Impacts of aerosol-radiation feedback on local air quality during a severe haze episode in Nanjing megacity, eastern China

Abstract Severe haze events and their radiation feedbacks exert a profound impact on the weather and tropospheric chemistry. Using the on-line-coupled Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model, this study investigates the impacts of direct aerosol-radiation feedbacks on local air quality (i.e. particulate matter and ozone photochemistry) during a severe autumn haze episode in Nanjing megacity, eastern China. Pronounced radiation feedbacks are found for the predictions of meteorological and chemical variables. In response to the negative radiative forcing of scattering-dominant anthropogenic haze aerosols, the instantaneous irradiance and temperature at the surface lower by 130 W m−2 and 1.1–1.4 °C, respectively, leading to a reduction of boundary layer height by 103.2–232.6 m (11–38%) and vertical wind speed by 0.1–0.8 mm s−1 (2–30% at mid-day) during this haze event. Such a stable atmosphere favours the accumulation of fine particles (30.5 μg m−3, 28.7%) and NO2 (6.0 ppb, 23.7%) in the urban pollution plume. The weaker turbulent mixing and photochemical activity associated with the enhanced titration loss, and reduced downward radiation and photolysis rate result in a 0.1−5.0 ppb (12.0%) reduction of near-surface ozone. The simulations highlight that the aerosol-radiation feedbacks play an important role in the atmospheric transport and chemistry of large urban pollution plumes.