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Atmosphere
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Tropospheric Ozone Observations
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Tropospheric Ozone Observations

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 20862

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Andrei Skorokhod

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
A.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Interests: tropospheric air chemistry, in-situ observations, air quality and pollution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tropospheric ozone (O3) content is one of the most important factors that determine the level of anthropogenic air pollution and the budget of climatically relevant atmospheric gases through series of photochemical reactions. It significantly contributes to global warming, harms the ecosystems, and is responsible for up to 20% premature deaths caused by air pollution. Unlike what observed for passive atmospheric air constituents, the prediction of ozone’s behavior is much more complicated, and ozone concentration is highly variable depending on daytime, season, region, pollution, meteorology, atmospheric transport, and circulation. Therefore, qualitative tropospheric ozone observations in different geographical sites are still of great value today to solve numerous scientific and applied tasks related to atmospheric chemistry, climate, ecology, and human health. They are also important to validate simulations by chemical transport models (CTMs) and state-of-the-art satellite products.    

This Special Issue is expected to reflect up-to-date scientific views on the role of ozone in atmospheric chemistry and its relation to climate changes and air pollution and to emphasize the critical importance of both in situ and remote observations of ozone and its precursors in the troposphere for a coherent understanding of the present atmospheric impacts of ozone and related transformations.

Dr. Andrei Skorokhod
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • tropospheric ozone
  • ozone precursors
  • in-situ and remote observations
  • measurement techniques
  • climate change
  • air pollution
  • stratosphere–troposphere exchange
  • ozone formation
  • atmosphere oxidizing ability
  • spatio-temporal variations
  • long-term trends
  • numerical modeling

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2548 KiB  
Article
Solar Ultraviolet Radiation in Pretoria and Its Relations to Aerosols and Tropospheric Ozone during the Biomass Burning Season
by D. Jean du Preez, Hassan Bencherif, Thierry Portafaix, Kévin Lamy and Caradee Yael Wright
Atmosphere 2021, 12(2), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020132 - 20 Jan 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3764
Abstract
Biomass burning has an impact on atmospheric composition as well as human health and wellbeing. In South Africa, the biomass burning season extends from July to October and affects the aerosol loading and tropospheric ozone concentrations which in turn impact solar ultraviolet radiation [...] Read more.
Biomass burning has an impact on atmospheric composition as well as human health and wellbeing. In South Africa, the biomass burning season extends from July to October and affects the aerosol loading and tropospheric ozone concentrations which in turn impact solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) levels at the surface. Using ground-based observations of aerosols, tropospheric ozone and solar UVR (as well as modelled solar UVR) we investigated the impact of aerosols and tropospheric ozone on solar UVR in August, September, and October over Pretoria. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) and tropospheric ozone reached a peak between September and October each year. On clear-sky days, the average relative difference between the modelled and observed solar Ultraviolet Index (UVI) levels (a standard indicator of surface UVR) at solar noon was 7%. Using modelled UVR—which included and excluded the effects of aerosols and tropospheric ozone from biomass burning—aerosols had a larger radiative effect compared to tropospheric ozone on UVI levels during the biomass burning season. Excluding only aerosols resulted in a 10% difference between the modelled and observed UVI, while excluding only tropospheric ozone resulted in a difference of −2%. Further understanding of the radiative effect of aerosols and trace gases, particularly in regions that are affected by emissions from biomass burning, is considered important for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tropospheric Ozone Observations)
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16 pages, 1701 KiB  
Article
Increases in Biogenic Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations Observed after Rains at Six Forest Sites in Non-Summer Periods
by Takafumi Miyama, Tomoaki Morishita, Yuji Kominami, Hironori Noguchi, Yukio Yasuda, Natsuko Yoshifuji, Michiaki Okano, Katsumi Yamanoi, Yasuko Mizoguchi, Satoru Takanashi, Kenzo Kitamura and Kazuho Matsumoto
Atmosphere 2020, 11(12), 1381; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11121381 - 21 Dec 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3086
Abstract
Since biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are important precursors of ozone, the monitoring of the BVOC concentration distributions is needed. In general, forest BVOC concentrations increase in summer as well as in other seasons. This study aims to detect temporally sporadic increases in [...] Read more.
Since biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are important precursors of ozone, the monitoring of the BVOC concentration distributions is needed. In general, forest BVOC concentrations increase in summer as well as in other seasons. This study aims to detect temporally sporadic increases in BVOC concentrations in the non-summer months and to analyze the occurring climatic conditions. Using a uniform sampling system and shared gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, the concentrations of isoprene and monoterpenes in six Japanese forests were observed approximately once a month for 3 years. Using the observed data, the relations between the BVOC concentration increases and meteorological factors were evaluated. Twenty instances of temporal increases in BVOC concentrations were observed. These mainly occurred in spring for isoprene and in autumn for monoterpenes. Most of the increases in the non-summer months were observed after a rainfall event, when the daily temperature range was large, suggesting that wind, rain, and a rapid diurnal temperature rise could be factors in the non-summer months. Thus, the network monitoring of BVOC concentrations might be effective for understanding the effects of factors other than temperature, and the mechanisms and frequency of the temporal increases, on the BVOC concentrations in various forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tropospheric Ozone Observations)
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16 pages, 5230 KiB  
Article
Impact of VOCs and NOx on Ozone Formation in Moscow
by Elena Berezina, Konstantin Moiseenko, Andrei Skorokhod, Natalia V. Pankratova, Igor Belikov, Valery Belousov and Nikolai F. Elansky
Atmosphere 2020, 11(11), 1262; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11111262 - 23 Nov 2020
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 7474
Abstract
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—Institute of Atmospheric Physics) observational site in Moscow from 2011–2013. Seasonal and [...] Read more.
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—Institute of Atmospheric Physics) observational site in Moscow from 2011–2013. 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 μg/m3). In contrast, NOx, CO, and benzene decreased from 8 a.m. to 5–6 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 2011–2013. 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–NOx dependence shows a decrease in ground-level O3 with an increase in NOx during the summers of 2011–2013, 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 31–67 μg/m3 on average and exceeded 100 μg/m3 in the top 10% of high ozone events, reaching 136 μg/m3. Acetaldehyde, 1.3-butadiene, and isoprene have the highest ozone production potential in Moscow compared to that of other measured VOCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tropospheric Ozone Observations)
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22 pages, 4486 KiB  
Article
Ozone Variability and Trend Estimates from 20-Years of Ground-Based and Satellite Observations at Irene Station, South Africa
by Hassan Bencherif, Abdoulwahab M. Toihir, Nkanyiso Mbatha, Venkataraman Sivakumar, David Jean du Preez, Nelson Bègue and Gerrie Coetzee
Atmosphere 2020, 11(11), 1216; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11111216 - 11 Nov 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3021
Abstract
While the stratospheric ozone protects the biosphere against ultraviolet (UV) radiation, tropospheric ozone acts like a greenhouse gas and an indicator of anthropogenic pollution. In this paper, we combined ground-based and satellite ozone observations over Irene site (25.90° S, 28.22° E), one of [...] Read more.
While the stratospheric ozone protects the biosphere against ultraviolet (UV) radiation, tropospheric ozone acts like a greenhouse gas and an indicator of anthropogenic pollution. In this paper, we combined ground-based and satellite ozone observations over Irene site (25.90° S, 28.22° E), one of the most ancient ozone-observing stations in the southern tropics. The dataset is made of daily total columns and weekly profiles of ozone collected over 20 years, from 1998 to 2017. In order to fill in some missing data and split the total column of ozone into a tropospheric and a stratospheric column, we used satellite observations from TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer), OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument), and MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder) experiments. The tropospheric column is derived by integrating ozone profiles from an ozonesonde experiment, while the stratospheric column is obtained by subtracting the tropospheric column from the total column (recorded by the Dobson spectrometer), and by assuming that the mesospheric contribution is negligible. Each of the obtained ozone time series was then analyzed by applying the method of wavelet transform, which permitted the determination of the main forcings that contribute to each ozone time series. We then applied the multivariate Trend-Run model and the Mann–Kendall test for trend analysis. Despite the different analytical approaches, the obtained results are broadly similar and consistent. They showed a decrease in the stratospheric column (−0.56% and −1.7% per decade, respectively, for Trend-Run and Mann–Kendall) and an increase in the tropospheric column (+2.37% and +3.6%, per decade, respectively, for Trend-Run and Mann–Kendall). Moreover, the results presented here indicated that the slowing down of the total ozone decline is somewhat due to the contribution of the tropospheric ozone concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tropospheric Ozone Observations)
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16 pages, 2960 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Regional Transport and Meteorology on Ground-Level Ozone in Windsor, Canada
by Tianchu Zhang, Xiaohong Xu and Yushan Su
Atmosphere 2020, 11(10), 1111; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11101111 - 16 Oct 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2534
Abstract
This study investigated impacts of regional transport and meteorology on ground-level ozone (O3) in the smog season (April–September) during 1996–2015 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Data from five upwind stations in the US, which are within 310 km (i.e., Allen Park and [...] Read more.
This study investigated impacts of regional transport and meteorology on ground-level ozone (O3) in the smog season (April–September) during 1996–2015 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Data from five upwind stations in the US, which are within 310 km (i.e., Allen Park and Lansing in Michigan, Erie, National Trail School, and Delaware in Ohio), were included to assess the regional characteristics of O3. The five US stations showed high degrees of similarity with O3 concentrations in Windsor, with overall strong correlations (r = 0.567–0.876 for hourly O3 and r = 0.587–0.92 for 8 h max O3 concentrations) and a low degree of divergence, indicating that O3 pollution in the study area shares regional characteristics. Meteorological conditions played important roles in O3 levels in Windsor. High O3 concentrations were associated with southerly and southwesterly air mass from which polluted and hot air mass was transported and that enhanced local photochemical O3 production. In contrast, northerly flows brought in clean, cool, and dry air mass, and led to low O3 concentrations. Strong correlations were found between numbers of days with 8 h max O3 concentrations greater than 70 ppb and numbers of days with daily max temperature greater than 30 °C, as well as between daily max temperatures and 8 h max O3 concentrations. Nearly half (45%) of the high O3 days (≥90th percentile) occurred in dry tropical weather during 1996–2015, and the 90th percentile 8 h max O3 was associated with dry tropical weather. Occurrences of both southerly flow hours and dry tropical weather type in the smog season increased during the study period. If there were more hot and dry days in the next few decades due to climate change, the effect of emission control on reducing peak O3 values would be diminished. Therefore, continued regional and international efforts are essential to control precursors’ emissions and to mitigate O3 pollution in Windsor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tropospheric Ozone Observations)
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