This K4DD Rapid Evidence Review collates available evidence on the connections between El Niño events and air pollution episodes.
The review draws on a small but expanding evidence base including both academic and grey literature. The collated evidence provides a complex picture with multiple factors mediating the influence of El Niño on air quality including geographic location, the “flavour” of El Niño and the extent to which the El Niño is considered to be a strong or weak event. That being said, certain factors (changes in precipitation, increased incidences of drought, changes to atmospheric boundary heights and reductions in pollutant dispersion) in certain regions (e.g., northern Brazil, Indonesia, South Asia, and parts of Australia) are seen to exert an influence on air pollution episodes.
Explore all K4DD outputs here.