Paul Crutzen Publication award 

ACP Paul Crutzen Publication Award

The ACP Paul Crutzen Publication Award was created to recognize an outstanding publication in ACP that advances our understanding of atmospheric chemistry and physics. The annual award was created in honour of Paul Crutzen, Nobel Prize awardee and former director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, who played a pivotal role in the creation of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

2022

20 Jul 2022

Climate consequences of hydrogen emissions

Ilissa B. Ocko and Steven P. Hamburg

Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9349–9368, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9349-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9349-2022, 2022

Award citation

Award citation

Hydrogen is widely considered to be a zero- or near-zero-carbon energy carrier and is therefore being vigorously pursued in many countries as part of the transition to a low-carbon economy. However, hydrogen has significant climate impacts that are widely overlooked. In this timely article, the authors compare a range of realistic emission scenarios and show that the effect on climate varies between minimal and substantial depending on the hydrogen production method, emission rate, and time horizon. In some scenarios, hydrogen's indirect effects can considerably undermine the climate benefits of decarbonization strategies, especially on the timescale of a few decades. The authors indicate that actions to reduce hydrogen emissions as infrastructure is scaled up will be essential if we are to maximize the climate benefits of hydrogen systems.

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Congratulations also to the authors of these five further papers, which were shortlisted for the award:

Dagan, G.: Equilibrium climate sensitivity increases with aerosol concentration due to changes in precipitation efficiency, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 15767–15775, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15767-2022, 2022.

Drews, A., Huo, W., Matthes, K., Kodera, K., and Kruschke, T.: The Sun's role in decadal climate predictability in the North Atlantic, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7893–7904, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7893-2022, 2022.

Legras, B., Duchamp, C., Sellitto, P., Podglajen, A., Carboni, E., Siddans, R., Grooß, J.-U., Khaykin, S., and Ploeger, F.: The evolution and dynamics of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai sulfate aerosol plume in the stratosphere, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 14957–14970, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14957-2022, 2022.

Pletzer, J., Hauglustaine, D., Cohen, Y., Jöckel, P., and Grewe, V.: The climate impact of hydrogen-powered hypersonic transport, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 14323–14354, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14323-2022, 2022.

Quaas, J., Jia, H., Smith, C., Albright, A. L., Aas, W., Bellouin, N., Boucher, O., Doutriaux-Boucher, M., Forster, P. M., Grosvenor, D., Jenkins, S., Klimont, Z., Loeb, N. G., Ma, X., Naik, V., Paulot, F., Stier, P., Wild, M., Myhre, G., and Schulz, M.: Robust evidence for reversal of the trend in aerosol effective climate forcing, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12221–12239, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12221-2022, 2022.

2022 award committee: Annica Ekman (chair, Stockholm University), SK Satheesh (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore), Susan Solomon (MIT), Steve Sherwood (University of New South Wales), John P. Burrows (University of Bremen), Ulrike Lohmann (ETH Zurich), Sonia Kreidenweis (Colorado State University), and Hiroshi Tanimoto (National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan)

2021

09 Mar 2021

Global impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the surface concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and ozone

Christoph A. Keller, Mathew J. Evans, K. Emma Knowland, Christa A. Hasenkopf, Sruti Modekurty, Robert A. Lucchesi, Tomohiro Oda, Bruno B. Franca, Felipe C. Mandarino, M. Valeria Díaz Suárez, Robert G. Ryan, Luke H. Fakes, and Steven Pawson

Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 3555–3592, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3555-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3555-2021, 2021

Award citation

Award citation

COVID-19 was the major event of 2021, and presented a unique opportunity to understand the atmospheric effects of widespread reductions in air pollutant emissions. However, the effects on atmospheric chemistry were short-lasting and therefore very challenging to separate reliably from the large variability in meteorology. In a very effective application of machine learning, Keller et al. achieved this separation for thousands observation sites in 46 countries. The results reveal reductions in nitrogen dioxide concentrations of as much as 60%, but much more complex responses of ozone that depend on season, environment, and non-linear chemical processes. The results provide a unique dataset to test our understanding of atmospheric chemistry and to more-reliably predict future reductions in ozone pollution as nitrogen dioxide emissions decline.

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2021 award committee: Annica Ekman (chair, Stockholm University), SK Satheesh (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore), Susan Solomon (MIT), Steve Sherwood (University of New South Wales), John P. Burrows (University of Bremen), Ulrike Lohmann (ETH Zurich), Sonia Kreidenweis (Colorado State University), and Hiroshi Tanimoto (National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan)