Title

Air Quality and Climate in California

Abstract

Climate and air quality in California are linked in a complex system that is evolving over time. This presentation will analyze the direct and indirect effects of climate change on the ozone (O3) and airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations experienced by ~30M California residents. Observations and model results will be analyzed to show that the O3 climate penalty has decreased overtime and to predict how it will change in the future. Seven years of simulated climate/air quality around the year 2000 and the year 2050 will be analyzed to show that the direct effect of climate change on annual-average PM concentrations is small and may be negative, but the direct effect of climate change on extreme PM concentrations is large and positive. Finally, the reduced PM concentrations resulting from California Assembly Bill 32 (AB32) and California Governor’s Executive Order S-305 will be quantified.