflects the transition between the two regimes. Our method shows that the O-3 formation sensitivity tends to be VOC-limited over urban areas and NOx-limited over rural and remote areas in China. We find that there is a shift in some cities from the VOC-limited regime to the transitional regime that is associated with a rapid drop in anthropogenic NOx emissions, owing to the widely applied rigorous emission control strategies between 2016 and 2019. This detected spatial expansion of the transitional regime is supported by rising surface O-3 concentrations. The enhanced O-3 concentrations in urban areas during the COVID-19 lockdown in China indicate that a protocol with simultaneous anthropogenic NOx emissions and VOC emissions controls is essential for O-3 abatement plans.

Automated summary

Ground-level ozone pollution has been worsening in eastern China over the past 5 years, with O-3 formation sensitivity tending to be VOC-limited in urban areas and NOx-limited in rural and remote areas. The COVID-19 lockdown period saw an increase in O-3 concentrations in urban areas, highlighting the importance of simultaneous control of anthropogenic NOx emissions and VOC emissions for effective O-3 abatement plans.