Unexpected Benefits of Reducing Aerosol Cooling Effects.
Impacts of aerosol cooling are not limited to changes in surface temperature since modulation of atmospheric dynamics resulting from the increased stability can deteriorate local air quality and impact human health. Health impacts from two manifestations of the aerosol direct effects (ADE) are estimated in this study: (1) the effect on surface temperature and (2) the effect on air quality through atmospheric dynamics. Average mortalities arising from the enhancement of surface PM2.5 concentration due to ADE in East Asia, North America and Europe are estimated to be 3-6 times higher than reduced mortality from decreases of temperature due to ADE. Our results suggest that mitigating aerosol pollution is beneficial in decreasing the impacts of climate change arising from these two manifestations of ADE health impacts. Thus, decreasing aerosol pollution gets direct benefits on health, and indirect benefits on health through changes in local climate and not offsetting changes associated only with temperature modulations as traditionally thought. The modulation of air pollution due to ADE also translates into an additional human health dividend in regions (e.g., U.S. Europe) with air pollution control measures but a penalty for regions (e.g., Asia) witnessing rapid deterioration in air quality.
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.|The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States.
Jia
J
Xing
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.|The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States.
Jiandong
J
Wang
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States.
Rohit
R
Mathur
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States.
Jonathan
J
Pleim
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.
Shuxiao
S
Wang
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States.
Christian
C
Hogrefe
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States.
Chuen-Meei
CM
Gan
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States.
David C
DC
Wong
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.
Jiming
J
Hao
D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants; D000397:Air Pollution; D057231:Climate Change; D006801:Humans; D052638:Particulate Matter
D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter