# Atmospheric and Climate Modeling ![climate modeling](/sites/g/files/omnuum3496/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-03/AdobeStock_515863144.jpeg?itok=IUmikkOT) ## expand\_more #### Many Harvard-China Project studies of air pollution use chemical transport models, including a nested-grid version of GEOS-Chem focused on East Asia. Other studies consider the effects of climate change on air quality, renewable power potentials, and energy demands for heating and cooling, using ensembles of climate models such as CMIP6. Validated by agreement of modeled concentrations with measurements made by ground stations, aircraft, and satellites, nested-grid models can differentiate air transport mechanisms for regions of east and south Asia on a finer scale than previously possible. They capture the effects of sources far outside of the target domain and also of seasonally changing meteorology—such as cold fronts in winter and monsoons in summer—on regional air quality. The China Project's atmospheric research is committed to building observationally validated, fundamental research on the physical and chemical dimensions of China’s atmospheric environment, from urban to global scales. Complementing the model-based research described here, it includes [atmospheric observations ](/field-observations-air-pollutants-and-ghgs)and both bottom-up and top-down [emissions research](/emissions). ## Related Publications Download 3 citations download- [BibTeX](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_correspondingresearc%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_fundingsources1%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationauthors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationyear12%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researcharea1234%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=129316&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=bibtex) - [EndNote X3 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_correspondingresearc%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_fundingsources1%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationauthors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationyear12%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researcharea1234%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=129316&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=endnote8) - [EndNote 7 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_correspondingresearc%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_fundingsources1%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationauthors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationyear12%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researcharea1234%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=129316&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=endnote7) - [Endnote tagged](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_correspondingresearc%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_fundingsources1%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationauthors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationyear12%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researcharea1234%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=129316&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=tagged) - [Marc](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_correspondingresearc%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_fundingsources1%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationauthors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationyear12%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researcharea1234%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=129316&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=marc) - [PubMedId](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_correspondingresearc%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_fundingsources1%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationauthors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationyear12%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researcharea1234%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=129316&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=pubmed_id) - [RIS](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_correspondingresearc%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_fundingsources1%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationauthors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationyear12%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researcharea1234%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=129316&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=ris) ### In Press Lu Shen, Tianguang Lu, Mingwei Li, Meng Qu, Fengwei Wan, Chris Nielsen, Xi Lu, and Michael McElroy. 2026. “[Impacts of Power Plant Emissions on Air Quality Amplified by Renewable Energy Droughts](/publication/impacts-power-plant-emissions-air-quality-amplified-renewable-energy-droughts)”. Nature Geoscience Lu Shen, Tianguang Lu, Mingwei Li, Meng Qu, Fengwei Wan, Chris Nielsen, Xi Lu, and Michael McElroy. 2026. “[Impacts of Power Plant Emissions on Air Quality Amplified by Renewable Energy Droughts](/publication/impacts-power-plant-emissions-air-quality-amplified-renewable-energy-droughts)”. Nature Geoscience ### 2026 Liuhua Zhu, Fan Wang, Chris Nielsen, Gregory Carmichael, and Meng Gao. 2026. “[Optimized Spatial Planning Offers a Dual Solution for Managing Urban Heat and Air Pollution in Humid Subtropical Climates](/publication/optimized-spatial-planning-offers-dual-solution-managing-urban-heat-and-air-pollution)”. Nature Communications Liuhua Zhu, Fan Wang, Chris Nielsen, Gregory Carmichael, and Meng Gao. 2026. “[Optimized Spatial Planning Offers a Dual Solution for Managing Urban Heat and Air Pollution in Humid Subtropical Climates](/publication/optimized-spatial-planning-offers-dual-solution-managing-urban-heat-and-air-pollution)”. Nature Communications - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ downloadPublisher's Version](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-73855-x) As cities expand, urban heat islands and air pollution have merged, especially in humid subtropical cities. Yet a dual solution remains lacking to simultaneously mitigate these two issues due to complex meteorology-chemistry interactions. Based on... - [ downloadPublisher's Version](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-73855-x) Wenxin Zhao, Yu Zhao, Lu Liu, Chen Gu, Yuqiang Zhang, and Chris P. Nielsen. 2026. “[Tracing the Global Trade Trails of Coal-Related CO2 Emissions and Environmental Health Burdens](/publication/tracing-global-trade-trails-coal-related-co2-emissions-and-environmental-health-burdens)”. Environmental Science and Technology Wenxin Zhao, Yu Zhao, Lu Liu, Chen Gu, Yuqiang Zhang, and Chris P. Nielsen. 2026. “[Tracing the Global Trade Trails of Coal-Related CO2 Emissions and Environmental Health Burdens](/publication/tracing-global-trade-trails-coal-related-co2-emissions-and-environmental-health-burdens)”. Environmental Science and Technology - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ downloadPublisher's Version](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.5c18061) Coal combustion contributes greatly to the level of CO2 emissions, air pollution, and health burdens. International trade classifies coal extraction, coal combustion, and the consumption of goods and services separately. A lack of comprehensive analyses... - [ downloadPublisher's Version](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.5c18061) [ More Publications arrow\_circle\_right ](/publications?f%5B0%5D=bibcite_reference_hwp_c_correspondingresearc%3A146841)