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Abstract:
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One of the many pathways through which climate change could affect human health is increased levels of tropospheric ozone, a common air pollutant. We estimated ozone levels in 50 eastern U.S. cities by linking global climate change, meteorological, and air quality models. Ozone levels were compared for summers of the 2050s and 1990s under two weather scenarios: baseline and the IPCC A2 scenario. Populations and emissions levels were kept at 1990s levels, which isolates the impact of climate change on ozone, which could also be affected by future changes in technology, population, etc. On average across the cities, daily 1-h maximum ozone increased about 5 ppb. Findings indicate that climate change could raise ozone levels and thereby adversely impact human health. This work will also present challenges associated with researching human health and climate change.
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