PhD Studentship: Global Burden of Stratosphere-troposphere Exchange Induced Ozone Pollution Under Climate Warming

Air pollution poses one of the greatest risks to health globally. As policy focuses on reducing NOx emissions, tropospheric ozone is expected to rise due to changes in precursor chemistry. According to the IPCC AR6 report, there is low confidence regarding the response of tropospheric ozone under future climate conditions due to widespread uncertainties in the quantification of the processes that drive its formation, depletion and transport mechanisms. Tropospheric ozone has a high oxidative capacity and is known to have detrimental effects on respiratory health.

A topic of particularly high uncertainty is the contribution of stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) to tropospheric ozone pollution under future climate conditions. The STE is a key atmospheric process that is crucial for the distribution of gaseous species between the stratosphere and troposphere, influencing global background air quality. Stratospheric cooling due to tropospheric warming has been observed, and the implications of this on the STE, and subsequently air quality, must be deduced. Furthermore, there is high spatial variability in model projections of STE-induced tropospheric ozone, particularly in polluted areas hence quantifying its dynamics & global health burden is of upmost concern.

For further information on this project & details of how to apply to it, please click on the 'Apply' button above.

Further information on how to apply for a CENTA studentship can be found on the CENTA website: https://centa.ac.uk/apply/

Funding notes:

This project is offered through the CENTA3 DLA, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Funding covers: annual stipend, tuition fees (at home-fee level), Research Training Support Grant.

Academic requirements: at least a 2:1 at UK BSc level or a pass at UK MSc level or equivalent.

International students are eligible for studentships to a maximum of 30% of the cohort. Funding does not cover any additional costs relating to moving or residing in the UK. International applicants must fulfil the University of Birmingham’s international student entry requirements, including English language. Further information: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/pgt/requirements-pgt/international/index.aspx.

References:

Doherty, R. M., Wild, O., Shindell, D. T., Zeng, G., MacKenzie, I. A., Collins, W. J., Fiore, A. M., Stevenson, D. S., Dentener, F. J., Schultz, M. G., Hess, P., Derwent, R. G. and Keating, T. J. (2013) 'Impacts of climate change on surface ozone and intercontinental ozone pollution: A multi-model study', Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 118(9), pp. 3744-3763.

Jing, P., Banerjee, S. and Barrera, M. (2020) 'Impact of Rossby wave breaking on ozone variation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, 1985–2015', Atmospheric Environment, 222, pp. 117122.

Li, Y., Xia, Y., Xie, F. and Yan, Y. (2024) 'Influence of stratosphere-troposphere exchange on long-term trends of surface ozone in CMIP6', Atmospheric Research, 297, pp. 107086.

Meul, S., Langematz, U., Kröger, P., Oberländer-Hayn, S. and Jöckel, P. (2018) 'Future changes in the stratosphere-to-troposphere ozone mass flux and the contribution from climate change and ozone recovery', Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18(10), pp. 7721-7738.

Wang, Y., He, Y., Sheng, Z., Sun, J., Qin, Z. and Tao, Y. (2025) 'Vertical ozone transport by Rossby wave breaking in upper troposphere-lower stratosphere is weakening', Atmospheric Environment, 343, pp. 120999.

Wang, Y., Wild, O., Chen, X., Wu, Q., Gao, M., Chen, H., Qi, Y. and Wang, Z. (2020) 'Health impacts of long-term ozone exposure in China over 2013-2017', Environment international , 144 , 106030., (1873-6750 (Electronic)).

Zhou, X., Li, M., Huang, X., Liu, T., Zhang, H., Qi, X., Wang, Z., Qin, Y., Geng, G., Wang, J., Chi, X. and Ding, A. (2025) 'Urban meteorology–chemistry coupling in compound heat–ozone extremes', Nature Cities.

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