Variation Of Ozone Concentration Research Articles

Which metric of ambient ozone to predict daily mortality?

It is well known that ozone concentration is associated with daily cause specific mortality. But which ozone metric is the best predictor of the daily variability in mortality?We performed a time series analysis on daily deaths (all causes, respiratory and cardiovascular causes as well as death in elderly 65+) in Vienna for the years 1991–2009. We controlled for seasonal and long term trend, day of the week, temperature and humidity using the same basic model for all pollutant metrics. We found model fit was best for same day variability of ozone concentration (calculated as the difference between daily hourly maximum and minimum) and hourly maximum. Of these the variability displayed a more linear dose–response function. Maximum 8 h moving average and daily mean value performed not so well. Nitrogen dioxide (daily mean) in comparison performed better when previous day values were assessed. Same day ozone and previous day nitrogen dioxide effect estimates did not confound each other.Variability in daily ozone levels or peak ozone levels seem to be a better proxy of a complex reactive secondary pollutant mixture than daily average ozone levels in the Middle European setting. If this finding is confirmed this would have implications for the setting of legally binding limit values.

Study of ozone concentration variations in the upper stratosphere using millimeter wave spectroscopy methods

New results of the study of ozone concentration variations in the upper stratosphere over Moscow in the layer at a height of 40 km, which is most sensitive to anthropogenic impacts, are presented. Changes in the ozone concentration and its relation to other atmospheric parameters in cold periods of 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 are analyzed. It was shown that there exist regions with decreased ozone content in the polar vortex and outside of it in air with higher temperature in the upper stratosphere. These phenomena cause deformations of vertical ozone distribution profiles and an appreciable shift of the maximum of the relative content of ozone to lower stratosphere layers.

Vertical Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Ozone Concentration at Kita-Saku Forest Using a Passive Sampler

Vertical Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Ozone Concentration at Kita-Saku Forest Using a Passive Sampler

Ozone formation and destruction at a sub-urban site in North Central region of India

A systematic analysis of surface ozone and its precursor (NO and NO 2) was carried out at Dayalbagh, a suburban site using continuous online O 3 and NO x analyzers from November 2008 to October 2009. Diurnal patterns in ozone concentration show daytime maxima (50–60 ppbv) around 1200–1400 h due to in situ photochemical production and minimum (7–10 ppbv) during night time. O 3 followed inverse relationship with its precursor, NO 2. Seasonal variations in ozone concentration show pronounced maxima in the summer and winter seasons and minima in monsoon and postmonsoon seasons. The high ozone episode days during peak summer were associated with meteorological parameters such as sunny and warm weather, and low relative humidity. The seasonal average concentration in summer ranged between 42 and 45 ppbv, between 28 and 30 ppbv in winters, and between 20 and 23 ppbv in postmonsoon whereas, it is found to be 9–16 ppbv in the monsoon season. The rate of formation as evaluated from 0800 to 1000 h was observed to be maximum in the month of April (4.4 ppbv/h) and minimum in the month of August (0.4 ppbv/h). On the other hand, the rate of destruction of O 3 from 1700 to 1900 h was found to be maximum in February (− 4.2 ppbv/h) and minimum in the month of August (− 0.3 ppbv/h). On the basis of Environmental Protection Agency classification, 8-h ozone concentration remained good for 90% of days, moderate for 8.1% of the days, unhealthy for sensitive groups for 1.9% of the days during the study period.

Long-term ozone decline and its effect on night airglow intensity of Li 6708 Å at Varanasi (25°N, 83°E) and Halley Bay (76°S, 27°W)

A critical analysis has been made on the long-term yearly and seasonal variations of ozone concentration at Varanasi (25°N, 83°E), India and Halley Bay (76°S, 27°W), a British Antarctic Service Station. The effect of O 3 depletion on night airglow emission of Li 6708 A line at Varanasi and Halley Bay has been studied. Calculations based on chemical kinetics show that the airglow intensity of Li 6708 A line has also been affected due to the depletion of O 3 concentration. The yearly variations and seasonal variations of intensities of Li 6708 A line for the above two stations are shown and compared. It has been shown that the rate of decrease of intensity of Li 6708 A line was comparatively more at Halley Bay due to dramatic decrease of Antarctic O 3 concentration.

Geostatistical analysis of the temporal variability of ozone concentrations. Comparison between CHIMERE model and surface observations

Deterministic models have become essential tools to forecast and map concentration fields of atmospheric pollutants like ozone. Those models are regularly updated and improved by incorporating recent theoretical developments and using more precise input data. Unavoidable differences with in situ measurements still remain, which need to be better understood. This study investigates those discrepancies in a geostatistical framework by comparing the temporal variability of ozone hourly surface concentrations simulated by a chemistry-transport model, CHIMERE, and measured across France. More than 200 rural and urban background monitoring sites are considered. The relationship between modelled and observed data is complex. Ozone concentrations evolve according to various time scales. CHIMERE correctly accounts for those different scales of variability but is usually unable to reproduce the exact magnitude of each temporal component. Such difficulty cannot be entirely attributed to the difference in spatial support between grid cell averages and punctual observations. As a result of this exploratory analysis, the common multivariate geostatistical model, known as the linear model of coregionalization, is used to describe the temporal variability of ozone hourly concentrations and the relationship between simulated and observed values at each observation point. The fitted parameters of the model can then be interpreted. Their distribution in space provides objective criteria to delimitate the areas where the chemistry-transport model is more or less reliable.

Issues with Ozone Attainment Methodology for Houston, TX

ABSTRACT To comply with the federal 8-hr ozone standard, the state of Texas is creating a plan for Houston that strictly follows the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) guidance for demonstrating attainment. EPA's attainment guidance methodology has several key assumptions that are demonstrated to not be completely appropriate for the unique observed ozone conditions found in Houston. Houston's ozone violations at monitoring sites are realized as gradual hour-to-hour increases in ozone concentrations, or by large hourly ozone increases that exceed up to 100 parts per billion/hr. Given the time profiles at the violating monitors and those of nearby monitors, these large increases appear to be associated with small parcels of spatially limited plumes of high ozone in a lower background of urban ozone. Some of these high ozone parcels and plumes have been linked to a combination of unique wind conditions and episodic hydrocarbon emission events from the Houston Ship Channel. However, the regulatory air quality model (AQM) does not predict these sharp ozone gradients. Instead, the AQM predicts gradual hourly increases with broad regions of high ozone covering the entire Houston urban core. The AQM model performance can be partly attributed to EPA attainment guidance that prescribes the removal in the baseline model simulation of any episodic hydrocarbon emissions, thereby potentially removing any nontypical causes of ozone exceedances. This paper shows that attainment of all monitors is achieved when days with observed large hourly variability in ozone concentrations are filtered from attainment metrics. Thus, the modeling and observational data support a second unique cause for how ozone is formed in Houston, and the current EPA methodology addresses only one of these two causes. IMPLICATIONS Observational analysis in Houston provides compelling evidence that ozone design values at some surface monitors are dominantly influenced by large hourly changes in ozone concentration that are not predicted by the regulatory model. The use of these models, with current EPA attainment methodology, produces policies that likely overestimate precursor control requirements because only one cause of ozone is functioning in the model. This issue has significant regulatory and economic implications for Houston, especially under lower National Ambient Air Quality Standards. An attainment methodology that recognizes two unique causes for high ozone potentially offers a more reliable means for developing and justifying control policies.

The impact of anthropogenic and biogenic emissions on surface ozone concentrations in Istanbul

Surface ozone concentrations at Istanbul during a summer episode in June 2008 were simulated using a high resolution and urban scale modeling system coupling MM5 and CMAQ models with a recently developed anthropogenic emission inventory for the region. Two sets of base runs were performed in order to investigate for the first time the impact of biogenic emissions on ozone concentrations in the Greater Istanbul Area (GIA). The first simulation was performed using only the anthropogenic emissions whereas the second simulation was performed using both anthropogenic and biogenic emissions. Biogenic NMVOC emissions were comparable with anthropogenic NMVOC emissions in terms of magnitude. The inclusion of biogenic emissions significantly improved the performance of the model, particularly in reproducing the low night time values as well as the temporal variation of ozone concentrations. Terpene emissions contributed significantly to the destruction of the ozone during nighttime. Biogenic NMVOCs emissions enhanced ozone concentrations in the downwind regions of GIA up to 25 ppb. The VOC/NO x ratio almost doubled due to the addition of biogenic NMVOCs. Anthropogenic NO x and NMVOCs were perturbed by ± 30% in another set of simulations to quantify the sensitivity of ozone concentrations to the precursor emissions in the region. The sensitivity runs, as along with the model-calculated ozone-to-reactive nitrogen ratios, pointed NO x-sensitive chemistry, particularly in the downwind areas. On the other hand, urban parts of the city responded more to changes in NO x due to very high anthropogenic emissions.

Effect of ozone exposure on polyamines in Scots pine trees

Effects of ozone exposure on polyamines in Pinus sylvestris L. were studied in a long-term experiment. Ten- to 15-year-old Scots pines were exposed to target ozone levels which began at ambient + 40 ppb in May, decreasing to ambient air only by September for 3 growing seasons. The amount of ozone applied followed the natural pattern of variation in ozone concentrations in Northern Finland. The free, soluble conjugated and insoluble conjugated polyamines were analyzed during the experiment and shortly after termination of exposure as well as at the beginning of the following growing season. A carry-over effect was observed as ozone-induced reduction of free spermidine in the oldest needle year class, which developed during the first exposure season of the experiment. This reduction was observed both after the second and the third ozone exposure season. Conversely, after termination of the experiment, levels of free polyamines increased in the following growing season, and soluble conjugated polyamines decreased in the developing needles. The post-treatment changes in polyamine concentrations are hypothesized to be caused by stress-induced injuries or delayed recovery of metabolic processes rather than protective responses. It is noteworthy that some responses in polyamines were found in the developing needles nine months after terminating the ozone exposure. This suggests that stress-induced injuries to older needles affected metabolism of new developing needles.

Influence of meteorological conditions on summer ozone levels in the central Kanto area of Japan

We investigated the influence of meteorological factors that affect ozone in summer using both measurement analysis and numerical simulation. The results show that there is a close relationship between changes in meteorological conditions and variations in ozone concentrations over the central Kanto area. In summer, up to 84% of long-term variations in peak ozone concentrations may be accounted for by changes in the seasonally averaged daily maximum temperatures and seasonally averaged wind speeds. The ozone episodes in the Kanto region are dominated by three major patterns, of which Patterns I and II are regular summertime pressure patterns with a 26% and 16% frequency of occurrence, respectively. A detailed process analysis of ozone formation under urban heat island (UHI) at two areas in the Kanto region – urban and rural area – indicates that ozone formation is mainly controlled by chemistry, dry deposition, vertical transport, and horizontal transport processes. The groundlevel ozone concentrations are enhanced mainly by the vertical mixing of ozone-rich air from aloft, whereas dry deposition process mainly depletes ozone. Horizontal transport and chemistry processes play opposite roles in the net change of ozone concentration between the two areas. The results of numerical simulations also indicate that the sea breeze has significant effects on the ozone accumulation and distribution in the Kanto area. The high ozone was first observed in urban area and then was transported to the rural area by sea breeze. At rural area, the highest ozone concentrations were found in late afternoon, about two hours later in comparison with the urban area.

Surface ozone concentration variability in Moscow and Kiev

The comparison is represented of the results of surface ozone concentration measurements in two megalopolises, Moscow and Kiev. A temporal course of ozone concentration and temperature in both cities is close by the shape and is typical of medium-polluted plain stations. In both megalopolises, two maxima are observed within the seasonal ozone concentration variability, in spring and summer, and during the day, a usual ozone concentration maximum (approximately in 2–3 hours after the local noon) and the night one being typical of big cities. An average ozone concentration and an average temperature in corresponding periods are higher in Kiev than in Moscow. Evidently, the summer maximum is associated with photochemical ozone generation processes, and the spring one, with dynamic processes of its transport in the atmosphere. In both megalopolises, the episodes are observed in the warm period under meteorological conditions being unfavorable for the pollutant scattering in the atmosphere when the ozone concentration exceeds the threshold limit value and is dangerous for health. The repeatability of such episodes is the highest one in July-August. In Kiev, such episodes are more frequent than in Moscow. An effective statistical model is constructed for both megalopolises in which the observed ozone concentration is represented in the form of regression function of temperature and relative humidity.

Variation of Surface Ozone Recorded at the Eastern Coastal Region of the Malaysian Peninsula

Problem statement: Variations of ozone (O3) concentrations in the Eastern Coastal Region of the Malaysia peninsula were investigated using data obtained from the Malaysian Department of the Environment. The aim of this study was to determine the monthly and seasonal variations of ozone concentrations at all monitoring sites. This study deals with the air quality data recorded at four air quality monitoring stations in the East Coast of the Malaysian peninsula over a ten year period (1997- 2006). Approach: We focused on the usage of S-Plus and SPSS to analyze this data. The S-Plus programming was used to impute missing data and SPSS was used to obtain the variations of ozone and also to clarify the relationship between stations. Results: Over the entire 10 year period (1997- 2006), the trend in annual baseline ozone generally increased each year for all the four monitoring sites. There was also a seasonal variability in the measured ozone levels with high concentrations during the southwest monsoon and the northeast monsoon season, producing a significant increase in the amplitude of the seasonal cycle. The results also shown that the highest ozone concentrations were recorded at the Bukit Kuang air monitoring station (S1), with a daily mean value of 19 ppb followed by the Indera Mahkota air monitoring station (S2). The concentration of ozone recorded at Kota Bharu (S3) and Kuala Terengganu (S4), two stations located in the city centre, was found to be lower than the values recorded at Bukit Kuang and Indera Mahkota. The correlation between O3 and NO is high at Kuala Terengganu (S4) (ρ = -0.579), whilst the relationship between O3 and NO2 are high (ρ = -0.397) at Indera Mahkota (S2). Conclusion: The concentration of ozone in the East Coast of Malaysian peninsula depends on the concentration of NOx and seasonal meteorological factors.

Making Informed Choices about Microarray Data Analysis

Making Informed Choices about Microarray Data Analysis

Long-term ozone trend and its effect on night airglow intensity of Li 6708 Å at Ahmedabad (23°N, 72.5°E), India and Halley Bay (76°S, 27°W), British Antarctic Service Station

A critical analysis has been made of the long-term yearly and seasonal variations of ozone concentration at Ahmedabad (23°N, 72.5°E), India and Halley Bay (76°S, 27°W), a British Antarctic Service Station. The effect of O3 depletion on night airglow emission of Li 6708 A line at Ahmedabad and Halley Bay has been studied. Calculations based on chemical kinetics show that the airglow intensity of Li 6708 A line has also been affected due to the depletion of O3 concentration. The nature of yearly variation and seasonal variation of intensity of Li 6708 A line for the above two stations have been shown and compared. It has been shown that the rate of decrease of intensity of Li 6708 A line was comparatively higher at Halley Bay due to dramatic decrease of Antarctic O3 concentration.

Synoptic Weather Types and Long-range Transport Patterns for Ozone Precursors during High-ozone Events in Southern Sweden

We studied long-range transport patterns and related weather types in relation to high-ozone events in southern Sweden. The aim was to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Lamb-Jenkinson weather types and surface ozone concentration variation, thus widening the application of the weather type analysis of air quality at 4 sites in this region. The long-range transport patterns associated with high-ozone events were classified into trajectories from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and in the vicinity of southern Sweden (VIC). The VIC type, characterized by short and whirling curves, represented more than 40% of the high-ozone events at the studied rural sites. More than half of the high-ozone events occurred under high-pressure conditions, belonging to weather type A (anticyclones). The high correlation coefficient between annual counts of weather type A and those of long-range transport pattern VIC confirmed the strong link between stagnant weather conditions and high-ozone events, especially during the summer. Furthermore, a strong linear anticorrelation was detected between high-ozone events and annual counts of weather type C (cyclones) during the summer. This relationship implies that the frequency of weather type C is a useful indicator for low risk of summertime high-ozone events in southern Sweden. Moreover, the relationship between the weather type and high ozone risk may be useful in examining the potential effect of climate change on the regional air quality.

Variability of ozone concentration in a montane environment, northern Italy

To evaluate the spatial variability of ozone concentrations, two studies were undertaken in the montane environment of Trentino region, northern Italy, in 2007. In the first study, a 225 km 2 area was considered. Here, a randomized design was used to evaluate the variability of ozone concentration at 1 and 225 km 2 scale. Measurements were carried out by passive samplers between May and June 2007. In a second study, the whole 6207 km 2 area of Trentino was considered. The area is covered by five grid cells of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP). A systematic 15 × 15 km grid was used to allocate 15 passive samplers over the entire province, resulting into 1–4 samplers for each of the 5 EMEP grid cells (2500 km 2 each) overlapping the study area. Measurements were carried out between June and September 2007. Accuracy of passive samplers was checked by direct comparison with conventional ozone analysers. Significant differences ( P = 0.034) were found in ozone concentration among 1 × 1 km quadrates within the 225 km 2 study area, while variability within the 1 × 1 km grid cells (coefficient of variation, CV′ = 0.12) slightly exceed the measurement error (CV′ = 0.08). At larger scales (225, 2500 and 6207 km 2), ozone concentration shows much higher variability (CV′ from 0.18 to 0.28, with peak values at 0.40). Reported differences lead to very different AOT40 estimates even within the same EMEP grid cell. These findings suggest that 1 × 1 km resolution seems appropriate for ozone concentration modelling. On the other hand, significant sub-grid variation may exist at the resolution adopted by the EMEP model. Coupled with the likely variability of other important meteorological, soil and vegetation variables, our findings suggest that ozone risk assessment for vegetation based on large-scale modelled AOT40 and flux needs to be considered with great caution. The evidence reported in this paper asks for more detailed national-scale modelling, and the development of methods to incorporate local scale variations into large-scale models.

The interaction between tropospheric ozone and aqueous-phase aerosol in arctic mountains

The ozone concentration variations at Lovchorr Mountain (1095 m, Khibiny Mountains) during fog, rain precipitation, and drizzle are analyzed. It is shown that the average ozone depletion resulting from the chemical reactions of ozone and aqueous-phase aerosol is less than 5 ppb.

Measurements of stratospheric ozone with a balloon-borne optical ozone sensor

We have developed a balloon-borne optical ozone sensor and since 1994 have observed the vertical distribution of upper stratospheric ozone in summer using a thin-film high-altitude balloon at Sanriku, Japan. The sensor measures solar ultraviolet radiation in ozone Hartley band absorption at wavelength of 300 nm, and vertical ozone distributions higher than 15 km were obtained with 1 km resolution. The temporal variations of ozone concentrations above 30 km from 1994 to 2007 show correlations with 11-year variation of solar F10.7 flux and we could not detect decreasing or increasing trends.

Estimates of AOT ozone indices from time-integrated ozone data and hourly air temperature measurements in southwest Sweden

Surface ozone concentration and surface air temperature was measured hourly at three coastal sites, four low elevation inland sites and two high elevation inland sites in southwestern Sweden. Diurnal ozone concentration range (DOR) and diurnal temperature range (DTR) were strongly correlated, both spatially and temporally, most likely because both depended on atmospheric stability. Accumulated ozone exposure above a threshold concentration of x nmol mol − 1 (AOT x) was estimated from time-integrated ozone concentration (as from diffusive sampling) and measures of ozone concentration variability. Two methods both estimated 24-h AOT x with high accuracy (modelling efficiencies >90% for x ≤ 40 nmol mol −1). Daytime (08:00–20:00) AOT x could not be equally well estimated. Estimates were better for lower AOT thresholds. Diffusive ozone concentration sampling, combined with hourly temperature monitoring, could be a valuable complement to ozone concentration monitoring with continuous instruments.

OZONE CONCENTRATION VARIATIONS NEAR HIGH‐VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINES/OZONO KONCENTRACIJOS KITIMAS TIES AUKŠTOSIOS ĮTAMPOS TIEKIMO LINIJOMIS/ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ КОНЦЕНТРАЦИИ ОЗОНА ВБЛИЗИ ВЫСОКОВОЛЬТНЫХ ЛИНИЙ ЭЛЕКТРОПЕРЕДАЧ

Changes and distribution of ozone concentration in the area of high‐voltage transmission lines were investigated. The investigation on ozone concentration changes was performed with application of two methods: by using an ozone analyser and by passive samplers. The role of an accumulating element was performed by a glass‐fiber filter installed in a passive sampler. It was impregnated with a 1.2‐di(4‐pyridyl)ethylene and acetate acid solution. The impact of meteorological parameters on the passive sampler efficiency and ozone concentration variation is discussed. These parameters can increase or decrease the real concentration value in comparison with the concentration obtained by co‐located continuously running ozone analyser. Ozone concentration near high‐voltage lines varied from 10 to 51 ppb, and “background” ozone concentration changed from 3 to 50 ppb during the investigation period. The average concentrations were 28.1 and 27.5 ppb near the lines and “background” during the whole experiment period. The wind direction from “background” location to the high‐voltage lines prevailed during the experiment. The obtained results by different methods demonstrated good agreement; the difference between ozone concentrations was from 1 to 24% for individual cases. Santrauka Tirta ozono koncentracijos kitimas ir pasiskirstymas ties aukštosios įtampos perdavimo linijomis. Ozono koncentracija matuota dviem metodais – ozono analizatoriumi ir pasyviaisiais kaupikliais. Pasyviajame kaupiklyje kaip kaupiantysis elementas buvo naudojamas stiklo pluošto filtras, impregnuotas 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)etileno ir acetatinės rūgšties tirpalu. Vėjo greitis, vėjo kryptis, UV spinduliuotė, temperatūra ir santykinė oro drėgmė gali turėti įtakos pasyviųjų kaupiklių efektyvumui bei ozono koncentracijos pasiskirstymui, todėl kartu tirti ir meteorologiniai parametrai (temperatūra, santykinė oro drėgmė, vėjo greitis ir kryptis). Tyrimo laikotarpiu ozono koncentracija ties aukštosios įtampos tiekimo linijomis kito nuo 10 iki 51 ppb, o nutolusioje per 222 m vietovėje, kuri buvo traktuojama kaip foninė, – nuo 3 iki 50 ppb. Išmatuota vidutinė ozono koncentracija foninėje vietoje buvo 27,5 ppb, o ties linijomis – 28,1 ppb. Eksperimento metu vyravo pietryčių krypties vėjas, t. y. nuo foninės vietos – aukštosios įtampos tiekimo linijų link. Nustatant ozono koncentraciją skirtingais metodais duomenys pakankamai sutapo, pavieniais atvejais nesutapimas svyravo nuo 1 iki 24 %. Резюме Исследовалось изменение и распределение концентрации озона в районе высоковольтных линий электропередач. Концентрация озона измерялась двумя методами: анализаторами озона УФ-поглощения непрерывного действия и с использованием пассивных сорбентов. В качестве сорбента использовался фильтр из стекловолокна, пропитанный 1,2-ди(4-пиридил)этиленом и уксусной кислотой. Параллельно непрерывно измерялась температура и относительная влажность воздуха, скорость и направление ветра. Исследования показали, что концентрация озона в течение эксперимента изменялась в интервале от 10 до 51 ррb у линии и от 3 до 50 ррb на «фоновой» точке, удаленной от линий электропередач на расстояние 222 м. В течение эксперимента почти половину времени преобладал боковой ветер по отношению к высоковольтным линиям со стороны фоновой точки. Средние измеренные концентрации озона составляли 27,5 ррb на «фоновой» точке и 28,1 ррb – у линий. Результаты измерения концентрации озона как анализаторами непрерывного действия, так и по методике с использованием пассивных сорбентов показали хорошее совпадение: разница составляла 2–15% и лишь в отдельных случаях 24%.