Mainland China

Meteorology

Archaeology

Organic chemistry

Chemistry

Ecology

China

Geography

Action plan

Environmental science

Greenhouse gas

Ozone

Pollution

Environmental protection

Air pollution

Pollutant

Biology

Environmental planning

Environmental Research Letters

Ozone (O 3 ) in the troposphere is an air pollutant and a greenhouse gas. In mainland China, after the Air Pollution Prevention and Action Plan was implemented in 2013—and despite substantial decreases in the concentrations of other air pollutants—ambient O 3 concentrations paradoxically increased in many urban areas. The worsening urban O 3 pollution has fuelled numerous studies in recent years, which have enriched knowledge about O 3 -related processes and their impacts. In this article, we synthesise the key findings of over 500 articles on O 3 over mainland China that were published in the past six years in English-language journals. We focus on recent changes in O 3 concentrations, their meteorological and chemical drivers, complex O 3 responses to the drastic decrease in human activities during coronavirus disease 2019 lockdowns, several emerging chemical processes, impacts on crops and trees, and the latest government interventions.

Ground-level ozone pollution in China: a synthesis of recent findings on influencing factors and impacts