arXiv subjects

Aoxing Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Aoxing Zhang.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Data-driven Urban Surface Classification Elucidates Global City Heterogeneity

Accurate urban surface characterization is essential for environmental modeling, risk assessment, and climate adaptation. However, existing classifications of urban surfaces lack the global consistency and physical detail to fully represent present-day urban heterogeneity. To address this need, we developed a globally unified, Data-driven Urban Environmental Zone (DUEZ) framework. By applying unsupervised clustering to high-resolution (500-m) datasets of building morphology, vegetation, and surface imperviousness, we classified global urban surfaces into 27 DUEZs, representing the exposure setting for approximately 85% of the global population. Compared to the Local Climate Zone scheme, DUEZ framework provides a more detailed representation of urban form, capturing the fine-scale mixing of built and vegetated surfaces in modern cities. Further aggregation of DUEZ patterns revealed nine predominant urban textures globally with regional differences and socioeconomic relevance. The DUEZ framework enhances physical representation of complex urban surfaces in numerical models and establishes a consistent, data-driven basis for global urban environmental studies.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2026

Diffusion-based Probabilistic Air Quality Forecasting with Mechanistic Insight

Current operational air quality forecasts are computationally expensive, sensitive to errors in physics and emissions, and often neglect weather-related uncertainty. To address these limitations, we present AirFusion, a hybrid, diffusion-based framework that synergistically integrates knowledge from chemical transport models with real-world observational constraints to enable accurate and efficient probabilistic regional air quality prediction. We apply AirFusion to generate operational 6-day, 30-member ensemble forecasts of surface ozone across China, initialized with observations and driven by ensemble weather forecasts. AirFusion outperforms existing operational benchmarks, achieving substantially lower forecast errors against surface measurements, while also providing ensemble-based diagnostics that explicitly quantify the impacts of weather uncertainty on air quality predictability. Moreover, AirFusion can rapidly adapt to evolving emissions through fine-tuning with only one month of recent observations. These attributes establish AirFusion as a powerful and extensible framework for next-generation probabilistic air quality forecasting, with clear potential for application to other pollutants and regions.

physics.ao-ph↗