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Chlorine radicals (Cl · ) are highly reactive and affect the fate of air pollutants. Several field studies in China have revealed elevated levels of daytime molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), which, upon photolysis, release substantial amounts of Cl · but are poorly represented in current chemical transport models. Here, we implemented a parametrization for the formation of daytime Cl 2 through the photodissociation of particulate nitrate in acidic environments into a regional model and assessed its impact on coastal air quality during autumn in South China. The model could reproduce over 70% of the high Cl 2 level measured at a coastal site, revealing a discernible presence of Cl 2 and released Cl · in coastal and adjacent areas. Abundant Cl 2 alters the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, consequently increasing O 3 (6-12%) and PM 2.5 (10-16%) concentrations in high-NO x areas and reducing O 3 (3%) concentration in low-NO x areas. Accounting for chlorine chemistry shifts the O 3 - precursor relationships from VOC limited to mixed or NO x -limited regimes, enhancing the benefits of NO x emission reduction in mitigating O 3 pollution. Our findings suggest that tightening emission control for two acidic pollutants, NO x and SO 2 , would alleviate reactive Cl · production and its adverse impact on air quality.

The scale of the decarbonisation challenge to meet the Paris Agreement is underplayed in the public arena. It will require precipitous emissions reductions within 40 years and a new carbon sink on the scale of the ocean sink. Even then, the world is extremely likely to overshoot. A catastrophic failure of policy, for example, waiting another decade for transformative policy and full commitments to fossil-free economies, will have irreversible and deleterious repercussions for humanity’s remaining time on Earth. Only a global zero carbon roadmap will put the world on a course to phase-out greenhouse gas emissions and create the essential carbon sinks for Earth-system stability, without which, world prosperity is not possible.

China is currently one of the countries impacted by severe atmospheric ozone (O 3 ) and particulate matter (PM) pollution. Due to their moderately long lifetimes, O 3 and PM can be transported over long distances, cross the boundaries of source regions and contribute to air pollution in other regions. The reported contributions of cross-regional transport (CRT) to O 3 and fine PM (PM 2.5 ) concentrations often exceed those of local emissions in the major regions of China, highlighting the important role of CRT in regional air pollution. Therefore, further improvement of air quality in China requires more joint efforts among regions to ensure a proper reduction in emissions while accounting for the influence of CRT. This review summarizes the methodologies employed to assess the influence of CRT on O 3 and PM pollution as well as current knowledge of CRT influence in China. Quantifying CRT contributions in proportion to O 3 and PM levels and studying detailed CRT processes of O 3 , PM and precursors can be both based on targeted observations and/or model simulations. Reported publications indicate that CRT contributes by 40-80 % to O 3 and by 10-70 % to PM 2.5 in various regions of China. These contributions exhibit notable spatiotemporal variations, with differences in meteorological conditions and/or emissions often serving as main drivers of such variations. Based on trajectory-based methods, transport pathways contributing to O 3 and PM pollution in major regions of China have been revealed. Recent studies also highlighted the important role of horizontal transport in the middle/high atmospheric boundary layer or low free troposphere, of vertical exchange and mixing as well as of interactions between CRT, local meteorology and chemistry in the detailed CRT processes. Drawing on the current knowledge on the influence of CRT, this paper provides recommendations for future studies that aim at supporting ongoing air pollution mitigation strategies in China., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

By comparison with methyl chloroform observations a global average tropospheric hydroxyl radical concentration of 6.4 × 105 cm-3 was found to be consistent with published methyl chloroform emission data for the year 1980. Published methyl chloroform emissions data for 1981-1984 were found to be inconsistent with the observed methyl chloroform concentration increases. Using the hydroxyl radical field calibrated to the methyl chloroform observations, two source function models of the spatial and temporal distribution of the flux of methane to the atmosphere were developed. The first model was based on the assumption that methane is emitted as a proportion of net primary productivity (NPP). With the average hydroxyl radical concentration fixed, the methane source term was computed as ~623 Tg CH4, giving an atmospheric lifetime for methane ~8.3 years. The second model identified source regions for methane from rice paddies, wetlands, enteric fermentation, termites, and biomass burning based on high-resolution land use data. This methane source distribution resulted in an estimate of the global total methane source of ~611 Tg CH4, giving an atmospheric lifetime for methane ~8.5 years. -from Authors

Winds in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) over distinctive urban morphology are investigated by building-resolved large-eddy simulation (LES). The exponential law is applied to urban canopy layers (UCLs) unprecedentedly to parameterize vertical profiles of mean-wind-speed u¯ z and examine the influence of morphological factors. The skewness of streamwise velocity S u is peaked at the zero-plane displacement d (drag center) where flows decelerate mostly. The dynamics and intermittency in roughness sublayers (RSLs) are further contrasted. It helps determine the critical strength of the organized structures (ejection, Q2 and sweep Q4) in their contributions to the average momentum transport (i.e., 3 to 5). Two key factors of the local-scale dynamics are revealed - building heterogeneity and upstream giant wakes that could amplify turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) and energetic intermittent Q4 by different mechanisms. The former is conductive for large-eddy generation that promotes vertical fluctuating velocity w", stimulating intermittent, energetic Q2 and Q4. The latter, whose footprints are identified by the two-point correlation of streamwise velocity R uu with specific size and inclination, facilitates intermittent, fast streamwise fluctuating velocity u", forming vigorous Q4. Nevertheless, excessive planar density λ p (≈ 0.7) is detrimental to both transport processes. These findings contribute to the theoretical and empirical wall models of large-scale roughness that help urban planners and policymakers to improve air quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Chun-Ho LIU reports financial support was provided by Hong Kong (HK) Research Grants Council (RGC)., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) chemical composition has strong and diverse impacts on the planetary environment, climate, and health. These effects are still not well understood due to limited surface observations and uncertainties in chemical model simulations. We developed a four-dimensional spatiotemporal deep forest (4D-STDF) model to estimate daily PM 2.5 chemical composition at a spatial resolution of 1 km in China since 2000 by integrating measurements of PM 2.5 species from a high-density observation network, satellite PM 2.5 retrievals, atmospheric reanalyses, and model simulations. Cross-validation results illustrate the reliability of sulfate (SO 4 2- ), nitrate (NO 3 - ), ammonium (NH 4 + ), and chloride (Cl - ) estimates, with high coefficients of determination (CV-R 2 ) with ground-based observations of 0.74, 0.75, 0.71, and 0.66, and average root-mean-square errors (RMSE) of 6.0, 6.6, 4.3, and 2.3 μg/m 3 , respectively. The three components of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIAs) account for 21% (SO 4 2- ), 20% (NO 3 - ), and 14% (NH 4 + ) of the total PM 2.5 mass in eastern China; we observed significant reductions in the mass of inorganic components by 40-43% between 2013 and 2020, slowing down since 2018. Comparatively, the ratio of SIA to PM 2.5 increased by 7% across eastern China except in Beijing and nearby areas, accelerating in recent years. SO 4 2- has been the dominant SIA component in eastern China, although it was surpassed by NO 3 - in some areas, e.g., Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region since 2016. SIA, accounting for nearly half (∼46%) of the PM 2.5 mass, drove the explosive formation of winter haze episodes in the North China Plain. A sharp decline in SIA concentrations and an increase in SIA-to-PM 2.5 ratios during the COVID-19 lockdown were also revealed, reflecting the enhanced atmospheric oxidation capacity and formation of secondary particles.

The momentum transport and pollutant dispersion in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) are governed by a broad spectrum of turbulence structures. Whereas, their contributions have not been explicitly investigated in the context of real urban morphology. This paper aims to elucidate the contributions from different types of eddies in the ASL over a dense city to provide the reference of urban planning, realizing more favorable ventilation and pollutant dispersion. The building-resolved large-eddy simulation dataset of winds and pollutants over the Kowloon downtown, Hong Kong, is decomposed into a few intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) via empirical mode decomposition (EMD). EMD is a data-driven algorithm that has been successfully implemented in many research fields. The results show that four IMFs are generally enough to capture most of the turbulence structures in real urban ASL. In particular, the first two IMFs, which are initiated by individual buildings, capture the small-scale vortex packets that populate within the irregular building clusters. On the other hand, the third and fourth IMFs capture the large-scale motions (LSMs) detached to the ground surface that are highly efficient in transport. They collectively contribute to nearly 40% of vertical momentum transport even with relatively low vertical turbulence kinetic energy (TKE). LSMs are long, streaky structures that mainly consist of streamwise TKE components. It is found that the open areas and regular streets promote the portion of streamwise TKE in LSMs, improving the vertical momentum transport and pollutant dispersion. In addition, these streaky LSMs are found to play a crucial role in pollutant dilution in the near field after the pollutant source, while the small-scale vortex packets are more efficient in transport in the mid-field and far-field., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Chun-Ho Liu reports financial support was provided by Hong Kong (HK) Research Grants Council (RGC)., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The detection of anthraquinone in tea leaves has raised concerns due to a potential health risk associated with this species. This led the European Union to impose a maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.02 mg/kg for anthraquinone in dried tea leaves. As atmospheric contamination has been identified as one of the possible sources of anthraquinone residue, this study investigates the contamination resulting from the deposition of atmospheric anthraquinone using a global chemical transport model that accounts for the emission, atmospheric transport, chemical transformation, and deposition of anthraquinone on the surface. The largest contribution to the global atmospheric budget of anthraquinone is from residential combustion followed by the secondary formation from oxidation of anthracene. Simulations suggest that atmospheric anthraquinone deposition could be a substantial source of the anthraquinone found on tea leaves in several tea-producing regions, especially near highly industrialized and populated areas of southern and eastern Asia. The high level of anthraquinone deposition in these areas may result in residues in tea products exceeding the EU MRL. Additional contamination could also result from local tea production operations., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Winds are the basic forces for atmospheric transport such as pollutant removal and pedestrian thermal comfort. The transport capability is commonly measured in terms of length and velocity scales. In this connection, the flows in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) over the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong (HK) are scrutinized by the large-eddy simulation (LES) to characterize the motion scales over real urban morphology. Apart from statistical analysis, the streamwise fluctuating velocity u' is examined by both wavelet and energy spectrum in which a primary peak is consistently shown at streamwise wavelength 70 m ≤ λ x ≤ 300 m. A secondary peak at a longer wavelength 800 m ≤ λ x ≤ 3000 m, however, is unveiled by wavelet only. It denotes the existence of intermittent turbulence structures whose sizes are much larger than those of buildings. Further wavelet analysis reveals that majority energy-carrying eddies are enlarging (tens to hundreds of meters) from the roughness sublayer (RSL) to the inertial sublayer (ISL). Analogous to its smooth-wall and schematic rough-wall counterparts, the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) over urban areas is peaked in the ISL which is carried by eddies of size 50 m ≤ λ x ≤ 1000 m. The (horizontal) spatial distribution of energy-carrying eddies is further visualized to compare the crucial motion scales in the RSL and ISL. Finally, conditional sampling is used to demystify the contribution to vertical momentum flux u'w' in terms of streamwise wavelength and quadrants. The results advance our fundamental understanding of ASL transport processes, fostering sustainable environmental policy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Increasing surface ozone (O 3 ) concentrations has emerged as a key air pollution problem in many urban regions worldwide in the last decade. A longstanding major issue in tackling ozone pollution is the identification of the O 3 formation regime and its sensitivity to precursor emissions. In this work, we propose a new transformed empirical kinetic modeling approach (EKMA) to diagnose the O 3 formation regime using regulatory O 3 and NO 2 observation datasets, which are easily accessible. We demonstrate that mapping of monitored O 3 and NO 2 data on the modeled regional O 3 -NO 2 relationship diagram can illustrate the ozone formation regime and historical evolution of O 3 precursors of the region. By applying this new approach, we show that for most urban regions of China, the O 3 formation is currently associated with a volatile organic compound (VOC)-limited regime, which is located within the zone of daytime-produced O 3 (DPO 3 ) to an 8h-NO 2 concentration ratio below 8.3 ([DPO 3 ]/[8h-NO 2 ] ≤ 8.3). The ozone production and controlling effects of VOCs and NO x in different cities of China were compared according to their historical O 3 -NO 2 evolution routes. The approach developed herein may have broad application potential for evaluating the efficiency of precursor controls and further mitigating O 3 pollution, in particular, for regions where comprehensive photochemical studies are unavailable.

Tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) concentration is increasing in China along with dramatic changes in precursor emissions and meteorological conditions, adversely affecting human health and ecosystems. O 3 is formed from the complex nonlinear photochemical reactions from nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO 2 ) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although the mechanism of O 3 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 O 3 formation regimes. We identify that atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) is a better indicator of photochemical reactions leading to the formation of O 3 and other secondary pollutants. Results show that AOC has a prominent positive relationship to O 3 in the major city clusters in China, with a goodness of fit ( R 2 ) up to 0.6. This outcome provides a novel perspective in characterizing O 3 formation and has significant implications for formulating control strategies of secondary pollutants., (© Higher Education Press 2022.)

Ozone (O 3 ) is a key oxidant and pollutant in the lower atmosphere. Significant increases in surface O 3 have been reported in many cities during the COVID-19 lockdown. Here we conduct comprehensive observation and modeling analyses of surface O 3 across China for periods before and during the lockdown. We find that daytime O 3 decreased in the subtropical south, in contrast to increases in most other regions. Meteorological changes and emission reductions both contributed to the O 3 changes, with a larger impact from the former especially in central China. The plunge in nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emission contributed to O 3 increases in populated regions, whereas the reduction in volatile organic compounds (VOC) contributed to O 3 decreases across the country. Due to a decreasing level of NO x saturation from north to south, the emission reduction in NO x (46%) and VOC (32%) contributed to net O 3 increases in north China; the opposite effects of NO x decrease (49%) and VOC decrease (24%) balanced out in central China, whereas the comparable decreases (45-55%) in these two precursors contributed to net O 3 declines in south China. Our study highlights the complex dependence of O 3 on its precursors and the importance of meteorology in the short-term O 3 variability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We use the global Community Earth System Model to investigate the response of secondary pollutants (ozone O 3 , secondary organic aerosols SOA) in different parts of the world in response to modified emissions of primary pollutants during the COVID-19 pandemic. We quantify the respective effects of the reductions in NOx and in volatile organic carbon (VOC) emissions, which, in most cases, affect oxidants in opposite ways. Using model simulations, we show that the level of NOx has been reduced by typically 40% in China during February 2020 and by similar amounts in many areas of Europe and North America in mid-March to mid-April 2020, in good agreement with space and surface observations. We show that, relative to a situation in which the emission reductions are ignored and despite the calculated increase in hydroxyl and peroxy radicals, the ozone concentration increased only in a few NOx-saturated regions (northern China, northern Europe, and the US) during the winter months of the pandemic when the titration of this molecule by NOx was reduced. In other regions, where ozone is NOx-controlled, the concentration of ozone decreased. SOA concentrations decrease in response to the concurrent reduction in the NOx and VOC emissions. The model also shows that atmospheric meteorological anomalies produced substantial variations in the concentrations of chemical species during the pandemic. In Europe, for example, a large fraction of the ozone increase in February 2020 was associated with meteorological anomalies, while in the North China Plain, enhanced ozone concentrations resulted primarily from reduced emissions of primary pollutants., (© 2021. The Authors.)

During the COVID-19 outbreak that took place in early 2020, the economic activities in China were drastically reduced and accompanied by a strong reduction in the emission of primary air pollutants. On the basis of measurements made at the monitoring stations operated by the China National Environmental Monitoring Center, we quantify the reduction in surface PM 2.5 , NO 2 , CO, and SO 2 concentrations in northern China during the lockdown, which started on 23 January 2020. We find that, on the average, the levels of surface PM 2.5 and NO 2 have decreased by approximately 35% and 60%, respectively, between the period 1 and 22 January 2020 and the period 23 January and 29 February 2020. At the same time, the mean ozone concentration has increased by a factor 1.5-2. In urban area of Wuhan, where drastic measures were adopted to limit the spread of the coronavirus, similar changes in the concentrations of PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and ozone are found., (© 2020. The Authors.)

In order to facilitate the industrial synthesis of hydrogen from electrolytic water on a wide scale, high-performance non-precious metal electrocatalysts that can substitute precious metal electrocatalysts must be developed. This paper reports a trimetallic CeFeNi-MOF-74 electrocatalyst grown on nickel foam (NF) by solvothermal method. The introduction of trimetallics gives the metal–organic framework (MOF) materials synergistic and complementary properties, resulting in better catalytic properties of the materials. Tuning the electronic structure of materials to Optimise electrocatalytic performance by adjusting metal ratio. It was found that the prepared Ce0.9FeNi-MOF-74 exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In 1 M KOH, the overpotential is only 262 mV for HER at a current density of 100 mA cm−2 and 257 mV for OER at a current density of 100 mA cm−2. For overall water splitting (OWS), a low voltage of only 1.68 V is required to achieve a 10 mA cm−2 current density. The excellent catalytic performance of Ce0.9FeNi-MOF-74 exceeds that of many commercial catalysts. This study provides new insights into the synthesis of high-performance and stable MOF electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental context: External nutrients giving rise to critical ecological issues of the coastal seawater. We investigated the nearshore nutrient concentrations and their sources in Xiamen Bay during 2013–18. Our results could provide theoretical support for controlling nearshore nutrient pollution. Rationale: External nutrients greatly increase the critical ecological risks of the coastal seawater. Therefore, it is important to understand the sources and variation characteristics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the coastal area. Methodology: The dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphate (PO4–P) in coastal Xiamen were monitored from 2013 to 2018. The input of nitrogen from runoff in the coastal Xiamen was calculated from the runoff flow amount collected by Xiamen Marine and Fisheries Bureau. Atmospheric dry deposition of DIN was simulated using Williams model to analyse the potential sources of nutrients in the coastal Xiamen. Results: High DIN and PO4–P levels occurred in the inner bay and decreased dramatically outside Xiamen Bay. The lowest values of DIN and PO4–P were observed in summer, which is consistent with the temporal variation in nutrient inputs from the surface runoff and atmospheric deposition. The nutrient input of Jiulong River is the main source of eutrophication for Xiamen Bay, providing more than 4 × 104 tonnes (Mg) of N input per year. The atmospheric N dry deposition provided more than 2.2 × 103 Mg of DIN input per year, which accounts for ~3.4–6.3% of the Jiulong River DIN input in the coastal Xiamen. Discussion: The ratio of atmospheric nitrogen deposition to nitrogen enrichment from Jiulong River varied from 0.21 to 0.40, indicating that atmospheric nitrogen deposition was an important contributor to the coastal nutrient in Xiamen. This study provides an insight into the major sources of N and P and highlights the importance of atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the DIN in the coastal city Xiamen. Environmental context. Nutrients from external sources are related to critical ecological issues in coastal seawater. We investigated the nearshore nutrient concentrations and their sources in Xiamen Bay, China during 2013–2018. Our results provide support for the need to control sources of nearshore nutrient pollution. (Image credit: Siying Dai.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol-CCN characteristics and dynamics during a pre-monsoon dust storm (April 6-11, 2015) over a high-altitude site ((17.92°N, 73.66°E, and 1348 m above mean sea level (MSL)) in Western Ghats, India, has been studied using ground-based observations, satellite, and reanalysis datasets. Spatial distribution of dust surface mass concentration along with the back trajectory analysis showed the Arabian Desert area (Rub-Al-khali desert) as the source region and strong westerly winds transported the dust particles toward the Indian subcontinent. High values noticed in the surface PM 10 (PM 2.5 ), i.e., ~ 450 (~ 130) µg m -3 , MODIS AOD 550nm (0.6), and MERRA 2 dust surface mass concentration (5 × 10 -7  kg m -3 ) along MODIS true color images confirmed the dust storm event on April 6, 2015 over the observational site. Size-segregated aerosol number concentration measured from ground-based observations showed the dominance of Aitken, accumulation, and coarse mode particles during dust period. CCN concentrations at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9% SS were analyzed. A low value of CCN concentration and activation fraction (~ 0.3) near surface was noticed during dust storm day, suggesting insoluble mineral dust particle being transported. Analyzed vertical velocity during pre-dust period showed downdraft between 900 and 750 hPa, suggesting dust transport from upper altitudes toward the observational site. WRF-Chem model simulation also captured the dust storm event, and the results are in good agreement with the observation with a significance of 95% confidence level., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The dataset presents a 43 year-long reanalysis of pollen seasons for three major allergenic genera of trees in Europe: alder (Alnus), birch (Betula), and olive (Olea). Driven by the meteorological reanalysis ERA5, the atmospheric composition model SILAM predicted the flowering period and calculated the Europe-wide dispersion pattern of pollen for the years 1980–2022. The model applied an extended 4-dimensional variational data assimilation of in-situ observations of aerobiological networks in 34 European countries to reproduce the inter-annual variability and trends of pollen production and distribution. The control variable of the assimilation procedure was the total pollen release during each flowering season, implemented as an annual correction factor to the mean pollen production. The dataset was designed as an input to studies on climate-induced and anthropogenically driven changes in the European vegetation, biodiversity monitoring, bioaerosol modelling and assessment, as well as, in combination with intra-seasonal observations, for health-related applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most important risk factor for skin cancer development. Sunlight is the main source of UV radiation in the general population. In addition, tanning beds are a source of artificial UV radiation. Since the incidence of skin cancer is increasing worldwide, it is necessary to monitor UV-related risk behaviors such as intentional indoor and outdoor tanning, as well as sun protection behavior in the general population and specific subgroups and settings. This is the aim of the National Cancer Aid Monitoring online (NCAM-online), a continuation and further development of the NCAM. Methods: The NCAM-online is a longitudinal trend study consisting of four annual survey waves. Each year, 4,000 individuals aged 16–65 years living in Germany will be surveyed using online questionnaires. Each year, intentional indoor and outdoor tanning will be assessed. In addition, varying specific topics regarding skin cancer prevention, such as the utilization of skin cancer screening, will be addressed in the questionnaires. Discussion: The findings of the NCAM-online will provide an important basis for the German Cancer Aid and Working Group on Dermatologic Prevention (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dermatologische Prävention, ADP) to develop targeted prevention campaigns and projects aimed at preventing skin cancer. The explorative nature of the NCAM-online allows for the identification of new potential starting points for prevention and education. In addition, the longitudinal design allows for a description of the trend in the prevalence of intentional tanning. For tanning bed use, representative trend data from 2012 are available for Germany, to which NCAM-online will add annual data until 2027. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If today's surface traffic fleet were powered entirely by hydrogen fuel cell technology, anthropogenic emissions of the ozone precursors nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide could be reduced by up to 50%, leading to significant improvements in air quality throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Model simulations of such a scenario predict a decrease in global OH and an increased lifetime of methane, caused primarily by the reduction of the NOx emissions. The sign of the change in climate forcing caused by carbon dioxide and methane depends on the technology used to generate the molecular hydrogen. A possible rise in atmospheric hydrogen concentrations is unlikely to cause significant perturbations of the climate system.

The biosphere is a major pool in the global carbon cycle; its response to climatic change is therefore of great importance. We developed a 5 degrees x 5 degrees longitude-latitude resolution model of the biosphere in which the global distributions of the major biospheric variables, i.e. the vegetation types and the main carbon pools and fluxes, are determined from climatic variables. We defined nine major broad vegetation types: perennial ice, desert and semi-desert, tundra, coniferous forest, temperate deciduous forest, grassland and shrubland, savannah, seasonal tropical forest and evergreen tropical forest. Their geographical repartition is parameterized using correlations between observed vegetation type, precipitation and biotemperature distributions. The model computes as a function of climate and vegetation type, the variables related to the continental biospheric carbon cycle, i.e. the carbon pools such as the phytomass, the litter and the soil organic carbon; and carbon fluxes such as net primary production, litter production and heterotrophic respiration. The modeled present-day biosphere is in good agreement with observation. The model is used to investigate the response of the terrestrial biosphere to climatic changes as predicted by different General Circulation Models (GCM). In particular, the impact on the biosphere of climatic conditions corresponding to the last glacial climate (LGM), 18 000 years ago, is investigated. Comparison with results from present-day climate simulations shows the high sensitivity of the geographical distribution of vegetation types and carbon content as well as biospheric trace gases emissions to climatic changes. The general trend for LGM compared to the present is an increase in low density vegetation types (tundra, desert, grassland) to the detriment of forested areas, in tropical as well as in other regions. Consequently, the biospheric activity (carbon fluxes and trace gases emissions) was reduced.

Atmospheric transport and dispersion models (ATDMs) are widely used to study and forecast pollution events. In the frame of the "Effect of Megacities on the transport and transformation of pollutants on the regional to global scales" (EMeRGe) project, ATDM forecasts were carried out to identify potential airborne sampling areas of perfluorocarbons (PFCs) emanating from controlled PFC releases. The forecasts involved short-distance transport over small-scale topographic maxima (Manilla; Philippines), short-distance transport over large-scale topographic maxima (Taipei, Taiwan) and long-distance transport over mixed topography (Nanjing, China, sampled over Taiwan). In situ aircraft measurements of PFC mixing ratios down to a few parts per quadrillion (ppqv) provide us with a unique dataset to explore the added benefits of dynamical downscaling. Transport simulations were repeated using FLEXPART driven by ERA5 and IFS meteorological data and FLEXPART-WRF with dynamically downscaled IFS data down to 1.1 km and four PBL parametrisations. Of the three cases studied, dynamical downscaling led to significant differences for the Manilla and Taipei releases that can be interpreted through changes in the modelled orographic flow regimes. The choice of PBL scheme also significantly impacted accuracy, but there was no systematically better-performing option, highlighting the benefits of ensemble forecasting. Results show how convergence and divergence between ensemble members can be utilised to help decision-making during field campaigns. This study highlights the role that dynamical downscaling can play as an important component in campaign planning when dealing with observations over orographically complex areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing global concern about climate change and the circular economy have successfully established itselves in international and national policies over the last decade, with the aim of reshaping the production and consumer behavior. The circular economy is one of the core pillars of European Union policy and its success depends on the energy efficiency, reducing production costs, and maintaining employment levels by ensuring continuous strong economic independency of the region. While crises are unavoidable and continue to appear, this paper aims to project the impact of any crisis on sustainability transitions using data analysis of the Global Financial crisis from 2008 to 2009 and discuss how the success of the circular economy implementation and environmental policies could be affected. The paper notes that the global financial crisis of 2008–2009 had a short-term positive impact on environmental degradation and that economic interests overshadowed environmental goals. Due to the recent events of the ongoing Russia and Ukraine war, COVID-19 societal and industrial behavior has shifted from sustainable to linear and has taken a step backward in reducing environmental pollution and achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Analysis of already present data and the context of the 2008–2009 global financial crisis, reviewing of COVID-19 impact on the global economy, health sector, and environmental policies allows us to predict the consequences, as it relates to the future of circular economy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection of Earth's stratospheric ozone (O3) is an ongoing process under the auspices of the universally ratified Montreal Protocol and its Amendments and adjustments. A critical part of this process is the assessment of the environmental issues related to changes in O3. The United Nations Environment Programme's Environmental Effects Assessment Panel provides annual scientific evaluations of some of the key issues arising in the recent collective knowledge base. This current update includes a comprehensive assessment of the incidence rates of skin cancer, cataract and other skin and eye diseases observed worldwide; the effects of UV radiation on tropospheric oxidants, and air and water quality; trends in breakdown products of fluorinated chemicals and recent information of their toxicity; and recent technological innovations of building materials for greater resistance to UV radiation. These issues span a wide range of topics, including both harmful and beneficial effects of exposure to UV radiation, and complex interactions with climate change. While the Montreal Protocol has succeeded in preventing large reductions in stratospheric O3, future changes may occur due to a number of natural and anthropogenic factors. Thus, frequent assessments of potential environmental impacts are essential to ensure that policies remain based on the best available scientific knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low visibility weather easily leads to traffic accidents, posing threats to human life and property. To accurately forecast visibility, we conduct an empirical study focusing on Jiangsu Province. Firstly, we collect the monitoring data from meteorological stations and environmental stations for 2017-2018. Secondly, we analyze the changes in visibility from both spatial and temporal perspectives. Next, the maximum Relevance Minimum Redundancy (mRMR) algorithm is employed to select factors affecting visibility, finding that humidity and P M 2.5 concentrations are the primary factors. Finally, we propose GCN-GRU (Graph Convolutional Network and Gated Recurrent Unit) model for short-term visibility forecasting, which employs GCN to capture the interactions between stations and uses GRU to learn the interactions between times. Experimental results indicate that GCN-GRU outperforms the standalone GRU model and three machine learning models regarding 6-hour visibility forecasting. Compared to the best competitor, GCN-GRU achieves an average increase of 3.32% in Correlation Coefficient (CORR), a decrease of 17.52% in Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), a reduction of 26.62% in Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), and a decline of 16.53% in Mean Absolute Error (MAE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is a pressing problem and causes millions of deaths each year related to its effects on respiratory health worldwide. Despite its significant impact, information on air pollution in many cities, including Hawassa city, remains limited. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations and variations of traffic-related air pollution, as measured by carbon monoxide, and its relationship with temperature, relative humidity, traffic flow, and road routing in Hawassa City. We monitored carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations in Hawassa city, Ethiopia, for 24 days using real-time monitors with carbon monoxide sensor head. A total of 24 different roads (12 high-traffic congested roads and 12 low-traffic congested roads) were included as monitoring sites. We conducted 1 hour monitoring at each monitoring site in the morning and afternoon to characterize the temporal variations. Accordingly, the average carbon monoxide concentrations varied temporally at different times. In addition, the average carbon monoxide concentrations on paved main roads, traffic light roads and low-traffic flow roads were 4.87 ± 0.6 ppm, 5.38 ± 0.8 ppm and 1.62 ± 0.53 ppm, respectively. The study also identified factors that correlated positively with carbon monoxide concentration, including temperature, relative humidity, traffic flow and road routing. The study concludes that long-term monitoring of carbon monoxide concentrations is necessary to fully characterize the health effects. The study also provides valuable insights for urban planners when implementing measures to mitigate the negative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality assessment is an important task, due to the adverse effects of air pollution on human health. This importance is more highlighted when it comes to exceptional events such as war. Early 2022 witnessed the start of a military conflict between Ukraine and Russia. As with any similar event, this war influences the environment in different aspects. The objective of this study is air quality monitoring in Ukraine using Sentinel-5P imagery and Google Earth Engine. To this end, the monthly concentration of four gaseous pollutants including ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde (HCHO), and carbon monoxide (CO) in 2022 is compared to 2019 and 2021 as business-as-usual (BAU) periods. Further statistical focus of this evaluation is on five major cities, namely Kiev, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson, and Lviv. According to the results, the general trend of the O3 concentration is found to be increasing, whereas NO2, HCHO, and CO follow mostly a decreasing trend. However, the records of Lviv in terms of NO2 and HCHO indicate significant discrepancies with other cities that are deemed warfronts. Moreover, based on the applied t-test, the differences between the 2022 concentrations and BAU years in most cases are statistically significant. In summary, this study revealed evident effects of the ongoing war on the anthropogenic activities in Ukraine and, consequently, changes in air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensitivity of air quality model responses to modifications in input data (e.g. emissions, meteorology and boundary conditions) or model configurations is recognized as an important issue for air quality modelling applications in support of air quality plans. In the framework of FAIRMODE (Forum of Air Quality Modelling in Europe, https://fairmode.jrc.ec.europa.eu/) a dedicated air quality modelling exercise has been designed to address this issue. The main goal was to evaluate the magnitude and variability of air quality model responses when studying emission scenarios/projections by assessing the changes of model output in response to emission changes. This work is based on several air quality models that are used to support model users and developers, and, consequently, policy makers. We present the FAIRMODE exercise and the participating models, and provide an analysis of the variability of O3 and PM concentrations due to emission reduction scenarios. The key novel feature, in comparison with other exercises, is that emission reduction strategies in the present work are applied and evaluated at urban scale over a large number of cities using new indicators such as the absolute potential, the relative potential and the absolute potency. The results show that there is a larger variability of concentration changes between models, when the emission reduction scenarios are applied, than for their respective baseline absolute concentrations. For ozone, the variability between models of absolute baseline concentrations is below 10%, while the variability of concentration changes (when emissions are similarly perturbed) exceeds, in some instances 100% or higher during episodes. Combined emission reductions are usually more efficient than the sum of single precursor emission reductions both for O3 and PM. In particular for ozone, model responses, in terms of linearity and additivity, show a clear impact of non-linear chemistry processes. This analysis gives an insight into the impact of model' sensitivity to emission reductions that may be considered when designing air quality plans and paves the way of more in-depth analysis to disentangle the role of emissions from model formulation for present and future air quality assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Omicron pandemic broke out in Shanghai in March 2022, and some infected people spread to some cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region. To achieve the dynamic zero-COVID target as soon as possible, Shanghai and nine cities that were heavily affected by Shanghai implemented the lockdown measures. This paper aims to quantify the impact of the lockdown on air quality and human health. A difference-in-difference (DID) model was first used to measure the impact of the lockdown on air quality in these ten cities. Based on the results of the DID model, we estimated the PM2.5-related health and economic benefits using the concentration–response function and the value of statistical life method. Results showed that the lockdown has reduced the concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO by 9.87 μg/m3, 17.31 μg/m3, 0.75 μg/m3, 9.03 μg/m3, and 0.07 mg/m3, respectively. The number of avoided premature deaths due to PM2.5 reduction was estimated to be 35,342. The resulting economic benefits totaled 18.86 billion US dollars. We investigated the reasons for the air quality improvement in these ten cities and found the "3 + 11" policy has had a great impact on air quality. Compared with the first COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020, the effect of the lockdown in 2022 was smaller. These findings demonstrated that reductions in anthropogenic emissions would achieve substantial air quality improvement and health benefits. This paper re-emphasized continuous efforts to improve air quality are essential to protect public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future changes in the southeastern tropical Atlantic interannual sea surface temperature (SST) variability in response to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations are investigated utilizing the global climate model FOCI. In that model, the Coastal Angola Benguela Area (CABA) is among the regions of the tropical Atlantic that exhibits the largest surface warming. Under the worst-case scenario of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5-8.5 (SSP5-8.5), the SST variability in the CABA decreases by about 19% in 2070–2099 relative to 1981–2010 during the model's peak interannual variability season May–June–July (MJJ). The weakening of the MJJ interannual temperature variability spans the upper 40 m of the ocean along the Angolan and Namibian coasts. The reduction in variability appears to be related to a diminished surface-layer temperature response to thermocline-depth variations, i.e., a weaker thermocline feedback, which is linked to changes in the mean vertical temperature gradient. Despite improvements made by embedding a high-resolution nest in the ocean a significant SST bias remains, which might have implications for the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change will have complex consequences for the environment, society, economy and people's health. The issue of climate change has received comparatively little attention to date in the fields of sports science. Thus, sport-related health risks caused by climate change are discussed and summarized in a conceptual model presented here for the first time. Climate change is associated with the following increases of health-related risks for athletes in particular: Direct consequences caused by extreme temperature and other extreme weather events (e.g. increasing risks due to heatwaves, thunderstorms, floods, lightning, ultraviolet radiation) and indirect consequences as a result of climate-induced changes to our ecosystem (e.g. due to increased air pollution by ozone, higher exposures to allergens, increasing risks of infection by viruses and bacteria and the associated vectors and reservoir organisms). Each aspect is supplemented with advice on the prevention of health hazards. Not only individual athletes but also sports organizations and local clubs will have to respond to the changes in our climate, so that they can appropriately protect both athletes and spectators and ensure a plannable continuation of the sport in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escalating emissions of several air pollutants over South Asia could play a detrimental role in the regional and global atmosphere. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate these emissions within the boundary layer and at higher heights utilizing satellite data that are more inclusionary, where limited in situ observations are available. Here, we utilize the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), Ozone Monitoring Instruments (OMI), TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), and Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME-2) hyperspectral satellite data to assess the changes in emission sources during Indian lockdown with a primary focus on the tropospheric profiles of ozone and carbon monoxide (CO). A significant reduction (> 20%) in the tropospheric ozone was seen over northern and northeast regions compared to 2018, while a dramatic increase (> 20%) compared to 2019 was seen. The subtropical dynamics mainly contributed to the increased ozone over the northern region. An analysis of the ozone production regime showed mostly NO 2 limited regime over the major part of India and VOC limited regime over thermal power plants regions. Unlike in the boundary layer, where CO showed reduction (15-20%), CO profiles showed a consistent increase (as high as 31%) in the free troposphere over the majority of cities and thermal power plants. The CO total column also showed an increase (~ 20%) over central and western India and a slight decrease (5%) over northern India. Similar to CO, an increase (~ 15%) of NO 2 column over the western region was observed particularly compared to 2019. However, unlike ozone and CO, reduction of tropospheric NO 2 columns was seen over the major part of India, with the highest reduction over northern regions (20-52%). Furthermore, homogeneous yearly differences (> 30%) between OMI and TROPOMI NO 2 observations were also seen distinctly over the remote areas. Contrary to surface-based studies, the present study shows an increase in CO, ozone (decrease), and NO 2 at several locations and in the free troposphere during the lockdown., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The studies have focused on changes in CO2 emissions over different periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if CO2 emissions are temporarily reduced during the pandemic according to annual figures, this may be misleading. Considering annual figures is important to understand the overall trend, but using data with much higher frequency (e.g., daily) is much better suited to investigate dynamic relationships and external effects. Therefore, this study comprehensively analyzes the association between CO2 emissions and disaggregated electricity generation (EG) sources across the globe by employing the novel wavelet local multiple correlation (WLMC) approach on daily data from 1st January 2020 to 31st March 2023. The results demonstrate that (1) based on the main statistics, daily CO2 emissions range between 69 MtCO2 and 116 MtCO2, indicating that there is an oscillation, but no sharp changes over the analyzed period. (2) based on the baseline regression using the dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) approach, the constructed estimation models have a high predictive ability of CO2 emissions, reaching ~ 94%; (3) in the further analysis employing the WLMC approach, there are significant externalities between EG resources, which affect CO2 emissions. The results present novel insights about time- and frequency-varying effects as well as a disaggregated analysis of the effect of EG on CO2 emissions, demonstrating the significance of the energy transition towards clean sources around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an immediate lockdown declared by the government of India (March to April 2020) which saw a decrease in public activities. In view of this, a comparative study was carried out on the influence of environmental parameters on methane activities between the pre-lockdown and lockdown periods along a tropical estuarine mangrove ecosystem. Significant changes in the studied parameters specially in the organic matter and methane production rates (P < 0.05) were observed. During the lockdown as compared to the pre-lockdown period, the downstream site was impacted more than those at the upstream site with an average methane production decrease by 60X and 1.5X respectively. Both, oxidation and production of methane decreased during the lockdown and was related to organic matter availability (P < 0.05). The findings elucidate the positive impact of lockdown on the model ecosystem and the reduction in greenhouse methane activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An episode of extreme monsoonal flood event has severely affected the East and West coast of Peninsular Malaysia from 16th to 18th December 2021. The extreme rainfall was documented to be associated to Tropical Depression 29 and Typhoon Rai. In addition, biomass burning aerosols were suspected to be capable of intensifying the precipitation. Thus, the main causes of this extreme event are studied with model evaluation being carried out with biomass burning as one of the possible reasons and variables. From the sensitivity analysis on the PBL scheme for the model physics, QNSE scheme is tested to be the best scheme to simulate the episode compared with MYJ and ACM2 and used in the model assessment. The performances of ARW (WRF-ARW), BB (WRF-Chem with biomass burning), and NOBB (WRF-Chem without biomass burning) have been assessed in the reproduction of the precipitation pattern and tropical depression. Simulation results indicate that ARW shows an overall better performance for most meteorological variables with better performance in reproducing the surface-level pressure and wind speed. Model scenarios of ARW and BB produced similar tropical depression spatial distributions but differ in magnitude, where the tropical depression in ARW is stronger during the study period over East coastline. All models overestimate the precipitation intensity, but ARW is much better correlated with observation data followed by NOBB and BB. The findings show that biomass burning aerosols have only a minor impact on intensifying or delaying the rainfall event. Therefore, tropical depression over Peninsular Malaysia is shown to be the main causation to this extreme event in 2021. The model could be applied for the future flood risk management in Malaysia to provide information on decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the projected changes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) water vapor over the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) region based on satellite records, numerical simulations using variable-resolution global climate model focused over south Asia (HIST-natural and anthropogenic forcing in the historical period, and FUT-following RCP4.5 in future), and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) datasets. The simulations generally reproduced the seasonal cycle in the UTLS water vapor and regional water vapor maximum. With progressive warming in future, excessive upper tropospheric moistening is noted over the ASM region in far-future (2070–2095) climate against the HIST climate (1980–2005) with water vapor mixing ratio increasing to ~ 7.5 ppmv relative to ~ 5 ppmv noted in the HIST. It is further noted that projected changes in water vapor are linked to anomalous warming (~ 1–4 K) in the upper tropospheric layers juxtaposed with zonally elongated ASM anticyclone and enhanced water vapor flux divergence by amplifications in rotational winds. Further, the simulations indicate robust increase in ASM upper tropospheric water vapor as compared to those at mid- and lower- troposphere in accordance with the Clausius–Clapeyron temperature dependence of moisture response to warming and amplified troposphere warming with altitude. A simple comparison between the ASM and the entire globe indicates that upper tropospheric water vapor-temperature relationship has a similar response, however, the projected variability in temperature and moisture is significantly larger (about twice) over the ASM region highlighting strong regional influence. Nonetheless, the projections indicate that ASM is a potential regional source in modulating UTLS water vapor budget in a warming climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past work has shown that coupling can exist between atmospheric air flows at street scale (O(0.1 km)) and city scale (O(10 km)). It is generally impractical at present to develop high-fidelity urban simulations capable of capturing such effects. This limitation imposes a need to develop better parameterisations for meso-scale models but an information gap exists in that past work has generally focused on simplified urban geometries and assumed the buildings to be on flat ground. This study aimed to begin to address this gap in a systematic way by using the large eddy simulation method with synthetic turbulence inflow boundary conditions to simulate atmospheric air flows over the University of Southampton campus. Both flat and realistic terrains were simulated, including significant local terrain features, such as two valleys with a width about 50 m and a depth about average building height, and a step change of urban roughness height. The numerical data were processed to obtain averaged vertical profiles of time-averaged velocities and second order turbulence statistics. The flat terrain simulation was validated against high resolution particle image velocimetry data, and the impact of uncertainty in defining the turbulence intensity in the synthetic inflow method was assessed. The ratio between realistic and flat terrains of time-mean streamwise velocity at the same ground level height over a terrain crest location can be >2, while over a valley trough it can be <0.5. Further data analysis conclusively showed that the realistic terrain can have a considerable effect on global quantities, such as the depth of the spanwise-averaged internal boundary layer and spatially-averaged turbulent kinetic energy. These highlight the potential impact that local terrain features (O(0.1 km)) may have on near-field dispersion and the urban micro-climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While bird populations are declining, the factors associated with this decline are unclear. Based on laboratory experiments, air pollution has long been recognized as a factor causing oxidative stress and adversely affecting bird health. Recently, studies employing an epidemiological approach have reported significant declines in avian populations in Central Europe and the United States due to air pollution, and ozone in particular. We advocate that urgent actions are needed to mitigate these effects, which threaten biodiversity and environmental health, and propose a series of measures which can enlighten the path toward mitigating air pollution effects on avian populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates a dust storm (DS, on 5th May 2016) over a semi-arid western-Indian region, Ahmedabad using a ground-based Raman Lidar (RL), satellite datasets, and model simulations. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) corrected reflectance images from Terra and Aqua satellites showed a heavy dust layer over the Ahmedabad region transported from the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. Horizontal visibility decreased sharply, falling less than 1 km on the DS day. RL is used to monitor the diurnal variation of the dust aerosol layer from the surface to about 3 km during DS. The retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) using the RL and MODIS shows high AOD values on the DS day (AOD ~ 2.2 and 0.85) attributed to higher dust loading in comparison to normal days. Results indicate that the ultraviolet aerosol index (UVAI) increased by twice (~ 3) during DS day in comparison with dust-free day (UVAI ~ 1.4). The WRF-Chem model reasonably reproduced the spatial distribution of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, exhibiting higher concentrations during the DS when compared to ECMWF-CAMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their vulnerability, children need special protection from health effects of climate change, which are already noticeable today. Since a large proportion of children in Germany are in non-parental care during the day, the pedagogical staff in daycare centers play a crucial role in protecting children’s health. For this reason, a quantitative online survey was conducted among pedagogical staff (n = 181) in daycare centers of one provider in Munich, where children aged nine weeks to 10 years are cared for. It was examined how the pedagogical staff assesses the risk of climate change-related health hazards on children’s health and on its own health at work today and in the next 10 years. Additionally, it was surveyed whether or which measures for (health-related) adaptation to climate change and long-term climate change mitigation in the form of education for sustainable development (ESD) are implemented in the daycare centers. The results were statistically analyzed both descriptively and with multiple linear regression analyses to test the assumed associations. The results show that despite the strong perception of climate change-related health risks, their implementation in corresponding protection and adaptation measures is insufficient in most of the daycare centers surveyed. The informedness of the pedagogical staff proved to be a decisive influencing factor in the implementation of measures. Therefore, in addition to stronger implementation of structural adaptation measures in daycare centers, target group-specific knowledge and instructions for action should also be increasingly conveyed in the training curricula and further education of pedagogical staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical simulations of latent heat flux (LHF) over the Indian Ocean (IO) region in 46 climate models participating in the phase 6 of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) have been evaluated against the ERA5 dataset for the period 1975–2014. The multimodel mean (MMM) captures the observed spatial pattern of LHF climatological mean state to a great extent, but there are large biases in magnitude, especially over the region north of 20 °S and south of 40 °S, and these biases are common to more than 70% of the individual CMIP6 models. The origins of these biases are due to overestimated surface winds and vertical humidity gradients in the models. The simulated trend values of LHF are largely underestimated and are highly inconsistent in individual models. The basin-wide increase of surface saturation specific humidity ( Q s ) is largely compensated by a similar increase in near-surface saturation specific humidity ( Q a ) trend, which leads to reduced vertical humidity gradient for the latent heat transfer to take place at the air-sea interface. The long-term trend of sea surface temperature (SST) and Q s are found to be reasonable in CMIP6 models. One of the reasons for the underestimated LHF trend in CMIP6 models is the faster rate of increase of Q a and very slow rate of increase of surface wind speed compared to the ERA5 dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Climate change because of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions increasingly triggers extreme weather events. Of all the continents, Europe is warming the fastest. Heat and drought, forest fires and floods will worsen in Europe even in optimistic global warming scenarios, affecting living conditions across the continent. Extreme weather events threaten energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, financial stability, and people's healthcare. Many of these risks have already reached critical levels and could take on catastrophic proportions without immediate, decisive action., Objectives: This paper outlines current challenges for medical practices and clinics in the context of climate change and provides examples and guidance for strengthening crisis resilience., Materials and Methods: Selective literature review on the different requirements for crisis resilience in practices and clinics was performed., Results: Medical practices and clinics achieve crisis resilience by high degrees of adaptability and flexibility. They prepare for climate change-related challenges and are, therefore, able to protect themselves and maintain their function in the healthcare system. Recent weather events in Germany revealed insufficient resilience among the healthcare sector; hence, improvements are necessary., Conclusions: Changing environmental conditions urgently require the healthcare sector to adapt and effectively strengthen crisis resilience in order to ensure that critical infrastructure remains functional and the population has access to healthcare., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)