DOE OSTI · 2574963
Reducing Long‐Standing Surface Ozone Overestimation in Earth System Modeling by High‐Resolution Simulation and Dry Deposition Improvement
Abstract
The overestimation of surface ozone concentration in low‐resolution global atmospheric chemistry and climate models has been a long‐standing issue. We first update the ozone dry deposition scheme in both high‐ (0.25°) and low‐resolution (1°) Community Earth System Model (CESM) version 1.3 runs, by adding the effects of leaf area index and correcting the sunlit and shaded fractions of stomatal resistances. With this update, 5‐year‐long summer simulations (2015–2019) using the low‐resolution CESM still exhibit substantial ozone overestimation (by 6.0–16.2 ppbv) over the U.S., Europe, eastern China, and ozone pollution hotspots. The ozone dry deposition scheme is further improved by adjusting the leaf cuticle conductance, reducing the mean ozone bias by 19%, and increasing the model resolution further reduces the ozone overestimation by 43%. We elucidate the mechanism by which model grid spacing influences simulated ozone, revealing distinctive pathways in urban versus rural areas. In rural areas, grid spacing mainly affects daytime ozone levels, where additional NO x emissions from nearby urban areas result in an ozone boost and overestimation in low‐resolution simulations. In contrast, over urban areas, daytime ozone overestimation follows a similar mechanism due to the influence of volatile organic compounds from surrounding rural areas. However, nighttime ozone overestimation is closely linked to weakened NO titration owing to the redistribution of urban NO x to rural areas. Additionally, stratosphere‐troposphere exchange may also contribute to reducing ozone bias in high‐resolution simulations, warranting further investigation. This optimized high‐resolution CESM may enhance understanding of ozone formation mechanisms, sources, and changes in a warming climate.
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Gao, Yang [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)] (ORCID:0000000164446544), Kou, Wenbin [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)], Cheng, Wenxuan [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)], Guo, Xiuwen [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)], Qu, Binglin [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)], Wu, Yubing [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)], Zhang, Shaoqing [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)] (ORCID:0000000165699842), Liao, Hong [Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (China)] (ORCID:0000000166281798), Chen, Deliang [Tsinghua University, Beijing (China); University of Gothenburg (Sweden)] (ORCID:0000000302885618), Leung, Lai-Yung Ruby [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000232219467), Wild, Oliver [Lancaster University, Bailrigg (United Kingdom)] (ORCID:0000000262277035), Zhang, Junxi [Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou (China)], Lin, Guangxing [Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)] (ORCID:0000000254433915), Su, Hang [Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)], Cheng, Yafang [Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000349129879), Pöschl, Ulrich [Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000314123557), Pozzer, Andrea [Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz (Germany); The Cyprus Institute (CyI), Nicosia (Cyprus)] (ORCID:0000000324406104), Zhang, Leiming [Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Toronto, ON (Canada)], Lamarque, Jean‐Francois [National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000242255074), Guenther, Alex B. [University of California, Irvine, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000162838288), Brasseur, Guy [Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000167949497), Liu, Zhao [National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi (China)], Lu, Haitian [National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi (China)], Li, Chenlin [National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi (China)], Zhao, Bin [Tsinghua University, Beijing (China); State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing (China)] (ORCID:0000000184389188), Wang, Shuxiao [Tsinghua University, Beijing (China); State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing (China)] (ORCID:0000000197271963), Huang, Xin [Nanjing University (China)] (ORCID:0000000309225014), Pan, Jingshan [Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan (China)], Liu, Guangliang [Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan (China)] (ORCID:0000000314517150), Liu, Xin [Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan (China)], Lin, Haipeng [Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (United States)], Zhao, Yuanhong [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)] (ORCID:0000000251341257), Zhao, Chun [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China)] (ORCID:0000000346937213), Meng, Junlei [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)], Yao, Xiaohong [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)] (ORCID:0000000229600793), Gao, Huiwang [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)] (ORCID:0000000242740811), Wu, Lixin [Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)]. 2025-03-08. Reducing Long‐Standing Surface Ozone Overestimation in Earth System Modeling by High‐Resolution Simulation and Dry Deposition Improvement. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023ms004192
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