Ammonia emission control in China would mitigate haze pollution and nitrogen deposition, but worsen acid rain

Significance Atmospheric ammonia plays important roles in fine particle pollution, acid rain, and nitrogen deposition. China, known as the world’s top emitter of gaseous ammonia, plans to control ammonia emissions to mitigate the haze pollution that has recently emerged. However, the complex side effects are still unclear. By integrating a chemical transport model, nationwide measurements, and a sophisticated ammonia emission model, we find that ammonia emission control would significantly aggravate acid rain pollution, thereby offsetting the benefit from reduced fine particle pollution and nitrogen deposition. Our work suggests that region-specific ammonia-control strategies provide a more rational and…

• CS
  Colorado State University
• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 2016YFC0201505, 21625701, 41421064, 91644212
• BU
  Beijing University of Technology
• ZU
  Zhengzhou University