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New York Times Cites China Project Symposium and Investigation

July 14, 2014

Changing regional climate might be increasing atmospheric stagnation in northern China in winter, contributing to recent severe haze episodes. This is an area of active investigation in the atmospheric science community, both within China and beyond. It was one topic explored at a Harvard China Project symposium, "China 2035: Energy, Climate, and Development," held June 18-19 at the Harvard Center Shanghai with leading Chinese scientists, economists, and policy analysts.... Read more about New York Times Cites China Project Symposium and Investigation

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"China 2035" Lecture Series Features Michael Spence, Robert Zoellick, and Kevin Rudd

June 5, 2014

The China Project and the Harvard University Center for the Environment launched a public lecture series titled "China 2035: Energy, Climate, and Development." The spring 2014 series included public lectures by Nobel Prize-winning economist Michael SPENCE (March 11), former World Bank President Robert ZOELLICK (April 9), and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin RUDD (April 30).... Read more about "China 2035" Lecture Series Features Michael Spence, Robert Zoellick, and Kevin Rudd

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The Economist, China Daily Cite China Project Research, also Subject of New York Times Op-Ed

March 14, 2014

The China Daily described China Project research on carbon pricing and air pollution; The Economist cited results on the effectiveness of China's SO2 controls from our book, Clearer Skies Over China, also a subject of a New York Times op-ed by Project researchers Chris NIELSEN and Mun HO.... Read more about The Economist, China Daily Cite China Project Research, also Subject of New York Times Op-Ed

Jonathan M. Moch, Eleni Dovrou, Loretta J. Mickley, Frank N. Keutsch, Yuan Cheng, Daniel J. Jacob, Jingkun Jiang, Meng Li, J. William Munger, Xiaohui Qiao, and Qiang Zhang. 2018. “Contribution of hydroxymethane sulfonate to ambient particulate matter: A potential explanation for high particulate sulfur during severe winter haze in Beijing.” Geophysical Research Letters, 45, Pp. 11969-11979. Publisher's VersionAbstract
GRL paper.pdf

PM 2.5 during severe winter haze in Beijing, China, has reached levels as high as 880μg/m3, with sulfur compounds contributing significantly to PM 2.5 composition. This sulfur has been traditionally assumed to be sulfate, although atmospheric chemistry models are unable to account for such large sulfate enhancements under dim winter conditions. Using a 1-D model, we show that well-characterized but previously overlooked chemistry of aqueous-phase HCHO and S(IV) in cloud droplets to form a S(IV)-HCHO adduct, hydroxymethane sulfonate, may explain high particulate sulfur in wintertime Beijing. We also demonstrate in the laboratory that methods of ion chromatography typically used to measure ambient particulates easily misinterpret hydroxymethane sulfonate as sulfate. Our findings suggest that HCHO and not SO2 has been the limiting factor in many haze events in Beijing and that to reduce severe winter pollution in this region, policymakers may need to address HCHO sources such as transportation.

 

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