Ozone impact on air to be studied

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The effect climate change is having on the world's air quality is to be the subject of a major UK scientific study.

Researchers will consider how the next century's climate system could be affected by ground level ozone.

The greenhouse gas forms when sunlight reacts with pollutants and naturally occurring chemicals from sources such as vehicle exhausts and aircraft.

The Royal Society said the study will also look at the impact on human health and the environment.

Concentrations of the gas at ground level are thought to be one of the most important air pollution problems.

"We are only just beginning to understand how ground level ozone and the climate interact," said professor David Fowler, chairman of the study's working group.

"As a greenhouse gas, ozone is, after carbon dioxide and methane, now the most important contributor to global warming.

"We need to better understand what the feedback between the climate system and ozone might be, to identify and then tackle the challenges we may face in the future."