Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Advertisement

npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
  • View all journals
  • Search
  • My Account Login
  • Content Explore content
  • About the journal
  • Publish with us
  • Sign up for alerts
  • RSS feed
  1. nature
  2. npj climate and atmospheric science
  3. articles
  4. article
Complex interplay between transboundary ozone and domestic emissions shapes surface ozone pollution in China
Download PDF
Download PDF
  • Article
  • Open access
  • Published: 17 March 2026

Complex interplay between transboundary ozone and domestic emissions shapes surface ozone pollution in China

  • Wei Tao1,2,
  • Tzung-May Fu1,2,
  • Junfeng Liu3,
  • Hang Su4,
  • Yafang Cheng5,
  • Ruijing Ni5,6,
  • Aoxing Zhang1,2,
  • Yixin Guo7,
  • Tianci Jiang1,2,
  • Jiajia Mo1,2,
  • Xiaolin Wang8,
  • Huizhong Shen1,2 &
  • …
  • Min Shao9 

npj Climate and Atmospheric Science , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

  • 1030 Accesses

  • Metrics details

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Chemistry
  • Environmental sciences

Abstract

Background ozone (O3), defined as O3 originating from transboundary transport and domestic natural precursors, has traditionally been viewed as largely unresponsive to domestic anthropogenic emissions, representing an uncontrollable baseline for a nation’s O3 pollution levels. However, this paradigm overlooks the chemical interactions between the cycled oxidants from transboundary O3 and domestic precursors. Here, we developed a novel expanded odd oxygen (Oy) tagged modeling framework to explicitly track the sources and full photochemical cycling of O3 and its radical reservoirs during a typical autumn O3 pollution episode in China. Our results demonstrated that interactions between transboundary O3 and domestic precursors accounted for 44% to 49% of surface O3 levels across Eastern China during the study period. Transboundary O3 played a dual photochemical role, simultaneously promoting O3 formation by serving as a major source of ROx radicals, while also suppressing the ozone-forming potential of domestic precursors through ROx removal and modulation of the OH turnover rate. Consequently, the interplay between background and domestic anthropogenic sources fundamentally shaped the ambient O3 formation regime. This work challenges the prevailing view of a chemically static background, redefining the “controllable” portion of O3 pollution and necessitating a reassessment of mitigation strategies from regional to intercontinental scales.

Similar content being viewed by others

Ozone pollution monitoring using a full-time hyperspectral tomography system for multiple air pollutants

Article Open access 01 December 2025

Seasonal predictability of the dominant surface ozone pattern over China linked to sea surface temperature

Article Open access 15 January 2024

Comparative analysis of the impact of rising temperatures on ozone levels in China and the United States

Article Open access 02 September 2025

Data availability

All the datasets used in this study are publicly accessible. The Final Operational Global Analysis (FNL) data (https://gdex.ucar.edu/datasets/d083002/) used for meteorological initial and boundary conditions, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) ADP Global Surface Observational Weather Data (https://gdex.ucar.edu/datasets/d461000/) used for observational nudging of surface meteorology were obtained from National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Geoscience Data Exchange (GDEX) Archive. The Community Atmosphere Model with Chemistry (CAM-chem) output data (https://www.acom.ucar.edu/cesm/subset.shtml) used for chemical initial and boundary conditions, and the Fire Inventory from NCAR (FINN) data (https://www.acom.ucar.edu/Data/fire/) used for wildfire emissions were provided by NCAR Research Data Archive. The Multi-resolution Emission Inventory (MEIC) data used for anthropogenic emissions were downloaded from MEIC official website (http://meicmodel.org.cn/?page_id=45&lang=en). Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) data used for biogenic emissions were retrieved from NCAR Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled to Chemistry (WRF-Chem) Pre-processors Archive (https://www.acom.ucar.edu/wrf-chem/download.shtml).

References

  1. Health Effects Institute. State of Global Air 2025: A Report on Air Pollution and Its Role in the World’s Leading Causes of Death. (Boston, 2025).

  2. Wang, W. et al. Long-term trend of ozone pollution in China during 2014–2020: distinct seasonal and spatial characteristics and ozone sensitivity. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 22, 8935–8949 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Zheng, B. et al. Trends in China’s anthropogenic emissions since 2010 as the consequence of clean air actions. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 18, 14095–14111 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Li, K. et al. Anthropogenic drivers of 2013–2017 trends in summer surface ozone in China. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 116, 422 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Wang, W. et al. Ozone pollution mitigation strategy informed by long-term trends of atmospheric oxidation capacity. Nat. Geosci. 17, 20–25 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Li, P. et al. Source attribution of near-surface ozone trends in the United States during 1995–2019. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 23, 5403–5417 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Wang, P., Chen, Y., Hu, J., Zhang, H. & Ying, Q. Source apportionment of summertime ozone in China using a source-oriented chemical transport model. Atmos. Environ. 211, 79–90 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Butler, T., Lupascu, A., Coates, J. & Zhu, S. TOAST 1.0: tropospheric ozone attribution of sources with tagging for CESM 1.2. 2. Geosci. Model Dev. 11, 2825–2840 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Li, L. et al. Source apportionment of surface ozone in the Yangtze River Delta, China in the summer of 2013. Atmos. Environ. 144, 194–207 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Zhao, Y. et al. A comprehensive provincial-level VOCs emission inventory and scenario analysis for China: Enhanced sectoral resolution through GAINS-China model. Atmos. Environ. X 25, 100316 (2025).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lu, X. et al. The underappreciated role of agricultural soil nitrogen oxide emissions in ozone pollution regulation in North China. Nat. Commun. 12, 5021 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Wang, T. et al. Ground-level ozone pollution in China: a synthesis of recent findings on influencing factors and impacts. Environ. Res. Lett. 17, 063003 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Qu, K. et al. The effect of cross-regional transport on ozone and particulate matter pollution in China: a review of methodology and current knowledge. Sci. Total Environ. 947, 174196 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Fiore, A. M. et al. Multimodel estimates of intercontinental source-receptor relationships for ozone pollution. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 114, D04301 (2009).

  15. Zhang, Y. et al. Contributions of World Regions to the Global Tropospheric Ozone Burden Change From 1980 to 2010. Geophys. Res. Lett. 48, e2020GL089184 (2021).

  16. Shen, L. et al. Atmospheric transport drives regional interactions of ozone pollution in China. Sci. Total Environ. 830, 154634 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Jaffe, D. A. et al. Scientific assessment of background ozone over the US: implications for air quality management. Elem. Sci. Anthr. 6: 56 (2018).

  18. Chen, C. et al. A comprehensive review of tropospheric background ozone: definitions, estimation methods, and meta-analysis of its spatiotemporal distribution in China. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 25, 15145–15169 (2025).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ye, X. et al. Spatial and temporal variations of surface background ozone in China analyzed with the grid-stretching capability of GEOS-Chem High Performance. Sci. Total Environ. 914, 16909 (2024).

  20. Dolwick, P. et al. Comparison of background ozone estimates over the western United States based on two separate model methodologies. Atmos. Environ. 109, 282–296 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Lefohn, A. S. et al. Estimates of background surface ozone concentrations in the United States based on model-derived source apportionment. Atmos. Environ. 84, 275–288 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Garatachea, R. et al. National and transboundary contributions to surface ozone concentration across European countries. Commun. Earth Environ. 5, 588 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Derwent, R. G., Witham, C. S., Utembe, S. R., Jenkin, M. E. & Passant, N. R. Ozone in Central England: the impact of 20 years of precursor emission controls in Europe. Environ. Sci. Policy 13, 195–204 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Ni, R., Lin, J., Yan, Y. & Lin, W. Foreign and domestic contributions to springtime ozone over China. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 18, 11447–11469 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  25. U.S. EPA: Air quality criteria for ozone and related photochemical oxidants (final report, 2006), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-05/004aF-cF, https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/risk/recordisplay.cfm?deid=149923 (last access: 4 November 2025).

  26. Vingarzan, R. A review of surface ozone background levels and trends. Atmos. Environ. 38, 3431–3442 (2004).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Reid, N., Yap, D. & Bloxam, R. The potential role of background ozone on current and emerging air issues: an overview. Air Qual. Atmos. Health 1, 19–29 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Fiore, A. et al. Variability in surface ozone background over the United States: implications for air quality policy. J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos. 108, 4787 (2003).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Fiore, A. M. et al. Estimating North American background ozone in U.S. surface air with two independent global models: variability, uncertainties, and recommendations. Atmos. Environ. 96, 284–300 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Lu, X. et al. Exploring 2016-2017 surface ozone pollution over China: source contributions and meteorological influences. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 19, 8339–8361 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Kang, M., Zhang, H. & Ying, Q. Enhanced summertime background ozone by anthropogenic emissions—implications on ozone control policy and health risk assessment. Atmos. Environ. 314, 120116 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Wang, R. et al. The reward and penalty for ozone pollution control caused by natural sources and regional transport: a case study in Guangdong province. Sci. Total Environ. 949, 174984 (2024).

  33. Clappier, A., Belis, C. A., Pernigotti, D. & Thunis, P. Source apportionment and sensitivity analysis: two methodologies with two different purposes. Geosci. Model Dev. 10, 4245–4256 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  34. Cohan, D. S., Hakami, A., Hu, Y. & Russell, A. G. Nonlinear response of ozone to emissions: source apportionment and sensitivity analysis. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39, 6739–6748 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  35. Dunker, A. M., Yarwood, G., Ortmann, J. P. & Wilson, G. M. Comparison of source apportionment and source sensitivity of ozone in a three-dimensional air quality model. Environ. Sci. Technol. 36, 2953–2964 (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Wang, Y. et al. Soil emissions of reactive oxidized nitrogen reduce the effectiveness of anthropogenic source control in China. Environ. Sci. Technol. 58, 21015–21024 (2024).

  37. Galmarini, S. et al. Technical note: coordination and harmonization of the multi-scale, multi-model activities HTAP2, AQMEII3, and MICS-Asia3: simulations, emission inventories, boundary conditions, and model output formats. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 17, 1543–1555 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Jonson, J. E. et al. The effects of intercontinental emission sources on European air pollution levels. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 18, 13655–13672 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Huang, M. et al. Impact of intercontinental pollution transport on North American ozone air pollution: an HTAP phase 2 multi-model study. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 17, 5721–5750 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  40. Zhang, X. et al. Long-term variations in surface ozone at the Longfengshan regional atmosphere background station in Northeast China and related influencing factors. Environ. Pollut. 348, 123748 (2024).

  41. Xiao, J., Wang, T., Wang, Y., Yang, Q. & Shi, Y. Analysis of ozone time series variation in atmospheric background area in China. Res. Environ. Sci. 35, 2128–2135 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  42. Chakraborty, T., Beig, G., Dentener, F. J. & Wild, O. Atmospheric transport of ozone between Southern and Eastern Asia. Sci. Total Environ. 523, 28–39 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  43. Butler, T., Lupascu, A. & Nalam, A. Attribution of ground-level ozone to anthropogenic and natural sources of nitrogen oxides and reactive carbon in a global chemical transport model. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 20, 10707–10731 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  44. Lupaşcu, A., Otero, N., Minkos, A. & Butler, T. Attribution of surface ozone to NOx and volatile organic compound sources during two different high ozone events. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 22, 11675–11699 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  45. Wang, Y., Logan, J. A. & Jacob, D. J. Global simulation of tropospheric O3-NOx-hydrocarbon chemistry: 2. Model evaluation and global ozone budget. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 103, 10727–10755 (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Crutzen, P. J., Lawrence, M. G. & Pöschl, U. On the background photochemistry of tropospheric ozone. Tellus B Chem. Phys. Meteorol. 51, 123–146 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  47. Bates, K. & Jacob, D. J. An expanded definition of the odd oxygen family for tropospheric ozone budgets: implications for ozone lifetime and stratospheric influence. Geophys. Res. Lett. 47, e2019GL084486 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  48. Grell, G. A. et al. Fully coupled “online” chemistry within the WRF model. Atmos. Environ. 39, 6957–6975 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  49. Ye, F. et al. Integrated process analysis retrieval of changes in ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter during the COVID-19 outbreak in the coastal city of Kannur, India. Environ. Pollut. 307, 119468 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Young, P. J. et al. Tropospheric ozone assessment report: assessment of global-scale model performance for global and regional ozone distributions, variability, and trends. Elem. Sci. Anthr. 6, 10 (2018).

  51. Kleinman, L. I. et al. Ozone production efficiency in an urban area. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 107, ACH 23–12 (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  52. Cho, C. et al. Experimental chemical budgets of OH, HO2, and RO2 radicals in rural air in western Germany during the JULIAC campaign 2019. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 23, 2003–2033 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  53. Guo, Y. et al. Long-lived species enhance summertime attribution of North American ozone to upwind sources. Environ. Sci. Technol. 51, 5017–5025 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  54. Wu, R. & Xie, S. Spatial distribution of ozone formation in China derived from emissions of speciated volatile organic compounds. Environ. Sci. Technol. 51, 2574–2583 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  55. Zhang, Y. et al. Developing the maximum incremental reactivity for volatile organic compounds in major cities of Central-Eastern China. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 127, e2022JD037296 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  56. Carter, W. P. Development of an improved chemical speciation database for processing emissions of volatile organic compounds for air quality models. Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), University of California, Riverside. http://www.engr.ucr.edu/~carter/emitdb (2008).

  57. Wang, M. et al. Maximum incremental reactivity for volatile organic compounds in three city clusters of China: quantification, variability, and implications for ozone control. Atmos. Environ. 361, 121459 (2025).

    Google Scholar 

  58. Sillman, S., Logan, J. A. & Wofsy, S. C. The sensitivity of ozone to nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in regional ozone episodes. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 95, 1837–1851 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  59. Chen, W. et al. Assessment of background ozone concentrations in China and implications for using region-specific volatile organic compounds emission abatement to mitigate air pollution. Environ. Pollut. 305, 119254 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  60. Yang, Y. et al. Impact of temperature on the biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions in China: a review. J. Environ. Sci. 159, 649–660 (2025).

  61. Kan, H. World Health Organization air quality guidelines 2021: implication for air pollution control and climate goal in China. Chinese Med. J. 135, 513–515 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  62. Liu, Y. et al. An implementation of obs-nudging-based FDDA into WRF for supporting ATEC test operations. 2005 WRF user workshop. Paper 10.7. https://www2.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users/docs/How_to_run_obs_fdda.html (2005).

  63. Zhang, Q. et al. Asian emissions in 2006 for the NASA INTEX-B mission. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 9, 5131–5153 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  64. Li, M. et al. MIX: a mosaic Asian anthropogenic emission inventory under the international collaboration framework of the MICS-Asia and HTAP. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 17, 935–963 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  65. Garin, F. Mechanism of NOx decomposition. Appl. Catal. A Gen. 222, 183–219 (2001).

    Google Scholar 

  66. Wiedinmyer, C. et al. The Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN)—a high resolution global model to estimate the emissions from open burning. Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss 3, 2439–2476 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  67. Guenther, A. et al. Estimates of global terrestrial isoprene emissions using MEGAN (Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature). Atmos. Chem. Phys. 6, 3181–3210 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  68. Stockwell, W. R., Kirchner, F., Kuhn, M. & Seefeld, S. A new mechanism for regional atmospheric chemistry modeling. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 102, 25847–25879 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  69. Tao, W. et al. Effects of urban land expansion on the regional meteorology and air quality of eastern China. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 15, 8597–8614 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  70. Wang, H. et al. Seasonality and reduced nitric oxide titration dominated ozone increase during COVID-19 lockdown in eastern China. npj Clim. Atmos. Sci. 5, 24 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFC3706205), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42325504, 42305188), the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (KQTD20210811090048025, JCYJ20220818100611024), and the High-level Special Funds (G03034K006). Computational resources were supported by the Center for Computational Science and Engineering at the Southern University of Science and Technology.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

    Wei Tao, Tzung-May Fu, Aoxing Zhang, Tianci Jiang, Jiajia Mo & Huizhong Shen

  2. Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

    Wei Tao, Tzung-May Fu, Aoxing Zhang, Tianci Jiang, Jiajia Mo & Huizhong Shen

  3. Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Junfeng Liu

  4. State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Extreme Meteorology, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Hang Su

  5. Aerosol Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany

    Yafang Cheng & Ruijing Ni

  6. Sichuan Academy of Environmental Policy and Planning, Chengdu, China

    Ruijing Ni

  7. Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Thrust, Function Hub, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China

    Yixin Guo

  8. John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Xiaolin Wang

  9. College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

    Min Shao

Authors
  1. Wei Tao
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tzung-May Fu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Junfeng Liu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hang Su
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yafang Cheng
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ruijing Ni
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Aoxing Zhang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Yixin Guo
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Tianci Jiang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Jiajia Mo
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Xiaolin Wang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Huizhong Shen
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Min Shao
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization: W.T. and T.M.F.; Funding acquisition: T.M.F. and M.S.; Supervision: T.M.F.; Methodology: W.T.; Investigation: W.T., A.Z., T.J., J.M., X.W., H.S., J.L., H.S., Y.C., R.N., and Y.G.; Formal analysis: W.T.; Software: W.T.; Visualization: W.T.; Writing-original draft: W.T. and T.M.F.; Writing—review and editing: W.T., T.M.F., J.L., H.S., Y.C., R.N., A.Z., Y.G., T.J., J.M., X.W., H.S., and M.S.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tzung-May Fu.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information (download PDF )

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tao, W., Fu, TM., Liu, J. et al. Complex interplay between transboundary ozone and domestic emissions shapes surface ozone pollution in China. npj Clim Atmos Sci (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-026-01379-8

Download citation

  • Received: 19 November 2025

  • Accepted: 04 March 2026

  • Published: 17 March 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-026-01379-8

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Download PDF

Associated content

Collection

Modeling of Airborne Composition and Concentrations

Advertisement

Explore content

  • Research articles
  • Reviews & Analysis
  • News & Comment
  • Collections
  • Follow us on X
  • Sign up for alerts
  • RSS feed

About the journal

  • Aims & Scope
  • Content types
  • Journal Information
  • About the Editors
  • Open Access
  • Contact
  • Calls for Papers
  • Article Processing Charges
  • Editorial policies
  • Journal Metrics
  • About the Partner

Publish with us

  • For Authors and Referees
  • Language editing services
  • Open access funding
  • Submit manuscript

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

  • Explore articles by subject
  • Find a job
  • Guide to authors
  • Editorial policies

npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (npj Clim Atmos Sci)

ISSN 2397-3722 (online)

nature.com footer links

About Nature Portfolio

  • About us
  • Press releases
  • Press office
  • Contact us

Discover content

  • Journals A-Z
  • Articles by subject
  • protocols.io
  • Nature Index

Publishing policies

  • Nature portfolio policies
  • Open access

Author & Researcher services

  • Reprints & permissions
  • Research data
  • Language editing
  • Scientific editing
  • Nature Masterclasses
  • Research Solutions

Libraries & institutions

  • Librarian service & tools
  • Librarian portal
  • Open research
  • Recommend to library

Advertising & partnerships

  • Advertising
  • Partnerships & Services
  • Media kits
  • Branded content

Professional development

  • Nature Awards
  • Nature Careers
  • Nature Conferences

Regional websites

  • Nature Africa
  • Nature China
  • Nature India
  • Nature Japan
  • Nature Middle East
  • Privacy Policy
  • Use of cookies
  • Legal notice
  • Accessibility statement
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Your US state privacy rights
Springer Nature

© 2026 Springer Nature Limited

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing