Professor Nadine Unger PhD

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Research Fellow

Contact details

Email: n.unger@bham.ac.uk

Professor Unger is an international expert in atmospheric chemistry and climate change. Her current research uses machine learning and data science methods to advance understanding of the environmental impacts of climate intervention and mitigation strategies.

Qualifications

PhD Atmospheric Chemistry University of Leeds
BSc. Hons. Class I Chemistry University of Leeds

Biography

Dr. Unger is an Earth system scientist whose research integrates atmospheric pollution, terrestrial ecosystems, and climate change through the combined use of advanced Earth system models and multi-platform observations. She has held appointments at several of the world’s foremost research institutions, including the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Yale University, and the University of Exeter.

A defining feature of her work is its policy relevance. Among her early contributions, she developed an innovative sector-based, multi-pollutant framework for climate impact assessment that has helped identify priority mitigation measures and policy options across a wide range of human activities. Building on this foundation, she has led international research projects funded by the FAA, EPA, and NASA in the United States, as well as the UK Newton Fund, quantifying the impacts of emissions from aviation, cookstoves, land transportation, biomass burning, and agriculture on climate, air quality, and human and ecosystem health.

Her research has produced major advances in understanding the role of biogenic volatile organic compounds in the Earth system, the risks posed by air pollution to agriculture and forest health in China and globally, and the effects of ozone pollution on carbon cycling and forest productivity.

Dr. Unger is also recognized for her scientific leadership. She served as a Lead Author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) chapter on Short-lived Climate Forcers and chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Biogenic Hydrocarbons and the Atmosphere. She also co-organized the first Air Pollution Impacts on Crops and Ecosystems Workshop in Beijing, China. In addition, she is a graduate of the Public Voices Thought Leadership Fellowship at The OpEd Project in New York and recipient of the Revolutionary Researcher Award from the Yale School of the Environment.

Postgraduate supervision

Dr. Unger has served as primary advisor to two PhD students at Yale University and as a dissertation committee member for seven doctoral students in the United States and United Kingdom. She has also acted as both internal and external PhD examiner, supervised several master’s theses, and mentored five postdoctoral research scientists.

Publications

Selected publications

Ma, Y., X. Yue, S. Sitch, N. Unger, J. Uddling, L. Mercado, C. Gong, Z. Feng, H. Yang, H. Zhou, C. Tian, Y. Cao, Y. Lei, A. Cheesman, Y. Xu, and M. Duran Rojas, Implementation of trait-based ozone plant sensitivity in the Yale Interactive terrestrial Biosphere model v1.0 to assess global vegetation damage, Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 2261-2276, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2261-2023, 2023.

Leung, F., S. Sitch, A.P.K. Tai, A.J. Wiltshire, J.L. Gornall, G.A. Folberth, and N. Unger, CO2 fertilization of crops offsets yield losses due to future surface ozone damage and climate change, Environ. Res. Lett., 17, 074007, 2022.

Zheng, Y., and N. Unger, Reducing planetary health risks through short-lived climate forcer mitigation, GeoHealth, 5, e2021GH000422, 2021. September 2021 “Research Spotlight” Editor Selected.

Szopa, S., V. Naik, B. Adhikary, P. Artaxo, T. Berntsen, W.D. Collins, S. Fuzzi, L. Gallardo, A. Kiendler-Scharr, Z. Klimont, H. Liao, N. Unger, and P. Zanis, Short-Lived Climate Forcers (Chapter 6) in Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp817- 922, doi:10.1017/9781009157896.008.

Teixeira, J., G. Folberth, F.M. O’Connor, N. Unger, and A. Voulgarakis, Coupling interactive fire with atmospheric composition and climate in the UK Earth System Model, Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 6515–6539, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-6515-2021, 2021.

Zhang, T., X. Yue, N. Unger, Z. Feng, B. Zheng, T. Li, Y. Lei, H. Zhou, X. Dong, Y. Liu, J. Zhu, X. Yang, Modeling the joint impacts of ozone and aerosols on crop yields in China: An air pollution policy scenario analysis, Atmos. Env., 247, doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2021.118216, 2021.

Anand, J.S., A. Anav, M. Vitale, D. Peano, N. Unger, X. Yue, R.J. Parker, and H. Boesch, Ozone-induced gross primary productivity reductions over European forests inferred from satellite observations, Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2021-125, 2021.

Unger, N., Y. Zheng, X. Yue, and K.L. Harper, Mitigation of ozone damage to the world’s land ecosystems by source sector, Nature Climate Change, 10, 134-137, 2020.

Yue, X., H. Liao, H. Wang, T. Zhang, N. Unger, S. Sitch, Z. Feng, and J. Yang, Pathway dependence of ecosystem responses in China to 1.5 °C global warming, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 2353-2366, 2020.

Huang, Y., N. Unger, K.L. Harper, and C. Heyes, Global climate and human health effects of the gasoline and diesel vehicle fleets, GeoHealth, 4, e2019GH000240, 2020.

Yue, X., and N. Unger, Fire air pollution reduces global terrestrial productivity, Nature Communications, 9, doi:10.1038/s41467-018-07921-4, 2018.

Harper, K.L., and N. Unger, Global climate forcing driven by altered BVOC fluxes from 1990 to 2010 land cover change in maritime Southeast Asia, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 16931-16952, doi:10.5194/acp-18-16931-2018, 2018.

Zhang, T., X. Yue, T. Li, N. Unger, and X. Yang, Climate effects of stringent air pollution controls mitigate future maize losses in China, Env. Res. Lett., 12, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aaea09, 2018.

Harper, K.L., Y. Zheng, and N. Unger, Advances in representing interactive methane in ModelE2-YIBs (version 1.1), Geosci. Model Dev.,11, 4417-4434, doi:10.5194/gmd-11-4417-2018, 2018.

Huang, Y., N. Unger, T. Storelvmo, K. Harper, Y. Zheng, and C. Heyes, Global radiative effects of solid fuel cookstove aerosol emissions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18,5219-5233, doi: 10.5194/acp-18-5219-2018, 2018.

Mao, J., A.M. Carlton, R.C. Cohen, W.H. Brune, S.S. Brown, G.M. Wolfe, J.L. Jimenez, H.O.T. Pye, N.L. Ng, V.F. McNeill, K. Tsigaridis, B, McDonald, C. Warneke, A. Guenther, M. J. Alvarado, J. de Gouw, L.J. Mickley, E.M. Leibensperger, R. Mathur, N. Unger, and L. Horowitz, Southeast Atmosphere Studies: learning from model-observation syntheses, 18, 2615-2651, doi:10.5194/acp-18-2615-2018, 2018.

Yue, X., S. Strada, and N. Unger, Future inhibition of ecosystem productivity by increasing wildfire pollution over boreal North America, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 13699-13719, doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-13699-2017, 2017.

Archer-Nicholls, S., and 38 others, including N. Unger, The air we breathe: Past, present, and future: general discussion, Faraday Discussions, 200, 501-527, doi:10.1039/c7fd90040f, 2017.

Archibald, A., and 33 others, including N. Unger, Atmospheric chemistry and the biosphere: general discussion, 200, Faraday Discussions, 195-228, doi:10.1039/c7fd90038d, 2017.

Zheng, Y., N. Unger, J.M. Tadić, R. Seco, A.B. Guenther, M.P. Barkley, M.J. Potosnak, L. Murray, A.M. Michalak, X. Qiu, S. Kim, T. Karl, L. Gu, and S.G. Pallardy, Drought impacts on photosynthesis, isoprene emission and atmospheric formaldehyde in a mid-latitude forest, Atmos. Env., 167, 190-201, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.08.017, 2017.  

Cameron, M.A., M.Z. Jacobson, S.R.H. Barrett, H. Bian, C.C. Chen, S.D. Eastham, A. Gettelman, A. Khodayari, Q. Liang, H.B. Selkirk, N. Unger, D.J. Wuebbles, and X. Yue, An intercomparative study of the effects of aircraft emissions on surface air quality, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 122, 8325-8344, doi:10.1002/2016JD025594, 2017.

Unger, N., X. Yue, and K.L., Harper, Aerosol climate change effects on land ecosystem services, Faraday Discuss., 200, 121-142, doi:10.1039/C7FD00033B, 2017.

Yue, X., N. Unger, K. Harper, X. Xia, H. Liao, T. Zhu, J. Xiao, Z. Feng, and J. Li, Ozone and haze pollution weakens net primary productivity in China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 6073-6089, doi:10.5194/acp-17-6073-2017, 2017. Editors’ Highlight article.

Yue, X., and N. Unger, Aerosol optical depth thresholds as a tool to assess diffuse radiation fertilization of the land carbon uptake in China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 1329-1342, doi:10.5194/acp-17-1329-2017, 2017.

Yue, X., T. Keenan, W.J. Munger, and N. Unger, Limited effect of ozone reductions on the 20-year photosynthesis trend at Harvard forest, Global Change Biology, 22, 3750-3759, doi:10.1111/gcb.13300, 2016.

Brasseur, G.P., M. Gupta, B.E Anderson, S. Balasubramanian, S. Barrett, D. Duda, G. Fleming, P.M. Forster, J. Fuglestvedt, A. Gettelman, R.N. Halthore, S.D. Jacob, M.Z Jacobson, A. Khodayari, K.-N. Liou, M.T. Lund, R.C. Miake-Lye, P. Minnis, S. Olsen, J.E. Penner, R. Prinn, U. Schumann, H.B. Selkirk, A. Sokolov, N. Unger, P. Wolfe, H-W. Wong, D.W. Wuebbles, B. Yi, P. Yang, and C. Zhou, Impact of Aviation on Climate: FAA’s Aviation Climate Change Research Initiative (ACCRI) Phase II, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97, 561-583, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00089.1, 2016.

Strada, S., and N. Unger, Potential sensitivity of photosynthesis and isoprene emission to direct radiative effects of atmospheric aerosol pollution, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4213-4234, doi:10.5194/acp-16-4213-2016, 2016.

Zheng, Y., N. Unger, A. Hodzic, L. Emmons, C. Knote, S. Tilmes, J.-F. Lamarque, and P. Yu, Limited effect of anthropogenic nitrogen oxides on Secondary Organic Aerosol formation, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 13487-13506, doi:10.5194/acp-15-13487-2015, 2015.

Strada, S., N. Unger, and X. Yue, Observed aerosol-induced radiative effect on plant productivity in the eastern United States, Atmos. Environ., 122, 463-476, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.09.051, 2015.

Yue, X., N. Unger, and Y. Zheng, Distinguishing the drivers of trends in land carbon fluxes and plant volatile emissions over the past 3 decades, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 11931-11948, doi:10.5194/acp-15-11931-2015, 2015.

Dang, H., and N. Unger, Contrasting regional versus global radiative forcing by megacity pollution emissions, Atmos. Environ., 119, 322-329, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.08.055, 2015.

Yue, X., N. Unger, T.F. Keenan, X. Zhang, and C.S. Vogel, Probing the past 30-year phenology trend of US deciduous forests, Biogeosciences, 12, 4693-4709, doi:10.5194/bg-12-4693-2015, 2015.

Yue, X., and N. Unger, The Yale Interactive terrestrial Biosphere model version 1.0: description, evaluation and implementation into NASA GISS ModelE2, Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 2399-2417, doi:10.5194/gmd-8-2399-2015, 2015.

Zheng, Y., N. Unger, M.P. Barkley, and X. Yue, Relationships between photosynthesis and formaldehyde as a probe of isoprene emission, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 8559-8576, doi:10.5194/acp-15-8559-2015, 2015.

Nazarenko, L., and 36 others, including N. Unger, Future climate change under RCP emission scenarios with GISS ModelE2, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 7, 244-267, doi:10.1002/2014MS000403, 2015.

Morita, H., S. Yang, N. Unger, and P.L. Kinney, Global health impacts of future aviation emissions under alternative control scenarios, Environ. Sci. Technol., 48, 14659-14667, doi:10.1021/es5055379, 2014.

Unger, N., On the role of plant volatiles in anthropogenic global climate change, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 8563-8569, doi:10.1002/2014GL061616, 2014.

Unger, N., Human land-use-driven reduction of forest volatiles cools global climate, Nature Climate Change, 4, 907-910, doi:10.1038/nclimate2347, 2014.

Yue, X., and N. Unger, Ozone vegetation damage effects on gross primary productivity in the United States, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 9137-9153, doi:10.5194/acp-14-9137-2014, 2014.

Miller, R., and 39 others, including N. Unger, CMIP5 historical simulations (1850-2012) with GISS ModelE2, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 6, 441-477, doi:10.1002/2013MS000266, 2014.

Schmidt et al., and 42 others, including N. Unger, Configuration and assessment of the GISS ModelE2 contributions to the CMIP5 archive, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 4, 141-184, doi:10.1002/2013MS000265, 2014.

Unger, N., and X. Yue, Strong chemistry-climate feedbacks in the Pliocene, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 527-533, doi:10.1002/2013GL058773, 2014. Highlighted in Eos, Vol. 95, No. 17, April 2014 “Research Spotlight” Editor Selected.

Unger, N., Isoprene emission variability through the 20th century, J. Geophys. Res., 118, 13606-13613, doi:10.1002/2013JD020978, 2013.

Olsen, S.C., G.P. Brasseur, D.J. Wuebbles, S. Barrett, H. Dang, S.D. Eastham, M.Z. Jacobson, A. Khodayari, H. Selkirk, A. Sokolov, and N. Unger, Comparison of model estimates of the effects of aviation emissions on atmospheric ozone and methane, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 6004-6009, doi: 10.1002/2013GL057660, 2013.

Unger, N., K. Harper, Y. Zheng, N.Y. Kiang, I. Aleinov, A. Arneth, G. Schurgers, C. Amelynck, A Goldstein, A. Guenther, B. Heinesch, C.N. Hewitt, T. Karl, Q. Laffineur, B. Langford, K. McKinney, P. Misztal, M. Potosnak, J. Rinne, S. Pressley, N. Schoon, and D. Serça, Photosynthesis-dependent isoprene emission from leaf to planet in a global carbon-chemistry-climate model, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 10243-10269, doi:10.5194/acp-13-10243-2013, 2013.

Unger, N., Y. Zhao, and H. Dang, Mid-21st century chemical forcing of climate by the civil aviation sector, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 1-5, doi:10.1002/grl.50161, 2013.

Fiore, A., V. Naik, D.V. Spracklen, A. Steiner, N. Unger, M. Prather, D. Bergmann, P. J. Cameron-Smith, I. Cionni, W.J. Collins, S. Dalsøren, V. Eyring, G.A. Folberth, P. Ginoux, L.W. Horowitz, B. Josse, J.-F. Lamarque, I.A. MacKenzie , T. Nagashima, F.M. O'Connor, M. Righi, S. Rumbold, D.T. Shindell, R.B. Skeie, K. Sudo, S. Szopa, T. Takemura, and G. Zeng, Global air quality and climate, Chem. Soc. Rev., 41, 6663-6683, doi: 10.1039/C2CS35095E, 2012.

Unger, N., Global climate forcing by criteria air pollutants, Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour., 37, 1-24, doi: 10.1146/annurev-environ-082310-100824, 2012.

Unger, N., and J.L. Pan, New Directions: Enduring ozone, Atmos. Environ., 55, 456-458, 2012.

Unger, N., Global climate impact of civil aviation for standard and desulfurized jet fuel, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L20803, doi:10.1029/2011GL049289, 2011.

Unger, N., Short-lived non-CO2 pollutants and climate policy: fair trade?, Environ. Sci. Technol., 44, 5332-5333, doi:10.1021/es1012214, 2010.

Unger, N., T.C. Bond, J.S. Wang, D.M. Koch, S.E. Menon, D.T. Shindell, and S.E. Bauer, Attribution of climate forcing to economic sectors, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 107, 3382-3387, doi:10.1073/pnas.0906548107, 2010.

Arneth, A., N. Unger, M. Kulmala, and M.O. Andreae, Clean the air, heat the planet?, Science, 326, 672-673, doi:10.1126/science.1181568, 2009.

Shindell, D.T., G. Faluvegi, D.M. Koch, G.A. Schmidt, N. Unger, and S.E. Bauer, Improved attribution of climate forcing to emissions, Science, 326, 716-718, 2009.

Unger, N., S. Menon, D.M. Koch, and D.T. Shindell, Impacts of aerosol-cloud interactions on past and future changes in tropospheric composition, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 4155-4129, 2009.

Unger, N., D.T. Shindell, and J.S. Wang, Climate forcing by the on-road transportation and power generation sectors, Atmos. Environ., 43, 3077-3085, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.03.021, 2009.

Menon, S., N. Unger, D. Koch, J. Francis, T. Garrett, I. Sednev, D. Shindell, and D. Streets, Aerosol climate effects and air quality impacts from 1980 to 2030, Environ. Res. Lett., 3, 024004, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/3/2/024004, 2008.

Shindell, D., J.-F. Lamarque, N. Unger, D. Koch, G. Faluvegi, S. Bauer, and H. Teich, Climate forcing and air quality change due to regional emissions reductions by economic sector, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 7101-7113, 2008.

Unger, N., D.T. Shindell, D.M. Koch, and D.G. Streets, Air pollution radiative forcing from specific emissions sectors at 2030, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D02306, doi:10.1029/2007JD008683, 2008.

Bauer, S.E., D. Koch, N. Unger, S.M. Metzger, D.T. Shindell, and D.G. Streets, Nitrate aerosols today and in 2030: a global simulation including aerosols and tropospheric ozone, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 5043-5059, 2007.

Hansen, J., and 46 others, including N. Unger, Dangerous human-made interference with climate: A GISS modelE study, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 2287-2312, 2007.

Hansen, J., and 46 others, including N. Unger, Climate simulations for 1880-2003 with GISS modelE, Clim. Dynam., 29, 661-696, doi:10.1007/s00382-007-0255-8, 2007.

Koch, D., T.C. Bond, D. Streets, and N. Unger, Linking future aerosol radiative forcing to shifts in source activities, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L05821, doi:10.1029/2006GL028360, 2007.

Koch, D., T.C. Bond, D. Streets, N. Unger, and G. van der Werf, Global impacts of aerosols from particular source regions and sectors, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D02205, doi:10.1029/2005JD007024, 2007.

Shindell, D.T., G. Faluvegi, S.E. Bauer, D. Koch, N. Unger, S. Menon, R.L. Miller, G.A. Schmidt, and D.G. Streets, Climate response to projected changes in short-lived species under the A1B scenario from 2000-2050 in the GISS climate model, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D20103, doi:10.1029/2007JD008753, 2007.

Unger, N., D.T. Shindell, D.M. Koch, and D.G. Streets, Cross influences of ozone and sulfate precursor emissions changes on air quality and climate, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 103, 4377-4380, doi:10.1073/pnas.0508769103, 2006.

Unger, N., D.T. Shindell, D.M. Koch, M. Amann, J. Cofala, and D.G. Streets, Influences of man-made emissions and climate changes on tropospheric ozone, methane and sulfate at 2030 from a broad range of possible futures, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D12313, doi:10.1029/2005JD006518, 2006.

Shindell, D.T., and 42 others, including N. Unger, Multimodel simulations of carbon monoxide: Comparison with observations and projected near-future changes, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D19306, doi:10.1029/2006JD007100, 2006.

Shindell, D.T., G. Faluvegi, N. Unger, E. Aguilar, G.A. Schmidt, D.M. Koch, S.E. Bauer, and R.L. Miller, Simulations of preindustrial, present-day, and 2100 conditions in the NASA GISS composition and climate model G-PUCCINI, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 4427-4459, 2006.

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