Dataset Supporting the JGR Article: Compound Drivers of Rising Ozone Extremes in the North China Plain (2013-2023)

1. Surface PM₂.₅ and Ozone Observations in China This archive provides site-level and gridded observational datasets of daily 24-h average PM₂.₅ and maximum daily 8-h average ozone (MDA8) from China’s national air-quality monitoring network for 2013–2023. Data quality control and processing procedures follow those described in Supporting Text S1 of Lin et al. (GRL, 2025). File: OBS.China_daily_pm2.5_mda8o3.2013_2023.tar.gz 2. GFDL-AM4V Model Simulations. These archives contain monthly and daily MDA8 ozone fields from 2017–2023 generated by a suite of GFDL-AM4V hindcast experiments designed to isolate the roles of multiple factors driving ozone extremes in the North China Plain. The simulations systematically perturb aerosols, anthropogenic NOₓ and VOC emissions, afforestation-induced changes in isoprene emissions, and drought-driven reductions in vegetation ozone uptake. Details of each experiment can be found in Table 2 and Section 2 of Lin et al. (JGR, 2025). Daily data files included: BASE.mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz FIXDEPV.mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz GREEN.mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz SENS_NOx0.6_VOCx0.6.mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz Monthly data files included: SENS_NOx0.8.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz SENS_VOCx0.8.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz SENS_NOx0.8_VOCx0.8.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz SENS_VOCx0.6.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz SENS_NOx0.6.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz SENS_VOCx0.5.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz SENS_NOx0.5_VOCx0.5.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz HighAero.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz HighAero_HighNOx.monthly_mda8.2017_2023.tar.gz The Base simulation also includes a stratospheric ozone tracer (mda8_o3se90_const), which can be used to diagnose the influence of stratosphere-to-troposphere transport on surface ozone. Further information regarding this tracer is provided in Lin et al. (JGR, 2012) and Lin et al. (Nature Communications, 2015). These archives contain monthly mean surface PM2.5 concentrations from 2013-2023 under the Base, HighAero_HighNOx, and HighAero scenarios. BASE.monthly_aerosol_PM25.2013_2023.tar.gz HighAero_HighNOx.monthly_aerosol_PM25.2013_2023.tar.gz HighAero.monthly_aerosol_PM25.2013_2023.tar.gz All observational datasets and model outputs are provided in NetCDF format. References: Lin, M., L.W. Horowitz, Y. Xie, I. De Smedt (2025). Compound Drivers of Rising Ozone Extremes in the North China Plain (2013-2023): Aerosol Decline, Hot Droughts, Afforestation-driven BVOCs, and Reduced Vegetation Uptake. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, in press, doi:10.1029/2025JD044764, preprint availabe at ESS Open Archive, DOI: 10.22541/essoar.175250225.56028005/v1. Lin, M., Y. Xie, I. De Smedt, L.W. Horowitz (2025). Ozone Pollution Extremes in Southeast China Exacerbated by Reduced Uptake by Vegetation during Hot Droughts. Geophysical Research Letters, 52, e2025GL114934, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL114934. Lin, M., L. W. Horowitz, M. Zhao, L. Harris, P. Ginoux, J. P. Dunne, S. Malyshev, E. Shevliakova, H. Ahsan, S. Garner, F. Paulot, A. Pouyaei, S. J. Smith, Y. Xie, N. Zadeh, L. Zhou. The GFDL Variable-Resolution Global Chemistry-Climate Model for Research at the Nexus of US Climate and Air Quality Extremes. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 16, e2023MS003984, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023MS003984, 2024 Lin, M., A. M. Fiore , O. R. Cooper , L. W. Horowitz , A. O. Langford , Hiram Levy II , B. J. Johnson , V. Naik , S. J. Oltmans , C. Senff (2012): Springtime high surface ozone events over the western United States: Quantifying the role of stratospheric intrusions, Journal of Geophysical Research, 117, D00V22, doi:10.1029/2012JD018151 Lin, M., A.M. Fiore, L.W. Horowitz, A.O. Langford, S. J. Oltmans, D. Tarasick, H.E. Reider (2015): Climate variability modulates western US ozone air quality in spring via deep stratospheric intrusions, Nature Communications, 6, 7105, doi:10.1038/ncomms8105