Relationship of ozone and its precursors in the West Coast Air Basin of Athens: a statistical model for the assessment of air quality in an urban area

Abstract

Surface measurements of ozone are correlated to measurement of its precursors (NO x and hydrocarbons) for the period 1986–1989, for the West Coast Air Basin of Athens. We first find that the concentrations of total hydrocarbons (THC) and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) are linearly correlated. We then attempt to express the relationship of ozone to its precursors via polynomial and multiplicative regression models, to find that in all cases ozone variation is explained by the mixing ratios of NO x and non-methane hydrocarbons in conjunction with a meteorological parameter, namely the temperature at the pressure level of 850 hPa. Depending on the regression model, the correlation coefficient increases from 0.73 to 0.98. The satisfactory performance of the regression models support their application for both the assessment of air quality in urban areas and the formulation of localized environmental protection policies.