Reducing Soil-Emitted Nitrous Acid as a Feasible Strategy for Tackling Ozone Pollution

Severe ozone (O₃) pollution has been a major air quality issue and affects environmental sustainability in China. Conventional mitigation strategies focusing on reducing volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides (NO) remain complex and challenging. Here, through field flux measurements and laboratory simulations, we observe substantial nitrous acid (HONO) emissions (F_HONO) enhanced by nitrogen fertilizer application at an agricultural site. The observed F_HONO significantly improves model performance in predicting atmospheric HONO and leads to regional O₃ increases by 37%. We also demonstrate the significant potential of nitrification inhibitors in reducing emissions of reactive nitrogen, including HONO and NO, by as much as 90%, as well as greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide by up to 60%. Our findings introduce a feasible concept for mitigating O₃ pollution: reducing soil HONO emissions. Hence, this study has important implications for policy decisions related to the control of O₃ pollution and climate change.