Rising surface ozone as a hazardous air pollutant undermines winter wheat productivity in China (2000-2021)

China's rapid reduction of particulate pollution since 2013 has coincided with a steady rise in surface ozone, yet the magnitude, spatial pattern, and climatic regulation of ozone-induced productivity loss in farmland ecosystems remain poorly understood. Here, we address three key questions: (i) to what extent does ozone pollution suppress agricultural net primary productivity (NPP); (ii) how do these impacts vary across regions and years; and (iii) how do climatic factors modulate ozone-induced damage? Integrating fine-scale ozone data, satellite-derived NPP, and machine learning models for 2000-2021, we quantified ozone-driven changes in winter wheat productivity across China. A 1 μg·m⁻³ increase in growing-season MDA8 ozone caused a 0.03 %-0.34 % decline in NPP, resulting in overall relative productivity losses of 9-15 %. Western Shandong and northern Henan emerged as persistent hotspots where multi-year losses exceeded 12 %. Temporally, ozone-related losses declined across 61 % of wheat-growing areas during 2000-2012 but intensified after 2013, following rising ambient ozone levels. Elevated vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and temperature amplified ozone damage, while adequate precipitation provided partial mitigation. These findings reveal that ozone pollution has become a major constraint on China's agricultural productivity and offer a scientific basis for coordinated ozone control and climate-adaptive management strategies.