Search

The Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) area of Texas has historically experienced severe air pollution events with high concentrations of ozone (O3) during the summer season. This study evaluates the contribution of different anthropogenic sources to ozone formation in the HGB area. The Emission Processing System (EPS3) is used to process emission files in four different scenarios (Base case as including All emission sources (BC), All sources— Area sources (AMA), All sources—Point sources (AMP), and All sources— Mobile sources (AMM). These files are used as input in photochemical modeling with the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) to simulate ozone formation. The data is analyzed for daily maximum ozone concentrations and contribution of source categories at three air quality monitoring locations (La Porte Sylvan beach-C556, Houston Texas avenue-C411, and Texas city in Galveston-C683) for a study period of June 1-June 30, 2012. The contribution of the point sources to ozone formation is dominated at all three locations, followed by mobile sources and area sources on high ozone days. The relative contributions of point sources are 27.51% ± 3.53%, 21.45% ± 7.36%, and 30.30% ± 9.36%; and mobile sources are 18.27% ± 2.22%, 20.60% ± 6.89%, and 18.61% ± 7.43%; and area sources were 4.2% ± 1.65%, 5.21% ± 1.59%, and 3.72% ± 1.52% at C556, C411, and C683, respectively. These results demonstrate the importance of regulatory focus on controlling point and mobile source emissions for NAAQS attainment in the study region.

Ozone, a major contributor to poor air quality, has an array of adverse effects on human, animal, and plant health. In the Los Angeles basin, a megacity that has pursued cleaner air for decades, unhealthy levels of ozone have decreased but remain stubbornly frequent even as the ozone precursors NOx (nitrogen oxides ≡ NO2 + NO) and VOC (volatile organic compounds) have decreased. We describe a combined analysis of decadal trends in these precursors, differences in emissions with day-of-week, and of the impact of temperature to assess the role of VOC and NOx and the likely effects of additional emission reductions on the occurrence of high ozone in the region.

This paper deals with ground-level ozone classification in the El Paso-Juarez area using statistical data mining algorithms. The persistence of highly concentrated ozone levels in the troposphere does harm to humans, animals, and plants. So, early detection of high ozone levels is essential to ensure a healthy environment, especially for the elderly, the children, and the asthma patients. For this study, we have used the data sets of air pollutants and meteorological variables from 2015 to 2019 from the El Paso area, which frequently exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standard. Five supervised machine learning techniques are studied to classify the likelihood of high/low ozone days in the atmosphere with great accuracy. These techniques help to obtain primary variables that cause high ozone concentration. We predicted the data based on the key variables and computed the prediction accuracy using several evaluation metrics. The results suggest that supervised machine learning techniques are useful in classifying high/low ozone days in this area.

The adoption of ozonation for water disinfection is hindered by its high ozone demand and the resulting high cost. Electric field treatment inactivates bacteria by physically disrupting the integrity of the cell membrane. Assisted by nanowire-modified electrodes, locally enhanced electric field treatment (LEEFT) reduces the required voltage to several volts to induce sufficient electric field strength for efficient bacteria inactivation. In this study, the LEEFT is applied as a pretreatment of ozonation for bacteria inactivation. Our results show that a low-voltage (0.4 V) LEEFT has no obvious effect on the following ozonation, but a higher-voltage (0.6-1.2 V) LEEFT significantly enhances the ozone inactivation. After the LEEFT, a large number of viable cells with impaired cell membranes are observed, shown by both selective plate count and staining methods. The mechanism inducing the enhancement is explained by the initially reparable pores generated by LEEFT that cannot recover in the subsequent ozonation and the greater intracellular diffusion of ozone after the membrane disruption induced by LEEFT. The application of LEEFT as a pretreatment process is beneficial to reduce the ozone dosage and disinfection by-product formation with a broader inactivation spectrum, which facilitates the application of ozonation in primary water disinfection.

Objectives: The present study was focused on the 8-hour average concentration of ground-level ozone in the city of Visakhapatnam for three years in a row, i.e. 2017, 2018, and 2019, and the effects of ozone on human life, the environment, and building materials. Method: The data of 8-Hour average groundlevel ozone concentration was collected for the study from the Central Control Room for Air Quality Management – All India, Central Pollution Control Board. Data available from the source were analyzed and compared to the NAAQS, India and the data was tabulated and showed specifically the number of times the 8 Hour average ground-level ozone surpassed in a month, for a clearer understanding. Findings: Study results show that the air quality of ozone levels during winters showed maximum unhealthy hours. The trends of maximum recorded 8-Hour average concentration of ozone levels in a day are also increasing year by year. Recommendations: It is recommended to be safe indoors during high ozone days for the people with comorbidities, children, Women in pregnant, people active in outdoor activities and it is further advised to reduce ozone exposure it\'s safe to wear washable 6-layer N99 and PM2.5 face mask during winters especially from November to February. Schools may be cautioned to discontinue the open-air physical activity during this period.Creating ozone forecasts accessible to the public is important, and the local and national laws should be strengthened to combat ozone pollution. Keywords: Asthma; contamination; ecosystems; urban vegetation; ozone; mortality

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) play a key role in tropospheric chemistry. A typical urban scenario, under VOC-controlled conditions (low VOC/NOx ratios), is discussed with emphasis on the kinetic conditions leading to high ozone concentrations for an urban area of Brazil. As a base case, kinetic and mechanistic reactivities of individual VOCs, were evaluated in the district of Iraja (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), which receives air masses originating from an industrial area. Aromatic compounds contributed with 41.1% of total mass. They were the most reactive species, representing 48.8% of the total kinetic reactivity and 71.0, 61.0 and 55.9% of the mechanistic reactivity, in MIR, MOIR and EBIR scales, respectively. Results showed that high ozone concentrations are due to a combination of conditions, mainly, relatively low NOx levels and a relatively high reactive VOC mix, primarily originating from an industrial area. Average ozone forming potential for the samples were calculated as 3.57, 1.39 and 0.74 for the MIR, MOIR and EBIR scales, respectively.

Although precursor concentrations were reduced by emission control in Guangzhou, southern China from 2006 to 2016, ground-level O3 concentrations increased, forming potential risks to human health. This study explored the impacts of large-scale synoptic weather circulations on O3 concentration in Guangzhou, in a particular focus on high O3 pollution episodes. Twelve local weather types were clustered based on Lamb-Jenkinson weather types (LWTs). Analyses showed that LWTs strongly impacted daily O3 concentrations: A, AS, CN, and N+ weather types were likely associated with high ozone concentrations, while the ozone levels were relatively low under C, CE, CS, and S+ types. LWTs could explain 30–40% of the inter-annual variability of O3 concentration during the dry season. Numerical model simulations further demonstrated that continuous type A weather was the leading LWT correlated with high O3 concentrations, while type C weather was the predominant type correlated with low O3 concentrations. CMIP5 model results showed that occurrences of weather type A would increase by about 25% in the high emission scenario over the 2020–2069 period, which might worsen the O3 pollution in Guangzhou in the future. The increase in frequency weather type A would not be significant under the low emission scenario during the same period. Therefore, we should strictly implement the global emission reduction plan to prevent the change of weather circulation caused by climate change from aggravating ozone pollution in the future. The strong link between O3 concentrations and LWT frequencies makes the daily occurrence of LWTs a useful predictor for episodes of high O3 pollution and makes annual frequencies of LWTs good indicators of the inter-annual variability of the O3 concentration. These results are useful in efforts to predict O3 concentrations, providing a reliable weather forecast is available.

Daytime onshore lake breezes are a critical factor controlling ozone abundance at coastal sites around Lake Michigan. Coastal counties along the western shore of Lake Michigan have historically observed high ozone episodes dating to the 1970s. We classified ozone episode days based on the extent or absence of the lake breeze (i.e., “inland”, “near-shore” or “no” lake breeze) to establish a climatology of these events. This work demonstrated variable gradients in ozone abundances based on these different types of meteorology, with the sharpest ozone concentration gradients on days with a near-shore lake breeze. On 76–82% of days in which ozone reached 70 ppb for at least 1 h, a lake breeze was present. Evidence of ozone gradients from multiple observation platforms during the 2017 Lake Michigan Ozone Study (LMOS 2017) are shown for two days with different depths of lake breezes.

The meso-scale meteorology of lake breezes along Lake Michigan impacts local observations of high ozone events. Previous manned aircraft and UAS observations have demonstrated non-uniform ozone concentrations within and above the marine layer over water and within shoreline environments. During the 2021 Wisconsin’s Dynamic Influence of Shoreline Circulations on Ozone (WiscoDISCO-21) campaign, two UAS platforms, a fixed-wing (University of Colorado RAAVEN) and a multirotor (Purdue University DJI M210), were used simultaneously to capture lake breeze during forecasted high ozone events at Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area in southeastern Wisconsin from May 21–26, 2021. The RAAVEN platform (data DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5142491) measured temperature, humidity, and 3-D winds during 2-hour flights following two separate flight patterns up to 3 times per day at altitudes reaching 500 m above ground level. The M210 platform (data DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5160346) measured vertical profiles of temperature, humidity and ozone during 15-minute flights up to 6 times per day at altitudes reaching 120 m above ground level (AGL) near to a WI-DNR ground monitoring station (AIRS ID: 55-059-0019). This campaign was conducted in conjunction with the Enhanced Ozone Monitoring plan from WI-DNR that included Doppler lidar wind profiler observations at the site (data DOI:10.5281/zenodo.5213039).

Efforts to stem the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to rapid, global ancillary reductions in air pollutant emissions. Here, we quantify the impact on tropospheric ozone using a multiconstituent chemical data assimilation system. Anthropogenic NOGlobal Tropospheric Ozone Responses to Reduced Noₓ Emissions Linked to the COVID-19 Worldwide Lockdowns emissions dropped by at least 15% globally and 18 to 25% regionally in April and May 2020, which decreased free tropospheric ozone by up to 5 parts per billion, consistent with independent satellite observations. The global total tropospheric ozone burden declined by 6TgO₃ (∼2%) in May and June 2020, largely due to emission reductions in Asia and the Americas that were amplified by regionally high ozone production efficiencies (up to 4 TgO₃/TgN). Our results show that COVID-19 mitigation left a global atmospheric imprint that altered atmospheric oxidative capacity and climate radiative forcing, providing a test of the efficacy of NOₓ emissions controls for co-benefiting air quality and climate.

The trends per 5th percentile interval of European surface ozone concentrations over urban, suburban and rural sites in the period 1995–2012 have been estimated based on observational data from the European Environment Agency air quality database. Consistent with previous study results, we find a rapid decline of relatively high ozone concentrations after the year 1995, especially of rural summertime ozone. However, the decreasing rate has slowed, and even reversed, of low-level ozone, especially in the urban environment for all seasons. Although the ozone air pollution problem has been declared to be effectively resolved by achieving European air quality goals, our results indicate that ozone remains to be difficult to control for a long time into the future. Global and regional models poorly reproduce the measured differences in ozone and trends in different levels and regions. Thus policy guidelines from the model should be considered with care.

Ozone was investigated as a potential alternative to control phosphine resistant strains of the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.). The efficacy of 0.21 and 0.42 g/m3 concentrations of ozone against one phosphine-susceptible laboratory and two phosphine-resistant field strains of R. dominica was evaluated. Vials holding 20 adults with 0 and 10 g of wheat were exposed to each ozone concentration for up to 24 h to estimate lethal doses required for 50 (LD50) and 99% (LD99) mortality. After ozone exposure, mortality was assessed 5 d later. There were no significant differences between LD50 values of the samples exposed to 0.21 and 0.42 g/m3, regardless of strains and presence or absence of wheat. The small amount of wheat (10 g) affected efficacy at 0.21 g/m3, but showed a non-significant effect at 0.42 g/m3. Ozone tends to react with active sites on the surface of wheat kernels prior to reaching an effective lethal concentration for insects. High ozone concentration in the supply air reduced the time to saturate all active sites and ensured that lethal levels of free ozone were available to kill insects. Ozone successfully suppressed the adult progeny production for all tested strains. Emergence of adults from eggs of all three strains was reduced by 96.3–100% only after 72 h exposure to an ozone concentration of 0.42 g/m3. At the same ozone concentration, emergence of adults from young and old larvae was reduced by 97.1–99.7% after a 24 to 34 h exposure. However, reduction in emergence of adults from ozone exposed pupae at 10 h varied among the strains and ranged from 32.8 to 96.6%. After 2 and 6 h of exposure the reduction in emergence of adults from pupae ranged from 19.6 to 76.5%.

Climate warming may bear a penalty on future ozone air quality, even in the absence of changes in anthropogenic activities. This penalty has important implications for policy-making, but its quantification involves complex meteorological, chemical, and biological processes and feedbacks that are not well understood. We examined how climate-sensitive processes may affect surface ozone, identified key knowledge gaps uncovered by recent studies, and summarized latest assessments of the climate change penalty on ozone air quality. Recent analyses have challenged earlier paradigms on how climate change may affect surface ozone. The widely accepted associations of high ozone events with stagnation and heat waves require re-examination. Emission responses of natural precursors to climate warming may be significantly modulated by CO2 levels and ecosystem feedbacks, such that the direction of emission changes cannot be robustly determined at this time. Climate variability may drive fluctuations in surface ozone, which has implications for near-term air quality management. Recent studies have generally projected a climate change penalty on ozone air quality, although the magnitudes are smaller than those projected by earlier studies. This review examined the latest understanding on the climate change penalty to surface ozone. Critical uncertainties are associated with the meteorological, chemical, and biological processes linking climate warming and ozone, and many of the known feedbacks are not yet included in models. Further research is needed to examine those processes in order to better quantify the climate change penalty on surface ozone to inform policy-making.

Ozone and low temperatures influence on isolation of electrical materials are considered. Combination of low temperature food storage with the electron-ion technology (including ozone) gives an ability to solve the problems of products spoilage minimization and reduction of energy consumption. Real objects have storage temperatures from -24°C till +24°С. Ozone is used at the same. Power, electrical and informational communication lines were used. The object of the research was samples of electrical products. Usually they are used in low temperature storage chambers. Combined effect of low temperatures, ozone different densities, mechanical loading on isolation of communicational lines are analyzed. Most samples after exposure of low temperatures and high ozone densities stand the test. That’s why it is possible to use them in practice. Only KG (H07RN-F) didn’t pass the test. The isolation of several samples, such as VVG (NYY-O), VVGng (NYY-J), PWC (H05VV-F) and PW-3, cracked at cooling temperatures -18°С and -24°С. In real use these samples are not so loaded. So, it can be considered, that in conditions of long use, electrical materials are usable (low temperatures and ozone densities till 40 g/m 3 are allowed). The results allow making a conclusion that most modern industrial low temperature storage chambers let use electron-ion technologies.

Using data from the St. Luke's site in Meridian, ID (near Boise) during 2006–2017 and a 2017 summer intensive campaign, we investigate enhancements in ozone (O3) during wildfire events in an urban area. We calculate a wildfire criterion based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke product and historically averaged PM2.5 data to determine when wildfire emissions are influencing the area (smoke vs. non-smoke events). We also use a Generalized Additive Model (GAM) to investigate anomalous sources of O3, such as wildfires, in this urban area. During the summer 2017 intensive campaign, we find that peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), reactive nitrogen (NOy), and maximum daily 8 h average (MDA8) O3 show significant enhancements during smoke events compared with non-smoke periods (65%, 42%, and 32%, respectively). We calculate the 95% confidence interval of ΔPM2.5/ΔCO, ΔNOy/ΔCO, ΔPAN/ΔNOy, and ΔPAN/ΔCO enhancement ratios (ERs) to be 0.129–0.144 μg/m3/ppbv, 0.018–0.022 ppbv/ppbv, 0.152–0.192 ppbv/ppbv, and 3.04–3.76 ppbv/ppmv, respectively, for wildfire smoke influenced events. We also observe an enhancement in O3 production up to PM2.5 concentrations of 60–70 μg/m3 in smoke, after which we see a reduction in average MDA8 O3 mixing ratios. We use the four highest O3 events during summer 2017 as case studies to examine the highly variable conditions due to the influence of wildfire smoke in an urban area. In two cases, we investigate smoke days that show significant O3 enhancement and moderate PM2.5 concentrations. These cases suggest that ERs, such as ΔPM2.5/ΔCO and ΔNOy/ΔCO, are less useful in determining the influence of wildfire smoke in an urban area on moderate smoke days. Another case shows reduced O3 production during a very high, 3-day smoke event (PM2.5 > 70 μg/m3). After this high smoke period, a 20 ppbv enhancement in MDA8 O3 is observed in moderate smoke. These results indicate that wildfire-influenced O3 enhancements are highly variable in urban areas but generally increase up to around 60 μg/m3 of PM2.5, after which they decrease at very high smoke concentrations. This study also suggests that multiple tracer measurements are needed to fully characterize wildfire plumes in urban areas.

Soybean (Glycine max) production is seriously threatened by ground-level ozone (O3) pollution. The goal of our study is to summarize the impacts of O3 on physiology, growth, yield, and quality of soybean, as well as root parameters. We performed meta-analysis on the collated 48 peer-reviewed papers published between 1980 and 2019 to quantitatively summarize the response of soybean to elevated O3 concentrations ([O3]). Relative to charcoal-filtered air (CF), elevated [O3] significantly accelerated chlorophyll degradation, enhanced foliar injury, and inhibited growth of soybean, evidenced by great reductions in leaf area (-20.8%), biomass of leaves (-13.8%), shoot (-22.8%), and root (-16.9%). Shoot of soybean was more sensitive to O3 than root in case of biomass. Chronic ozone exposure of about 75.5 ppb posed pronounced decrease in seed yield of soybean (-28.3%). In addition, root environment in pot contributes to higher reduction in shoot biomass and yield of soybean. Negative linear relationships were observed between yield loss and intensity of O3 treatment, AOT40. The larger loss in seed yield was significantly associated with higher reduction in shoot biomass and other yield component. This meta-analysis demonstrates the effects of elevated O3 on soybean were pronounced, suggesting that O3 pollution is still a soaring threat to the productivity of soybean in regions with high ozone levels.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), meteorological parameters, and total non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) were analyzed from simultaneous measurements at the MSU-IAP (Moscow State University&mdash, Institute of Atmospheric Physics) observational site in Moscow from 2011&ndash, 2013. Seasonal and diurnal variability of the compounds was studied. The highest O3 concentration in Moscow was observed in the summer daytime periods in anticyclonic meteorological conditions under poor ventilation of the atmospheric boundary layer and high temperatures (up to 105 ppbv or 210 &mu, g/m3). In contrast, NOx, CO, and benzene decreased from 8 a.m. to 5&ndash, 6 p.m. local time (LT). The high positive correlation of daytime O3 with secondary VOCs affirmed an important role of photochemical O3 production in Moscow during the summers of 2011&ndash, 2013. The summertime average concentrations of the biogenic VOCs isoprene and monoterpenes were observed to be 0.73 ppbv and 0.53 ppbv, respectively. The principal source of anthropogenic VOCs in Moscow was established to be local vehicle emissions. Yet, only about 5% of the observed isoprene was safely attributed to anthropogenic sources, suggesting significant contribution of biogenic sources into the total levels of ozone precursors. The non-linear O3&ndash, NOx dependence shows a decrease in ground-level O3 with an increase in NOx during the summers of 2011&ndash, 2013, which is typical for the VOC-sensitive photochemical regime of O3 formation. Nevertheless, during the elevated ozone episodes in July 2011, the photochemical regime of ozone production was either transitional or NOx-sensitive. Contribution of various anthropogenic and biogenic VOCs into the measured ozone values was evaluated. The ozone-forming potential (OFP) of total VOCs was 31&ndash, 67 &mu, g/m3 on average and exceeded 100 &mu, g/m3 in the top 10% of high ozone events, reaching 136 &mu, g/m3. Acetaldehyde, 1.3-butadiene, and isoprene have the highest ozone production potential in Moscow compared to that of other measured VOCs.

Air pollution and hot temperatures present two major health risks, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing conditions. Episodes of high ozone concentrations and heat waves have been registered throughout Europe and are expected to continue to grow due to climate change. Here, several different heat and ozone wave definitions were applied to characterize the wave-type extremes for two climatically different regions, i.e., Portugal (South Europe) and Bavaria (Central Europe), and their impacts were evaluated considering each type of hazard independently but also when they occur simultaneously. Heat and ozone waves were analyzed with respect to the underlying atmospheric circulation patterns and in terms of their association with human mortality. Heat waves were identified as the most frequent wave type and, despite different climate settings, a comparable exposure to heat and ozone waves was found in Central and South Europe. Waves were associated with in-situ built-up as well as with advection of air masses. However, in Bavaria waves showed the strongest connection with autochthonous weather conditions, while for Portugal, the strongest relationship appeared for eastern and north-eastern inflow. The most severe events, as measured by excess mortality, were always associated to compound heat-ozone waves.

This study investigated ozone (O 3 ) formation conditions during two high O 3 events in July of 2018 over the New York City metropolitan and Long Island area using surface meteorological observations, surface concentration measurements of O 3 , NO 2 , CO and PM 2.5 , and tropospheric column CO, HCHO, NO 2 from TROPOMI satellite measurements. We found that both events are associated with high temperature with maximum temperature above 31 °C. However, TROPOMI data showed high tropospheric column CO and HCHO, low NO 2 and large HCHO/NO 2 ratios over the study area in Event 1; while the opposite is seen in Event 2, with lower CO and HCHO, higher NO 2 and lower HCHO/NO 2 ratios over the study area. Precursor conditions which formed the high O 3 differed. For Event 1, it was the fire-induced smoke (VOCs) that contributed to the high spike of ground-level O 3 , and most of the study area was a NOx-limited or a transitional regime. For Event 2, it was more like a normal high NO 2 event, which resulted in a more widespread VOC-limited regime.

In this paper, the execution of vapor pressure refrigeration framework is broke down with R12, R134a, R290 and R600a as working liquid. At the point when R12 refrigerant is utilized as working liquid, its outcome is high ozone exhausting potential and an unnatural weather change potential. Different exploratory examinations were completed for long haul substitution of R134a rather than R12 on account of zero ozone exhausting potential, non-combustibility, security and comparable vapor weight as that of R12. R134a has zero ozone consumption layer however there is a high a dangerous atmospheric deviation. But R600a has zero ozone exhaustion layer and negligible global warming. Unadulterated R290 or R600a is not reasonable for direct swap for R134a in light of their immersion properties. Any blends of R134a/R290/R600a at any mole part give better execution and COP level when contrasted with R12.

China experiences high ozone concentrations with highest annual 8-hour maximum concentration in eastern China of 78 μg/m3 and was followed by southern (73 μg/m3), north-western (69 μg/m3), northern (68 μg/m3), central (67 μg/m3), north eastern (65 μg/m3) and south-western China (59 μg/m3). Ozone concentration peaked in spring season in 4 (eastern, northern, north eastern & central) of 7 regions across China while lowest concentration in most regions across China was experienced in winter season with central and southern China being the only exceptions. Regions outside Asia contributed ozone to all regions across China with highest contributions in 4 (East, Central, North & Northeast) of the 7 regions. South-western China had the largest ozone contribution from outside (23%) and was followed by 16.39% outside ozone contribution in north-western China, 11.64% contribution in north eastern China, 11% contribution in northern China, 7.85% contribution in southern China, 5.28% contribution in central China while 4.56% contribution in eastern China. Policy relevant background (PRB) concentration was above 47 μg/m3 in all regions across China and contributed about 71–94% to total ozone concentration with highest PRB concentration of 65.25 μg/m3 recorded in north-west China. China recorded 93,351 (95%CI: 11001–169,898) ozone related premature mortality in 2015 with 42,673 (95%CI: 11001–69,586) respiratory mortality and 50,678 (95%CI: 0–100,312) cardiovascular mortality. Northern and eastern China recorded high ozone related mortality with 18,230 (95%CI: 4700–29,727) & 12,261 (95%CI: 3161–19,993) respiratory and 21,662 (95%CI: 0–42,877) & 14,528 (95%CI: 0–28,757) cardiovascular deaths respectively. In terms of foreign contributions, premature mortality due to ozone from outside Asia contributed the most to China with 1070 (95%CI: 276–1746) respiratory mortality and 1270 (95%CI: 0–2515) cardiovascular mortality. East Asia contributed to about 419 (95%CI: 109–679) respiratory deaths and 501 (95%CI: 0–989) cardiovascular deaths while North Asia contributed to 220 (95%CI: 56–358) respiratory mortality and 260 (95%CI, 0–515) cardiovascular mortality.

Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, New Mexico, is currently in attainment of the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone (70 ppb), but its ozone design values have increased in recent years. Air quality and source apportionment modeling with the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) was conducted for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County to develop a refined understanding of ozone source apportionment in the region, estimate ozone concentrations in the year 2025 based on projected changes in anthropogenic emissions, and evaluate the sensitivity of future ozone concentrations to various changes in local and non-local emissions. The study focused on two ozone episodes during June and July 2017 when 8-hr average ozone concentrations were greater than 70 ppb. Based on the modeling results, ozone during the June 2017 episode was found to be driven largely by contributions from non-local and regional emissions, whereas ozone during the July 2017 episode was driven more strongly by local emissions from within Albuquerque/Bernalillo County. On high ozone days, anthropogenic emissions from within Albuquerque/Bernalillo County contributed between 8% and 19% (6–14 ppb) of total ozone. Half of this local ozone contribution was from on-road mobile sources. Fire emissions contributed as much as 2 ppb of ozone on a given day. Contributions from large power plants in New Mexico were as large as 1 ppb on a given day but less than 0.5 ppb on most days. Modeled ozone concentrations in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County were also sensitive to emissions from oil and gas emissions in New Mexico. If projected emission reductions by 2025 materialize, these reductions could reduce future peak 8-hr average ozone concentrations by as much as 3–4% compared to 2017 values. Implications: The results of this study have important implications for air quality management in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County. Ozone in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County is the result of local and non-local emissions, is impacted by wildfires, and is sensitive to statewide oil and gas emissions. The magnitude of modeled contributions from anthropogenic emissions within Albuquerque/Bernalillo County is strongly influenced by meteorological conditions, transport pathways, and the presence of wildfire. This modeling is important for understanding the potential effectiveness of local emission controls in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, and can serve as a basis for testing future regional and local emission control options.

In this paper, I used multivariate linear regression analysis to determine if latitude and ozone concentration predict Covid-2019 cases in 34 countries worldwide. Data pertaining to Covid-2019 cases were extracted from Worldometer. Ozone concentration levels were taken from the open-access database of World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre (WOUDC). Latitude of specific area where measurement took place was also provided in the database. Preliminary Kendall rank correlation test revealed that Covid-2019 incidence was positively and significantly related to ozone concentration; however, incidence was not significantly related to latitude. Using multivariate linear regression, a statistically significant link between ozone concentration and Covid-2019 incidence in 34 countries was established; however, I found no statistical association between latitude and Covid-2019 incidence refuting previous claims. Prompt health actions should be developed for areas with high ozone concentration in the present and possibly, future outbreaks; however, extensive laboratory analysis should be conducted to further confirm the findings of the study. Nevertheless, the results of this study could serve as a basis for further clinical and large-scale studies.

This study investigates the potential factors that contribute to frequent high levels of ozone in Bangu, one of the most critical areas in the city of Rio de Janeiro, regarding ozone levels and air quality. Speciated non-oxygenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured using method TO-15 (US EPA). The measured concentrations and kinetic and mechanistic analysis of VOC reactivity showed that alkanes were the most important compounds. Ozone concentrations were simulated for a base case representing a day with high ozone levels. Simulated results and statistical multivariate analysis showed that the high ozone concentrations did not seem to be closely related to local emissions but rather were related to pollutant transport and low measured NOx levels and were triggered by photochemical activity. The differences between weekdays and weekends were also investigated, showing that ozone concentrations were also higher during weekends, mainly on Sunday, when the diesel heavy vehicle fleet was reduced and lower NO emissions were observed. The VOC/NOx ratios correspond to a VOC-limited process, which leads to higher ozone concentrations under low NOx conditions.

Background Studies that seek to link the impact of ozone with mortality display a number of uncertainties. This study sought to ascertain the functional relationship between ozone and mortality, and analyse its short-term impact on daily natural-, respiratory- and circulatory-cause mortality in Spain. Methods We analysed data on daily natural- (ICD 10: A00-R99), respiratory- (ICD 10: J00-J99) and circulatory-cause mortality (ICD 10: I00-I99) for each of Spain's 52 provinces across the period 2000–2009. We calculated the impact of ozone on mortality by reference to relative risks (RRs) using generalised linear models, and performed an overall meta-analysis. Attributable mortality was calculated on the basis of RRs. Results A quadratic relationship was observed and the existence of a threshold value identified in 33 of the 46 monitoring stations judged to be valid for ozone data, this threshold value was located above the 80th percentile. The overall RRs for 10 μg/m3 increases in concentrations of the O3 threshold value were as follows: 1.033 (95%CI: 1.023–1.044) for natural causes; 1.089 (95%CI: 1.058–1.120) for respiratory causes; and 1.025 (95%CI: 1.018–1.033) for mortality circulatory causes. The annual total of natural-cause ozone-attributable deaths was 499 (95%CI: 277–717), 126 of which (95%CI: 54–194) were due to respiratory causes and 167 (95%CI: 39–293) to circulatory causes. Conclusions High ozone concentrations display a quadratic relationship with daily mortality. While this effect is more pronounced in respiratory causes, there is also a short-term effect on natural- and circulatory-cause mortality.

High surface ozone concentrations, which usually occur when photochemical ozone production takes place, pose a great risk to human health and vegetation. Air quality models are often used by policy makers as tools for the development of ozone mitigation strategies. However, the modeled ozone production is often not or not enough evaluated in many ozone modeling studies. The focus of this work is to evaluate the modeled ozone production in Europe indirectly, with the use of the ozone–temperature correlation for the summer of 2010 and to analyze its sensitivity to precursor emissions and meteorology by using the regional air quality model, the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx). The results show that the model significantly underestimates the observed high afternoon surface ozone mixing ratios (≥ 60 ppb) by 10–20 ppb and overestimates the lower ones (

Sichuan Province, the most industrialized and populated region in southwestern China, has been experiencing severe ozone pollution in the boreal warm season (April–September). With a surface ozone monitoring network and reanalysis dataset, we find that nearly all cities in Sichuan Province showed positive increasing trends in the warm-season ozone levels. The warm-season daily maximum 8-h average (MDA8) ozone levels increased by 2.0 ppb (4.8%) year−1 as a whole, with slightly larger trends in some sites such as a site in Zigong (5.2 ppb year−1). Seasonally, the monthly ozone level in Sichuan peaks from May to August (varies with year). The predominant warm-season synoptic patterns were objectively identified based on concurrent hourly meteorological fields from ERA5. High-pressure systems promote ozone production and result in high ozone concentrations, due to strong solar radiation as well as hot and dry atmospheric conditions. The increased occurrence of high-pressure patterns probably drives the ozone increase in Sichuan. When ozone pollution is relatively weak (with MDA8 ozone around 170 μg m−3), the air quality standard could be achieved in the short term by a 25% reduction of NOx and VOCs emissions. Strengthened emission control is needed when ozone pollution is more severe. Our study provides implications for effective emission control of ozone pollution in Sichuan.

Long-term ozone lidar routine measurements are sparse in China. In this study, we used one year of continuous ozone lidar measurements to systematically investigate the effects of synoptic patterns on the vertical structure of ozone during high ozone episodes in Hong Kong. The height of the near-surface ozone layer was identified and compared with that of the mixing layer. The results showed that Hong Kong was greatly affected by ozone transport from the Pearl River Delta region when a tropical cyclone (“C” pattern) or a trough (“T” pattern) existed. When a high-pressure center was located to the north (“H” pattern) or when both a high-pressure system and a tropical cyclone existed (“CH” pattern), Hong Kong was affected by ozone transport from southeastern or southern China. Substantial amounts of ozone were transported within a layer near the ground with an average height of 0.83, 0.75, 0.94, and 0.85 km under the C, H, CH, and T synoptic patterns, respectively. Variation in the near-surface ozone layer height was consistent with that of the mixing layer height. Weak vertical mixing resulted in a shallow near-surface ozone layer under the C and H synoptic patterns. Due to the combined effect of near-surface transport and suppressed vertical mixing, the ozone concentrations were extremely high near the ground but rapidly declined with height under the C synoptic pattern. Our investigations of the vertical structure of ozone contribute to filling the knowledge gap between synoptic patterns and the evolution of high surface ozone episodes.

The present study focused on investigating the possible atmospheric conditions influencing the high ozone episodes over a semi-urban site (27.16° N, 78.08° E) in Agra, India during July 2014–June 2016. During the study period, average concentration of ozone was 32.3 ± 22.7 ppb, and concentrations of its precursors viz carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NO) and total nitrogen oxides (NO x ⁎ ) were 527.3 ± 482.7 ppb, 6.5 ± 8.2 ppb, and 12.1 ± 7.8 ppb, respectively. The maximum monthly average ozone concentration was observed in June (48.2 ± 31.0 ppb) and it was nearly three times higher than the minimum levels observed in December (16.7 ± 10.5 ppb). Considering high ozone episodes, 78 days exceed hourly ozone limit of 90 ppb specified by National Air Quality Standards (NAAQS, CPCB, 2009) for India while 75 days exceed the daily maximum 8 hourly ozone limit of 70 ppb or above (NAAQS, EPA, 2015). Trajstat model was used for air-mass cluster analysis during episodic days; five clusters of air-masses were identified and among them, the cluster from northwest direction had the maximum frequency (35.4%). During the study period, four different types of high ozone episodes were identified and explained using prevailing meteorology. The episodes were attributed to local photochemistry and/or transport.

An intensive field campaign was conducted in Chongqing during the summer of 2015 to explore the formation mechanisms of ozone pollution. The sources of ozone, the local production rates, and the controlling factors, as well as key species of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were quantified by integrating a local ozone budget analysis, calculations of the relative incremental reactivity, and an empirical kinetic model approach. It was found that the potential for rapid local ozone formation exists in Chongqing. During ozone pollution episodes, the ozone production rates were found to be high at the upwind station Nan Quan, the urban station Chao Zhan, and the downwind station Jin-Yun Shan. The average local ozone production rate was 30× 10−9 V/V h−1 and the daily integration of the produced ozone was greater than 180×10−9 V/V. High ozone concentrations were associated with urban and downwind air masses. At most sites, the local ozone production was VOC-limited and the key species were aromatics and alkene, which originated mainly from vehicles and solvent usage. In addition, the air masses at the northwestern rural sites were NO x -limited and the local ozone production rates were significantly higher during the pollution episodes due to the increased NO x concentrations. In summary, the ozone abatement strategies of Chongqing should be focused on the mitigation of VOCs. Nevertheless, a reduction in NO x is also beneficial for reducing the regional ozone peak values in Chongqing and the surrounding areas.

In several previous studies emission of ozone (O3) during fireworks has been reported, which was attributed to either photolysis of molecular oxygen (O2) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) by short/near UV radiation emitted during the high-temperature combustion of fireworks. In contrast, in the present study no O3 formation was observed using a selective O3-LOPAP instrument during the combustion of pyrotechnical material in the laboratory, while a standard O3 monitor using UV absorption showed extremely high O3 signals. The artificial O3 response of the standard O3 monitor was caused by known interferences associated with high levels of co-emitted VOCs and could also be confirmed in field measurements during New Year's Eve in the city of Wuppertal, Germany. The present results help to explain unreasonably high ozone levels documented during ambient fireworks, which are in contradiction to the fast titration of O3 by nitrogen monoxide (NO) in the night-time atmosphere.

In Houston, a combination of urban emissions from a city of 4 million people, coupled with emissions from extensive petroleum refining and chemical manufacturing, leads to conditions for photochemistry that are unique in the United States, and historically, the city had experienced some of the highest ozone concentrations recorded in the United States. Large air quality field studies (the Texas Air Quality Studies or TexAQS I and II) were conducted to determine root causes of the high ozone concentrations. Hundreds of air quality investigators, from around the world, deployed instruments on aircraft, on ships, and at fixed ground sites to make extensive air quality measurements; detailed photochemical modeling was used to interpret and assess the implications of the measurements. The Texas Air Quality Studies revealed that both continuous and episodic emissions of light alkenes, which came to be called highly reactive volatile organic compounds, played a critical role in the formation of ozone and other photochemical oxidants in the region. Understanding and quantifying the role of these emissions in regional air quality required innovations in characterizing emissions and in photochemical modeling. Reducing emissions required innovative policy approaches. These coupled scientific and policy innovations are described, and the result, substantially cleaner air for Houston, is documented. The lessons learned from the Houston air quality experience are relevant to cities with similar population and industrial profiles around the world.

This study investigated the potential factors that contribute to frequent high levels of ozone as well as ozone episodes in Bangu, one of the most critical areas in the city of Rio de Janeiro regarding ozone levels. For 74 days in a two-year period (10.3%), the national air quality standard was exceeded. For the same period, a total of 378 days (51.8%) had ozone concentrations that were between 80 and 160 µg m−3. A statistical analysis of pollutant concentrations and meteorological data as well as a kinetic and mechanistic analysis of VOC reactivity showed that the high ozone concentrations did not seem to be closely related to local emissions but, rather, were related to pollutant transport and triggered by photochemical activity. The mountains in the southern and northern part of the district contribute to the increase of surface temperatures and the accumulation of pollutants. The VOC/NOx ratios corresponded to a VOC-limited process.

This study examines the effects of different foreign anthropogenic emissions inventories on predicted ozone concentrations in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), South Korea, and estimates changes in ozone due to emissions reductions. We ran the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model using the High-Order Decoupled Direct Method with three inventories of foreign anthropogenic emissions: (1) the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment, Phase B (INTEX-B) 2006; (2) the Comprehensive Regional Emissions inventory for Atmospheric Transport Experiment (CREATE) 2010; and (3) the Model Inter-Comparison Study (MICS)-Asia 2010. All three inventories have different spatial distributions of emissions, yielding different modeled ozone concentrations. However, the ozone concentrations modeled for the SMA differ less than those modeled for large, foreign cities in the modeling domain. The simulations using INTEX-B 2006 and CREATE 2010 suggested greater reduction in ozone with NOx control than with VOCs control. All simulations show that (1) simultaneous reduction in NOx and VOCs leads to less ozone reduction than the sum of ozone reductions for individual NOx and VOCs controls and (2) ozone reductions are stronger for high ozone days than for low ozone days. Comparing the modeled reductions in the relative sense yields smaller differences between high and low ozone days than comparing the modeled reductions in the absolute sense. With a 20% reduction in only NOx emissions, the differences in MDA1O3 among the three inventories were between 0.3 and 0.7 ppb. Because air-quality planning often leads to defined tonnage reductions, we examined the model’s response to such a defined emissions reduction. Using the NOx reduction in China estimated by Zhao et al. (2013), we estimated that the differences in MDA1O3 among the three inventories were between 1.50 and 1.78 ppb. Based on these results, we recommend using different foreign anthropogenic emissions inventories to test future scenarios for air-quality control

Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) are products of the reaction of reactive organic gases (ROGs) and ozone. Most SOA are in the nanometer or submicron range, and thus SOA may be harmful to human health. Concentrations of ROGs may be high in newly decorated rooms, which may result in high SOA concentrations, especially during seasons with high ozone concentration. The objective of this study was to investigate the concentrations of SOA and the extent to which SOA contribute to indoor PM2.5 concentrations in newly decorated residential buildings. We measured concentrations of ROGs in 24 rooms of eight newly decorated (within the preceding three months) residential buildings in Beijing, China. Using previously measured indoor ozone decay rates, air change rates, and corresponding monitored ozone concentrations, we estimated the indoor ozone concentrations for the newly decorated rooms. Subsequently SOA concentrations were calculated using an aerosol mass fraction (AMF) model. We further estimated the fractions of SOA concentrations in indoor PM2.5. The SOA concentrations in 18 of the rooms ranged from 0.88 to 18.18 μg/m3, contributing to between 3.77% and 78.57% of indoor PM2.5 concentrations. The other six rooms had much lower SOA concentrations, less than 0.1 μg/m3, contributing to less than 0.39% of indoor PM2.5 concentrations. The results indicate that the concentrations and contribution of SOA in most newly decorated residential rooms are much higher than those in rooms with long-term occupancy, while some newly decorated rooms can still have low SOA concentrations.

On 3rd to May 24, 2018, volatile organic compound (VOC) samples were collected four times a day by using stainless steel canisters at an urban site in Zhengzhou, China. The concentrations, compositions, sources, ozone (O3) formation potential (OFP), and health risk assessment of VOCs were discussed based on the measurements of 103 VOC species. Results show that the average mixing ratio of VOCs was 29.11 ± 15.33 ppbv, and the dominant components comprised oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) and alkanes, followed by halocarbons, alkenes, aromatics, and a sulfide. Various groups of VOCs had typical diurnal variation characteristics. Alkenes, alkanes, and aromatics contributed most to the OFP. Five sources identified by the positive matrix factorization model revealed solvent utilization as the largest contributor, followed by industrial production, long-lived and secondary species, vehicular emission, and biogenic emission. Solvent utilization and vehicular emission were important sources to OFP. During O3 episode days, the mixing ratios of alkanes, alkenes, halocarbons, OVOCs, aromatics, and TVOCs decreased to varying degrees; the source contribution of solvent utilization decreased significantly while industrial production showed the opposite trend. VOC species and sources posed no non-carcinogenic risk while five species and all sources except for biogenic emission had carcinogenic risks to exposed population. Industrial emission was the largest contributor to both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. These results will help to provide some references for O3 pollution research and prevention and control of pollution sources.

This study aims to quantify the contributions to surface ozone (O3) concentration in the Iberian Peninsula (IP) from the main NOx emission sectors in the region along with the imported O3 during a 10-day episode. The work applies an Integrated Source Apportionment Method within the CALIOPE air quality system at 4-km resolution. This study finds that the imported O3 is overall the larger contribution to its surface concentration. Contributions from local/regional sources are decisive in the O3 peaks downwind of main nitrogen oxides (NOx) hotspots in the IP under stagnant conditions., This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER funds under the project PAISA (CGL2016-75725-R) and the “Red Española de Supercomputación” (AECT-2017-1-0008). The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

To gain a better understanding of the state of the art of surface ozone in Korea, the trends of several indicators were presented based on the extensive surface ozone monitoring data in 16 administrative districts and Baekryeong island, a background area. Important indicators such as the annual mean of hourly mean surface ozone (AVG1), the daily maximum 8-h values (MDA8), and the AVG1 during daytime (D-AVG1) were high in background areas while low in urban areas including the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA). It implies that regional background level largely determines the ozone characteristics in Korea while local photochemical reactions affect the ozone levels in individual district. This hypothesis was validated by the frequency of the high ozone episodes by district. Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of surface ozone in Korea were high, thus, there should be control policy district by district based on the target indicator(s).

Weather Research and Forecast model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) coupled with CLM4.5 lake model is used to understand the impacts of lake-atmosphere exchange on ozone concentration in the Lake Taihu region during a high temperature and high ozone concentration event. About 8 °C bias in lake surface temperature simulated by different lake schemes significantly change the structure and evolution of the lake-land breeze system. As a result, the vertical and horizontal advection directly impacts distribution of ozone around and over the lake in early morning, the difference in ozone concentration is 20–60 μg m−3. Location of the lake breeze front and development of the thermal inner boundary layer around midday are also highly sensitive to the lake-atmosphere exchange. In addition, difference in the local circulation patterns leads to distinct spatial distributions of NOx, an ozone precursor, in regions downwind of their emission sources, especially along the Yangtze River. In response, ozone concentration in this region is drastically changed (about 80 μg m−3) due to the combined actions of transport and chemical reactions. Overall, this study highlights that in regions with spatially extensive shallow lakes with megacities, it is important to accurately represent the lake-atmosphere exchange for ozone pollution simulations, especially under high-temperature and light-wind conditions, in which ozone high concentration events occur frequently and effects of the local lake breeze are expected to dominate.

Atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are not only harmful to human health, but also lead to ozone (O3) formation. From July 3 to August 1 of 2018, online measurements of atmospheric VOCs were conducted in Nanjing City, in order to investigate the source apportionments to VOCs since the Empirical Kinetic Modelling Approach (EKMA) suggested that O3 formation was VOC-limited at the receptor site. Using positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, we quantified eight sources of VOCs, including vehicle exhausts (23%), industrial source (18%), fuel evaporation (17%), petrochemical industry (12%), solvent usage (12%), biogenic emission (8%) and liquefied petroleum gas (7%) along with gasoline additive (3%). The diurnal distributions showed that the contributions of traffic-related sources maximized during the traffic rush hours. In contrast, biogenic sources had the highest contribution at noontime. Backward trajectory results showed that local traffic emissions were the main sources of VOC in Nanjing. Our results revealed that strict control of VOC emissions from local vehicle exhaust might be an important way to decrease high VOC pollution in Nanjing.

Seventeen years (2001–2017) of surface observations and spatial synoptic classification (SSC) data are used to analyze the characteristics of surface ozone concentration according to synoptic weather patterns. While weather conditions are known to play an important role in regional air quality, the extent to which synoptic weather patterns affect the production of high ground-level ozone concentrations has not yet been fully quantified. Using thermal characteristics and geographic origins, the SSC method classifies air masses into six types: dry polar (DP), dry moderate (DM), dry tropical (DT), moist polar (MP), moist moderate (MM), and moist tropical (MT). We link daily maximum 8-h ozone concentrations (MDA8 O3) from 306 monitoring sites to the closest SSC classifications at 17 airport sites and then analyze their association. We find that DM, DT, and MT are commonly associated with high ozone, whereas DT produces ozone with the greatest efficiency, especially high levels of concentration. This finding implies a potentially strong connection between surface ozone and climate change because the occurrence of DT weather has increased by more than three times over the past 50 years in South Korea. Sensitivity tests reveal that mean MDA8 ozone may increase by 3.5% (7.5%) as the DT frequency increases by 200% (300%). The impacts are larger for higher levels of concentration, with 31.7% (63.3%) or more prevalence of the >80 ppb range with the same increased DT frequency. We conclude that synoptic weather and its long-term trends play important roles in the increased surface ozone recently seen in South Korea.

This study investigates the relationship between ground-level ozone variability and synoptic weather conditions in the Chicago area in the summertime over the period 1990–2014. It shows that the occurrence of dry tropical (DT) weather conditions is most likely to lead to high ozone concentrations. Both the 95th percentile of summertime daily maximum 8-hour-average ozone concentrations and the number of days > 70 ppb are shown to have a greater and more significant correlation with DT weather in recent years (2004–2014) than in the preceding period (1990–2003), indicating an increased dependence of ozone on DT weather. The DT weather is shown to be associated with increased geopotential height, warmer temperature, and slower eastward wind at 500 hPa and also with warmer temperature and increased northward wind near the surface. The results have implications for the likely effect of future climate change on ozone as a result of modified synoptic weather conditions. More frequent episodes of high ozone concentrations can be expected, leading to worsened effects on public health and the environment. It will also make it increasingly challenging for Chicago to attain the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone, which has recently been tightened by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Ozone (O3) concentrations measured at Pinnacle State Park (PSPNY), very close to the southern border of New York State, are used to estimate concentrations in air flowing into New York. On 20% of the ozone season (April–September) afternoons from 2004 to 2015, mid-afternoon 500-m back trajectories calculated from PSPNY cross New York border from the south and spend less than three hours in New York State, in this area of negligible local pollution emissions. One-hour (2p.m.–3p.m.) O3 concentrations during these inflowing conditions were 46 ± 13 ppb, and ranged from a minimum of 15 ppb to a maximum of 84 ppb. On average during 2004–2015, each year experienced 11.8 days with inflowing 1-hr O3 concentrations exceeding 50 ppb, 4.3 days with O3 > 60 ppb, and 1.5 days had O3 > 70 ppb. During the same period, 8-hr average concentrations (10a.m. to 6p.m.) exceeded 50 ppb on 10.0 days per season, while 3.9 days exceeded 60 ppb, and 70 ppb was exceeded 1.2 days per season. Two afternoons of minimal in-state emission influences with high ozone concentrations were analyzed in more detail. Synoptic and back trajectory analysis, including comparison with upwind ozone concentrations, indicated that the two periods were characterized as photo-chemically aged air containing high inflowing O3 concentrations most likely heavily influenced by pollution emissions from states upwind of New York including Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio. These results suggest that New York state-level attempts to comply with National Ambient Air Quality Standards by regulating in-state O3 precursor NOx and organic emissions would be very difficult, since air frequently enters New York State very close to or in excess of Federal Air Quality Standards.

Residents near the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah, USA have been exposed to ozone levels during recent summers exceeding the current United States National Ambient Air Quality Standard. Accurately forecasting those exceedances has been difficult as a result of the complex meteorological and photochemical processes fostering them. To help improve such forecasts, a low-cost field study was conducted during summer 2015 to provide comprehensive observations of boundary-layer ozone concentrations in the context of the prevailing meteorological conditions. A network of surface ozone sensors was supplemented by sensors mounted on vehicles, a public transit light-rail car, news helicopter, tethered sonde, and unmanned aerial vehicle. The temporal and spatial evolution of boundary-layer ozone concentrations were compared with the prevailing regional and local meteorological conditions on the basis of gridded operational analyses, surface weather stations, and additional sensors deployed for the field study. High ozone concentrations during June 2015 resulted primarily from local processes while smoke transported from distant wildfires contributed to elevated ozone concentrations during August. The Great Salt Lake influenced ozone concentrations along the Wasatch Front through several mechanisms, most importantly its impact on local wind circulations. The highest ozone concentrations were often found in a narrow zone between the Great Salt Lake and the urban regions to its south and east. Observations from multiple fixed site and mobile platforms during 18–19 August illustrate the complex variations in ozone concentrations as a function of elevation at the surface as well as vertically through the deep boundary layer.

A comparison of ozone simulations in the seoul metropolitan region (SMR) using the community multiscale air quality (CMAQ) model with SAPRC99 and CB05 chemical mechanisms (i.e. EXP-SP99 and EXP-CB05) has been conducted during four seasons of 2012. The model results showed that the differences in average ozone concentrations between the EXP-SP99 and EXP-CB05 were found to be large in summer, but very small in the other seasons. This can be attributed that the SAPRC99 tends to produce more ozone than the CB05 in urban area like the SMR with low VOC/NOx ratio under high ozone conditions. Through quantitative comparison between two mechanisms for the summer, it was found that the average ozone concentrations from the EXP-SP99 were about 3 ppb higher than those from the EXP-CB05 and agreed well with the observations. Horizontal differences in ozone concentrations between SAPRC99 and CB05 showed that significant differences were found in southern part of the SMR and over the sea near the coast in summer.

Electrical generation units (EGUs) are important sources of nitrogen oxides (NOx) that contribute to ozone air pollution. A dynamic management system can anticipate high ozone and dispatch EGU generation on a daily basis to attempt to avoid violations, temporarily scaling back or shutting down EGUs that most influence the high ozone while compensating for that generation elsewhere. Here we investigate the contributions of NOx from individual EGUs to high daily ozone, with the goal of informing the design of a dynamic management system. In particular, we illustrate the use of three sensitivity techniques in air quality models—brute force, decoupled direct method (DDM), and higher-order DDM—to quantify the sensitivity of high ozone to NOx emissions from 80 individual EGUs. We model two episodes with high ozone in the region around Pittsburgh, PA, on August 4 and 13, 2005, showing that the contribution of 80 EGUs to 8-hr daily maximum ozone ranges from 1 to >5 ppb at particular locations. At these locations and on the two high ozone days, shutting down power plants roughly 1.5 days before the 8-hr ozone violation causes greater ozone reductions than 1 full day before; however, the benefits of shutting down roughly 2 days before the high ozone are modest compared with 1.5 days. Using DDM, we find that six EGUs are responsible for >65% of the total EGU ozone contribution at locations of interest; in some locations, a single EGU is responsible for most of the contribution. Considering ozone sensitivities for all 80 EGUs, DDM performs well compared with a brute-force simulation with a small normalized mean bias (–0.20), while this bias is reduced when using the higher-order DDM (–0.10). Implications: Dynamic management of electrical generation has the potential to meet daily ozone air quality standards at low cost. We show that dynamic management can be effective at reducing ozone, as EGU contributions are important and as the number of EGUs that contribute to high ozone in a given location is small (

Ozone pollution affects human health, especially in urban areas on hot sunny days. Its basic photochemistry has been known for decades and yet it is still not possible to correctly predict the high ozone levels that are the greatest threat. The CalNex_SJV study in Bakersfield CA in May/June 2010 provided an opportunity to examine ozone photochemistry in an urban area surrounded by agriculture. The measurement suite included hydroxyl (OH), hydroperoxyl (HO2), and OH reactivity, which are compared with the output of a photochemical box model. While the agreement is generally within combined uncertainties, measured HO2far exceeds modeled HO2in NOx-rich plumes. OH production and loss do not balance as they should in the morning, and the ozone production calculated with measured HO2is a decade greater than that calculated with modeled HO2when NO levels are high. Calculated ozone production using measured HO2is twice that using modeled HO2, but this difference in calculated ozone production has minimal impact on the assessment of NOx-sensitivity or VOC-sensitivity for midday ozone production. Evidence from this study indicates that this important discrepancy is not due to the HO2measurement or to the sampling of transported plumes but instead to either emissions of unknown organic species that accompany the NO emissions or unknown photochemistry involving nitrogen oxides and hydrogen oxides, possibly the hypothesized reaction OH + NO + O2→ HO2+ NO2.

Airshed modeling to determine photochemical ozone creation potentials (POCPs) provides a means of ranking regional emission contributions of individual volatile organic compounds (VOC) to O3 formation. Here POCPs are determined for Perth, Western Australia and compared with those from other Continents; Europe (UK), America (USA) and Asia (The Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong). Considering only the commonality of VOC across the top 50 ranked VOC by POCP and top 15 ranked VOC by POCP-weighted emission, indicates a group of 27 alkane, alkene, aromatic and oxygenated VOC that should be considered as useful targets in emission limitation and reduction strategies. This target group includes; ethene, propene, the butenes (6 VOC) and pentenes (3 VOC), trimethyl benzenes (2 VOC), xylenes (3 VOC), toluene, ethyl benzene, m-ethyl toluene, butanes (2 VOC), pentanes (2 VOC) and 2-methyl heptane, as well as methanal, ethanal and methyl-i-butyl ketone. The top 50 ranked VOC by POCP (from >130 VOC) also highlights those more reactive VOC that should be taken note of, as potential high ozone contributors, should emissions increase. POCPs are determined for Perth, Western Australia & compared with those from other Continents.VOC are ranked by POCP & POCP-weighted emission across high and low air pollution regions.Some common VOC contributing to high O3 are identified across 4 Continents.These common VOC are a group of 27 alkane, alkene, aromatic and oxygenated compounds.Overall analysis identifies potential target VOC for further emission control studies.

The north and east Pearl River Delta (PRD) is usually a clean, upwind area in autumn. Serious ozone pollution there in mid-late October 2008 was first discovered and then analyzed. Trajectory analysis, process analysis, ozone source apportionment technology, and sensitivity analysis were used to study this episode. Under the influence of a weak south wind, the precursors emitted in Guangzhou and Foshan were transported to the north and northeast PRD and formed ozone there, which resulted in high ozone concentration (>100 ppb). As the wind direction later transited to northerly, the precursors in the northeast PRD that originated from the central and west PRD were transported to the south, and caused severe ozone pollution in the southeast PRD. The ozone contributed by chemical processes reached >20 ppb/h in Jinguowan. More than 40 ppb ozone was contributed by the precursor emission in the central and west PRD during the episode. The ozone concentration was highly sensitive to the precursor emission in the PRD region in the high-ozone situations. This episode showed the complexity of regional pollution in the PRD. When the PRD is controlled by a low air pressure system and then cold air moves from northern China to the south, the risk of ozone pollution in the north and southeast PRD increases.