Mapping of exceedances of ozone critical levels for crops and forest trees in The Netherlands: Preliminary results

Abstract

Within the framework of the UN-ECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) critical levels of ozone for forest trees and crops have been determined. In this paper procedures are presented for constructing maps of The Netherlands showing measured ozone concentrations for comparison with the critical levels. The critical ozone levels for forest trees and crops are exceeded widely and frequently in The Netherlands. The frequency and size of exceedances depend on meteorological conditions: during a hot, sunny summer like 1989 or 1990 exceedances of the critical levels by a factor of two or three were observed in the whole of The Netherlands; in a cold, rainy summer like 1991 or 1993 only minor exceedances were observed in some parts (mainly in the south) of the country.