Queens College site
The Queens College (QC) ((40.74° N, 73.82° W) is about 20m above sea level and is located in the Queens borough of New York City and with a population of approximately 2.5 million people as of 2015. The population of New York City is around 8.5 million, and its metropolitan statistical area contains just over 20 million people [13]. The site coordinates are 40.74° N and 73.82° W, and it is about 20 m above sea level. The QC site is adjacent to a running track, soccer field, and tennis courts on the Queens College campus. The area surrounding QC is composed of several major roadways, residential areas, and commercial areas. Specifically, the QC site is surrounded by the Long Island Expressway to the north, the Grand Central Parkway to the south, the Clearview Expressway to the east, and the Van Wyck Expressway to the west. (Ref.: Ninneman et al., Observed and Model-Derived Ozone Production Efficiency over Urban and Rural New York State. Atmosphere, 2017)
The systematic long-term air-quality research measurements from QC site will provide valuable data for tracking the effectiveness of emission regulations and developing an evaluation framework of accountability within the air-quality management process.
Highlighted Results: Zhang, J., Insights from ozone and particulate matter pollution control in New York City applied to Beijing. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-022-00309-8
Strict emission control policies implemented in two megacities of New York City (NYC) and Beijing show impacts on the non-linear relationship of their ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during summertime.
Here we show these non-linear O3-PM2.5 relationships including a positive linear part reflecting the O3/PM2.5 co-occurrence and a negative power function part reflecting the O3 formation suppression by PM2.5 based on the multiyear surface observations.
The control policies targeting sulfur dioxide and PM2.5, then volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, changed the PM2.5 chemical composition which resulted in an increased linear slope that indicates a weaker O3 control effect than occurred for PM2.5.
These policies also enhanced the relative PM2.5 suppression effect as shown by an increase in the power function coefficient.
Model simulations suggest that regional equal percentage emission reductions for Beijing and other Chinese megacities will be necessary to avoid further increase in the O3/PM2.5 linear slope and continuing occurrences of high levels of ozone.
