Connections Between the Wintertime East Asian Air Pollution and Monsoon System: Roles of Emission, Meteorology, and Aerosol-Radiation Interaction

We present our study on connections between the wintertime East Asian air pollution and monsoon strength. East Asia has been experiencing a fast worsening of air quality in recent years, a problem commonly attributed to the increase of pollutant emissions associated with the rapid economic development. Meanwhile, previous studies have shown that the decadal-scale weakening of the Asian monsoon also contributed to the increase of PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometer), a major pollutant that determines the air quality. Using a global chemical transport model, we investigate the emission and meteorological effects on the surface PM2.5 concentrations in East Asia in the past 30 years and find their relationship to the monsoon strength. We also examine the feedbacks between aerosols and meteorological fields via aerosol-radiation interactions to estimate the effects of such interactions on air quality. This investigation is supported by the NASA ACMAP progra.