Current and future linked responses of ozone and PM2.5 to emission controls

Responses of ozone and PM2.5 to emission changes are coupled because of interactions between their precursors. Here we show the interdependencies of ozone and PM2.5 responses to emission changes in 2001 and 2050, with the future case accounting for both currently planned emission controls and climate change. Current responses of ozone and PM2.5 to emissions are quantified and linked on a daily basis for five cities in the continental United States: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and NewYork. Reductions in anthropogenic NO(x) emissions decrease 24-h average PM2.5 levels but may either increase or decrease daily maximum 8-h average ozone levels. Regional ozone maxima for all the cities are more sensitive to NO(x) reductions than at the city center, particularly in New York and Chicago. Planned controls of anthropogenic NO(x) emissions lead to more positive responses to NO(x) reductions in the future. Sensitivities of ozone and PM2.5 to anthropogenic VOC emissions are predicted to decrease between 2001 and 2050. Ammonium nitrate formation is predicted to be less ammonia-sensitive in 2050 than 2001 while the opposite is true for ammonium sulfate. Sensitivity of PM2.5 to SO2 and NO(x) emissions changes little between 2001 and 2050. Both ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate are predicted to decrease in sensitivity to SO2 and NO(x) emissions between 2001 and 2050. The complexities, linkages, and daily changes in the pollutant responses to emission changes suggest that strategies developed to meet specific air quality standards should consider other air quality impacts as well.