Concentration of surface ozone, Obninsk, 2004–2010

Abstract

The results of measurements of surface ozone in central European Russia in 2004–2010 are presented. The variation coefficient for hourly, monthly, and annual mean ozone concentrations is 78, 26, and 12%, respectively. The measurements established a link between increased (>60 μg/m3) and minimum (<12 μg/m3) hourly mean ozone concentrations with the existence of a temperature inversion in the lower 300-m atmospheric layer. Sixty-seven percent of the total number of increased hourly mean ozone concentrations over the 2004–2010 period took place in 2010. A maximum hourly mean ozone concentration of 218.5 μg/m3 was recorded at 17:00 on August 1, 2010. The annual mean ozone concentration in a climatically significant range of hourly mean concentrations from 12 to 60 μg/m3 increased by 45% in a linear approximation over the period of record. The spectral analysis of monthly mean concentrations of surface ozone identified composite oscillations with periods from 3 to 60 months. To approximate the temporal dynamics of ozone, a statistical model was used. This model satisfactorily describes the experimental monthly and annual mean concentrations.