Xiaomeng Jin, Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental Sciences
Rutgers University

Space-based observations of ozone-NOx-VOC-aerosol chemistry in urban and fire plumes

Abstract: Ground-level ozone (O3) is one of six criteria air pollutants identified by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. More than 100 million US people live in O3 non-attainment areas. In this talk, I will discuss how we use satellite remote sensing observations to understand the influence of anthropogenic and wildfire emissions on the formation of ground-level O3. O3 production is non-linearly dependent on the availability of its precursors: nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Using long-term observations from the sun synchronous satellite instrument, we examine the multidecadal trends in O3 chemistry, while the newly launched NASA’s geostationary TEMPO instrument is used to diagnose the diurnal variations of O3 chemistry. Next, I will discuss the impacts of wildfires on O3 and its precursors. Satellite observations reveal that wildfires cause widespread increase of O3 precursors, which favor the O3 production, but the smoke aerosols can inhibit O3 production both radiatively and chemically. By accounting for the aerosol effects, we redefine the O3 production regimes. We find widespread aerosol-inhibited conditions within wildfire plumes as well as in heavily polluted urban regions of Asia and Africa, where high aerosol loadings inhibit O3 formation. Overall, our findings highlight how space-based observations can complement in-situ measurements and model simulations by providing information on the spatial and temporal variations of O3 chemistry.

Bio: Dr. Xiaomeng Jin is an assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University. Dr. Jin’s work aims to understand the source, chemical formation, and impacts of air pollution using satellite observations along with chemical transport models. Dr. Jin is a recipient of NASA Early Career Investigator award. She obtained a PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University in 2020, and worked as a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley before she joined Rutgers University in 2023.