Influence of Surface Methane on Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations and Cereal Yield in Asia
2023
Kenichi Tatsumi
Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) emanating from terrestrial sources serves as a precursor for the genesis of tropospheric ozone (O<sub>3</sub>), a pernicious atmospheric contaminant that adversely modulates the physiological mechanisms of agricultural crops. Despite the acknowledged role of CH<sub>4</sub> in amplifying O<sub>3</sub> concentrations, the extant literature offers limited quantitative evaluations concerning the repercussions of CH<sub>4</sub>-mediated O<sub>3</sub> on cereal yields. Employing the GEOS-Chem atmospheric chemistry model, the present investigation elucidates the ramifications of a 50% diminution in anthropogenic CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations on the yield losses of maize, soybean, and wheat across Asia for the fiscal year 2010. The findings unveil pronounced yield detriments attributable to O<sub>3</sub>-induced phytotoxicity, with the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the North China Plain manifesting the most substantial yield impairments among the crops examined. A halving of anthropogenic CH<sub>4</sub> effluents could ameliorate considerable losses in cereal production across these agriculturally pivotal regions. CH<sub>4</sub>-facilitated O<sub>3</sub> exerts a pernicious influence on cereal yields; nevertheless, targeted mitigation of CH<sub>4</sub> effluents, particularly in the vicinity of the North China Plain, holds the potential to substantially attenuate O<sub>3</sub> contamination, thereby catalyzing an enhancement in regional cereal production.
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