Heatwaves Turn Nature Against Itself: How Forests and Soils Fuel a Dangerous Air Pollution Feedback Loop

As global air pollution policies successfully cut human-made emissions, an overlooked natural feedback loop is undermining those hard-won gains. New research reveals that extreme heatwaves trigger a powerful synergy between plant-released chemicals and soil nitrogen emissions--dramatically accelerating the formation of ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA).