After winning a Nobel prize for helping to protect the planet, Mario Molina is tackling a much more difficult problem

Aircraft emissions impact human health though degradation of air quality. The majority of previous analyses of air quality impacts from aviation have considered only landing and takeoff emissions. We show that aircraft cruise emissions impact human health over a hemispheric scale and provide the first estimate of premature mortalities attributable to aircraft emissions globally. We estimate ∼8000 premature mortalities per year are attributable to aircraft cruise emissions.

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is the fastest growing economic development region in China and one of the most densely populated regions in the world, with recent dramatic increases in energy consumption and atmospheric emissions. To inform air pollution control strategy design, Zhou et al. studied how different emission sectors influence population exposures and corresponding health risks.

Sedimentological and stable isotopic characteristics of sediments have been studied in a core from the south-eastern Arabian Sea containing records of the past 70 ka.

Air pollution can cause a widespread haze in the Arctic. A study of the lower atmosphere there suggests that haze particles might take up free radicals, and so extend the lifetime of air pollutants in the region.

It remains uncertain whether added nitrogen enhances total plant productivity in response to CO2-fertilisation in natural ecosystems. Here the authors show that nitrogen addition initially enhances the CO2-stimulation of plant productivity but also promotes the encroachment of plant species that respond less strongly to elevated CO2 concentrations.

There are several methods to communicate the use of different environmental quality parameters. This research communication discusses the use of Air Quality Index (AQI) describing air pollution in Choudwar area. AQI is computed for ten air quality sampling stations in the Choudwar area within the radius 10 kms from the core zone.