The state of science on severe air pollution episodes: Quantitative and qualitative analysis
Lídia Morawska, Tong Zhu, Nairui Liu, Mehdi Amouei Torkmahalleh, María de Fátima Andrade, Benjamin Barratt, Parya Broomandi, Giorgio Buonanno, Luis Carlos Belalcázar, Jianmin Chen, Yan Cheng, Greg J. Evans, Mario E. Gavidia-Calderón, Hai Guo, Ivan Hanigan, Min Hu, Cheol H. Jeong, Frank J. Kelly, Laura Gallardo, Prashant Kumar, Xiaopu Lyu, Benjamin J. Mullins, Claus Nordstrøm, Gavin Pereira, Xavier Querol, Néstor Y. Rojas, Armistead G. Russell, Helen Thompson, Hao Wang, Lina Wang, Tao Wang, Aneta Wierzbicka, Tao Xue, Celine Ye
Abstract
) data from 100 cities in five continents, investigated the trends of number, frequency, and duration of pollution episodes, and compared these with the baseline trend in air pollution. We showed that the factors contributing to these events are complex; however, long-term measures to abate emissions from all anthropogenic sources at all times is also the most efficient way to reduce the occurrence of severe air pollution events. In the short term, accurate forecasting systems of such events based on the meteorological conditions favouring their occurrence, together with effective emergency mitigation of anthropogenic sources, may lessen their magnitude and/or duration. However, there is no clear way of preventing events caused by natural sources affected by climate change, such as wildfires and desert dust outbreaks.