Influence of various emission scenarios on ozone in Europe

In this study, we investigated the effect of numerous regulations enforced since 1985 to improve air quality on ozone in Europe with the focus on Switzerland, using the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) for a specific summer period. Several emission scenarios for the year 2010 were also considered. The model results suggest that the emission reductions of ozone precursors should have been effective to reduce ozone production between 1985 and 2000 in northern Switzerland. However, observations do not indicate any significant change in surface ozone levels since early 1990s, except in the region of Zurich where there is a small negative trend. On the other hand, the model predictions match very well the spatial variability of the trends but the calculated trends are around 0.5 ppb year⁻¹ lower than those observed. This difference is similar to the background ozone increase as suggested by the long-term observations at the high Alpine station Jungfraujoch. These results support the hypothesis that the decrease in local ozone production due to emission reductions might have been partly or completely compensated by the simultaneous increase in the background ozone. In 2010, a strict application of the Gothenburg Protocol in Europe would lead to a decrease in peak ozone concentrations by about 5% in Switzerland under the meteorological conditions applied. Our calculations also indicated that emission controls only in Switzerland would not be very effective to improve the air quality in the future. The further development of the background ozone will in any case be very important for the tropospheric ozone levels.     

The impact on tropospheric ozone formation on the implementation of a program for mobile emissions control: a case study in São Paulo,Brazil

The main sources of reactive hydrocarbons (RHC) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x), ozone precursors, in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) in the southeast of Brazil are emissions from vehicles fleets. Ambient surface ozone and particulate matter concentrations are air quality problem in the MASP. This study examined the impact that implementing a control program for mobile emissions has on ozone concentrations, An episode of high surface ozone concentrations occurring in the MASP during the March 13–15, 2000 period was used as a case study that was modeled for photochemical oxidants using the California Institute of Technology/Carnegie Mellon University three-dimensional photochemical model. Different scenarios were analyzed in relationship to the implementation of the Programa Nacional de Controle de Poluição por Veículos Automotores (PROCONVE, National Program to Control Motor Vehicle Pollution). Scenario 1 assumed that all vehicles were operating within PROCONVE guidelines. Scenarios 2 and 3 considered hypothetical situations in which the PROCONVE was not implemented. Scenario 2 set the premise that vehicles were using pre-1989 technology, whereas scenario 3 allowed for technological advances. A base case scenario, in which the official emission inventory for the year 2000 was employed, was also analyzed. The CIT model results show agreement with most measurements collected during 13–15 March 2000 modeling episode. Mean normalized bias for ozone, CO, RHC and NO _x are approximately 9.0, 6.0, ?8.3, 13.0%, respectively. Tropospheric ozone concentrations predicted for scenario 2 were higher than those predicted for scenarios 1, 3 and base case. This study makes a significant contribution to the evaluation of air quality improvement and provides data for use in evaluating the economic costs of implementing a program of motor vehicle pollution control aimed at protecting human health.     

南京北郊大气臭氧浓度变化特征

以南京北郊大气中O3质量浓度观测资料为基础,分析了O3变化特征和气象要素对其影响程度。结果表明：大气O3日均质量浓度平均为65.8μg·m-3。O3质量浓度最大值出现在午后15时左右,O3质量浓度日最大值在春季最大,而冬季最小。白天工作日O3质量浓度要高于周末,而夜间两者差异不大。气温,日照时数和降水量是影响南京大气O3质量浓度的重要因素。全年中5月份高日照时数和较低的降水量导致南京出现O3高值。在偏南气流作用下,O3质量浓度偏高。由气象要素得到的O3日均质量浓度和O3日最高质量浓度回归方程相关系数分别为0.61和0.71。     

天气条件对福州近地层臭氧分布的影响

利用2009—2010年福州市近地层臭氧连续观测资料,并结合气象资料分析不同天气型对臭氧浓度变化的影响,以及臭氧浓度与气象要素的相关性。结果表明:在高压后部、地面倒槽等6种天气型影响下,福州市臭氧浓度值较高;在低涡锋面、台风(热带辐合带)等4种天气型影响下,臭氧浓度值较低。导致福州市臭氧平均浓度值最高的天气型是台风(热带辐合带)外围,最低的是低涡锋面系统。高压后部、地面倒槽和锋前暖区等强暖性、且非常不利于污染物扩散的天气型易造成臭氧浓度超标。臭氧浓度与气象要素关系密切,与温度、日照、太阳辐射显著正相关,与云量、相对湿度、降水量显著负相关,受偏南和偏东风影响,平均风速较大时,臭氧浓度较高,在SSE方位上臭氧小时浓度超标率最高。     

An assessment of air pollution episodes in the urban area of athensfor the period 1984–1994

Air pollution episodes in the greater Athens area for the period 1984–1994 were examined to assess the type, frequency and repetitivity of air pollution in the examined area. The assessment depends strongly on the definition of an air pollution episode (APE), namely if it is the narrow or broad one. Results from the statistical analysis of the data record‐on the basis of the broad definition of the APE‐show a declining trend in the number of APEs especially for non‐photochemical species, a sharp increase of APEs from 1987 to 1993 due to high ozone levels and a similarly sharp decrease thereafter, and a decreasing trend of nitrogen dioxide episodes from the year 1992 thereon. Interannual examination of APEs shows that they occur in higher numbers during the period November to January and in the period May to July. Finally an examination of the number of days for which urgent‐short term‐measures were taken to reduce high levels of atmospheric pollution, shows a decreasing trend from 1989, with the exception of 1994 where the sharp increase in the number of days is due to the application of the urgent measures at a precautionary mode, i.e. when pollution loads exceed the alert levels, air pollution increases in rapid rates and meteorological conditions are supportive for an enhanced APE.     

On the association between the column ozone and the spectral solar ultraviolet radiation

An estimation of the increase in the daily spectral solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the ground is attempted, by using the daily total ozone observations made by the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) flown on the satellite Nimbus‐7 during 1978–1992. This investigation has been performed for the high latitudes by employing a recently proposed parametric model for the estimation of the spectral solar ultraviolet radiation at the earth's surface considering the total ozone content and various meteorological parameters.     

Sensitivity of Ozone Production to the Nmhc Composition,Aerosol Back-Scattering and High Chimney Emission

Abstract

In this paper, three sensitivity studies are designed to analyze the effect of the NMHC (Non-Methane HydroCarbon) composition, the aerosol back-scattering and the high chimney NO _x emission to the photochemical prodution of ozone by using a one-dimensional photochemistry-diffusion model under a favourable meteorological condition. Measurements of the NMHC composition in Taipei indicated that the percentage of iso-butene, cis-2-butene, trans-2-butene and benzene in a unit volume was much higher than of those observed in other major cities. the high ratio of benzene was directly linked to its high percentage in gasoline. As to the unusually high amount of iso-butene, cis-2-butene and trans-2-butene, more researches are needed to identify their source. Concerns are raised as to how productive is NMHC composition is to the photochemical production of the surface ozone. A rough estimate shows that the total reactivity of the Taipei NMHC composition is about 1.21 × 10^?9 cm³ s^?1 which is 1.6 times that of the Los Angeles (LA) NMHC composition, while the simulated noon peak will be different by 28 ppbv, i.e. 18% more than that simulated with a LA composition.

Meanwhile, high aerosol loading is a serious problem in Taipei. the attenuation of the UV radiation by aerosols cannot be ignored. A numerical simulation shows that the noon ozone level will decrease from 178 to 141ppbv, i. e. about 21% reduction, with deterioration of the visual range from 85 to 5 km.

In the southern Taiwan, industry parks are mixed with the populated Kaohsiung city, hence the large emission of NO _x from high chimneys cannot be ignored. in this study, NO _x is assumed to be emitted in the layer between 235–460 m high with an emission rate of 0.05 or 0.145 ppbv/sec. the results show that the NO _x emitted from the elevated stack lead to a considerable reduction of surface ozone. Such conclusion is obtained due to the fact that a one-dimensional model is used in this paper. Whereas, if a three-dimensional regional model was used, then a higher productivity of ozone downstream would be simulated.     

天气条件对福州近地层臭氧分布的影响

利用2009—2010年福州市近地层臭氧连续观测资料,并结合气象资料分析不同天气型对臭氧浓度变化的影响,以及臭氧浓度与气象要素的相关性。结果表明：在高压后部、地面倒槽等6种天气型影响下,福州市臭氧浓度值较高;在低涡锋面、台风（热带辐合带）等4种天气型影响下,臭氧浓度值较低。导致福州市臭氧平均浓度值最高的天气型是台风（热带辐合带）外围,最低的是低涡锋面系统。高压后部、地面倒槽和锋前暖区等强暖性、且非常不利于污染物扩散的天气型易造成臭氧浓度超标。臭氧浓度与气象要素关系密切,与温度、日照、太阳辐射显著正相关,与云量、相对湿度、降水量显著负相关,受偏南和偏东风影响,平均风速较大时,臭氧浓度较高,在SSE方位上臭氧小时浓度超标率最高。     

Space-time estimation of grid-cell hourly ozone levels for assessment of a deterministic model

We present an approach to estimate hourly grid-cell surface ozone concentrations based on observations from point monitoring sites in space, for comparison with grid-based results from the SARMAP photochemical air-quality model for a region of northern California. Statistical estimation is carried out on a transformed (square root) scale, followed by back-transforming to the original scale of ozone in parts per billion, adjusting for bias and variance. We estimate a spatially-varying diurnal mean structure and a non-separable space-time correlation structure on the transformed scale. Temporal pre-whitening is followed by modelling of a spatially non-stationary, diurnally-varying spatial correlation structure using a spatial deformation approach. Comparisons of SARMAP model results with the estimated grid-cell ozone levels are presented.     

Physical and chemical processes of wintertime secondary nitrate aerosol formation

The UCD/CIT model was modified to include a process analysis (PA) scheme for gas and particulate matter (PM) to study the formation of secondary nitrate aerosol during a stagnant wintertime air pollution episode during the California Regional PM_2.5/PM₁₀ Air Quality Study (CRPAQS) where detailed measurements of PM components are available at a few sites. Secondary nitrate is formed in the urban areas from near the ground to a few hundred meters above the surface during the day with a maximum modeled net increase rate of 4 μg·m^-3·d^-1 during the study episode. The secondary nitrate formation rate in rural areas is lower due to lower NO₂. In the afternoon hours, near-surface temperature can be high enough to evaporate the particulate nitrate. In the nighttime hours, both the gas phase N₂O₅ reactions with water vapor and the N₂O₅ heterogeneous reactions with particle-bound water are important for secondary nitrate formation. The N₂O₅ reactions are most import near the surface to a few hundred meters above surface with a maximum modeled net secondary nitrate increase rate of 1 μg·m^-3·d^-1 and are more significant in the rural areas where the O₃ concentrations are high at night. In general, vertical transport during the day moves the nitrate formed near the surface to higher elevations. During the stagnant days, process analysis indicates that the nitrate concentration in the upper air builds up and leads to a net downward flux of nitrate through vertical diffusion and a rapid increase of surface nitrate concentration.     

Diurnal migration and vertical distribution of phyllosoma larvae of the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus

Studies off the west coast of Australia showed that the phyllosoma larvae of Panulirus cygnus George undergo a diurnal vertical migration, with light as an important factor influencing the depth distribution of all 9 phyllosoma stages. The early stages (I to III) occurred at the surface at night regardless of moonlight intensity, whereas late stages (VI to IX) concentrated at the surface only on nights with less than 5% of full moonlight. Midday peak densities of early-stage larvae occurred in the 30 to 60 m depth range while those of mid (IV to VI) and late stages were in the 50 to 120 m range. Depths of peak densities of larvae increased with distance offshore. The limits of vertical distribution of the phyllosoma remained within ranges of illuminance which were estimated to be in the order of 50 to 250 E m^-2 sec^-1 for early stages, 20 to 200 E m^-2 sec^-1 for mid stages and 5 to 50 E m^-2 sec^-1 for late stages. Minimal rates of net vertical movement were estimated for the larvae. Early stages exhibited mean net rates of ascent and descent of 13.7 and 13.0 m h^-1, respectively, while the rates for mid stages were 16.0 and 16.6 m h^-1 and for late stages 19.4 and 20.1 m h^-1. Diurnal migrations and vertical distribution are shown to have a vital role in the relationships between circulation in the south-eastern Indian Ocean and the transport and dispersal of the phyllosoma larvae. The diurnal migrations of early stages place them at the surface at night, when offshore vectors of wind-driven ocean-surface transport dominate, and below the depth of wind-induced transport during the day, when offshore vectors are small or negative, thus accounting for their offshore displacement. Mid and late stages, because of their deeper daytime distribution and absence from the surface on moonlight nights, are predominantly subject to circulation features underlying the immediate surface layer. This is hypothesized to account for the return of the phyllosoma to areas near the continental shelf edge by subjecting them to a coastward mass transport of water which underlies the immediate surface layer.The western rock lobster is referred to as P. longipes or P. longipes cygnus in some of the literature quoted; these are synonymous with P. cygnus.     

Light regime in an Arctic fjord: a study related to stratospheric ozone depletion as a basis for determination of UV effects on algal growth

Solar radiation as a primary abiotic factor affecting productivity of seaweeds was monitored in the Arctic Kongsfjord on Spitsbergen from 1996 to 1998. The radiation was measured in air and underwater, with special emphasis on the UV-B (ultraviolet B, 280–320 nm) radiation, which may increase under conditions of stratospheric ozone depletion. The recorded irradiances were related to ozone concentrations measured concurrently in the atmosphere above the Kongsfjord with a balloon-carried ozone probe and by TOMS satellite. For comparison, an ozone index (a spectroradiometrically determined irradiance of a wavelength dependent on ozone concentration, standardized to a non-affected wavelength) was used to indicate the total ozone concentration present in the atmosphere. Weather conditions and, hence, solar irradiance measured at ground level were seldom stable throughout the study. UV-B irradiation was clearly dependent on the actual ozone concentration in the atmosphere with a maximal fluence rate of downward irradiance of 0.27 W m⁻² on the ground and a maximal daily fluence (radiation exposure) of 23.3 kJ m⁻². To characterize the water body, the light transmittance, temperature and salinity were monitored at two different locations: (1) at a sheltered shallow-water bay and (2) at a wave-exposed, deep-water location within the Kongsfjord. During the clearest water conditions in spring, the vertical attenuation coefficient (K _d) for photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was 0.12 m⁻¹ and for UV-B 0.34 m⁻¹. In spring, coinciding with low temperatures and clear water conditions, the harmful UV radiation penetrated deeply into the water column and the threshold irradiance negatively affecting primary plant productivity was still found at about 5–6 m depth. The water body in spring was characterized as a Jerlov coastal water type 1. With increasing temperature in summer, snow layers and glacier ice melted, resulting in a high discharge of turbid fresh water into the fjord. This caused a stratification in the optical features, the salinity and temperature of the water body. During melt-water input, a turbid freshwater layer was formed above the more dense sea water. Under these conditions, light attenuation was stronger than defined for a Jerlov coastal water type 9. Solar radiation was strongly attenuated in the first few metres of the water column. Consequently, organisms in deeper water are protected against harmful UV-B radiation. In the surface water, turbidity decreased when rising tide caused an advection of clearer oceanic water. In the course of the summer season, salinity continuously decreased and water temperature increased particularly in shallow water regions. The impact of global climate change on the radiation conditions under water and its effects on primary production of seaweeds are discussed, since organisms in the eulittoral and upper sublittoral zones are affected by UV radiation throughout the polar day. In clearer water conditions during spring, this may also apply to organisms inhabiting greater depths. Received: 20 June 2000 / Accepted: 17 October 2000     

Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Boundary-Layer Evolution on the Predictions of Ozone and the Efficacy of Emission Control Options in the Northeastern United States

This paper examines the effects of two different planetary boundary-layer (PBL) parameterization schemes – Blackadar and Gayno–Seaman – on the predicted ozone (O₃) concentration fields using the MM5 (Version 3.3) meteorological model and the MODELS-3 photochemical model. The meteorological fields obtained from the two boundary-layer schemes have been used to drive the photochemical model to simulate O₃ concentrations in the northeastern United States for a three-day O₃ episodic period. In addition to large differences in the predicted O₃ levels at individual grid cells, the simulated daily maximum 1-h O₃ concentrations appear at different regions of the modeling domain in these simulations, due to the differences in the vertical exchange formulations in these two PBL schemes. Using process analysis, we compared the differences between the different simulations in terms of the relative importance of chemical and physical processes to O₃ formation and destruction over the diurnal cycle. Finally, examination of the photochemical model's response to reductions in emissions reveals that the choice of equally valid boundary-layer parameterizations can significantly influence the efficacy of emission control strategies.     

天津臭氧浓度与气象因素的相关性及其预测方法

气象因素在影响夏季臭氧浓度水平和变化特征方面扮演着重要作用.通过对2008年夏季天津地面臭氧体积浓度和气象因素的相关分析,揭示高浓度臭氧发生时的典型气象特征,并初步建立了预测地面臭氧浓度的气象学方法.结果表明:影响臭氧浓度的主要气象因素是气温、相对湿度和风速、风向,当14时气温大于30℃,相对湿度低于60%,风向为偏西或偏南时,高浓度臭氧的发生概率较高.采用14时气温、相对湿度和风速等气象参数拟合臭氧体积浓度,效果良好.     

Comparison of chemical compositions in air particulate matter during summer and winter in Beijing,China

The development of industry in Beijing, the capital of China, particularly in last decades, has caused severe environmental pollution including particulate matter (PM), dust–haze, and photochemical smog, which has already caused considerable harm to local ecological environment. Thus, in this study, air particle samples were continuously collected in August and December, 2014. And elements (Si, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, Cd, Ba, Pb and Ti) and ions (\({\text{NO}}_{3}^{-}\), \({\text{SO}}_{4}^{2-}\), F^?, Cl^?, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and \({\text{NH}}_{4}^{+}\)) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and ion chromatography. According to seasonal changes, discuss the various pollution situations in order to find possible particulate matter sources and then propose appropriate control strategies to local government. The results indicated serious PM and metallic pollution in some sampling days, especially in December. Chemical Mass Balance model revealed central heating activities, road dust and vehicles contribute as main sources, account for 5.84–32.05 % differently to the summer and winter air pollution in 2014.     

The effect of pollution on crime: Evidence from data on particulate matter and ozone

We estimate the effect of short-term air pollution exposure (PM_2.5 and ozone) on several categories of crime, with a particular emphasis on aggressive behavior. To identify this relationship, we combine detailed daily data on crime, air pollution, and weather for an eight-year period across the United States. Our primary identification strategy employs extremely high dimensional fixed effects and we perform a series of robustness checks to address confounding variation between temperature and air pollution. We find a robust positive effect of increased air pollution on violent crimes, and specifically assaults, but no relationship between increases in air pollution and property crimes. The effects are present in and out of the home, at levels well below Ambient Air Pollution Standards, and PM_2.5 effects are strongest at lower temperatures. The results suggest that a 10% reduction in daily PM_2.5 and ozone could save $1.4 billion in crime costs per year, a previously overlooked cost associated with pollution.     

Impact of consistent boundary layer mixing approaches between NAM and CMAQ

Discrepancies in grid structure, dynamics and physics packages in the offline coupled NWS/NCEP NAM meteorological model with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model can give rise to inconsistencies. This study investigates the use of three vertical mixing schemes to drive chemistry tracers in the National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC). The three schemes evaluated in this study represent various degrees of coupling to improve the commonality in turbulence parameterization between the meteorological and chemistry models. The methods tested include: (1) using NAM predicted TKE-based planetary boundary height, h, as the prime parameter to derive CMAQ vertical diffusivity; (2) using the NAM mixed layer depth to determine h and then proceeding as in (1); and (3) using NAM predicted vertical diffusivity directly to parameterize turbulence mixing within CMAQ. A two week period with elevated surface O₃ concentrations during the summer 2006 has been selected to test these schemes in a sensitivity study. The study results are verified and evaluated using the EPA AIRNow monitoring network and other ozonesonde data. The third method is preferred a priori as it represents the tightest coupling option studied in this work for turbulent mixing processes between the meteorological and air quality models. It was found to accurately reproduce the upper bounds of turbulent mixing and provide the best agreement between predicted h and ozonesonde observed relative humidity profile inferred h for sites investigated in this study. However, this did not translate into the best agreement in surface O₃ concentrations. Overall verification results during the test period of two weeks in August 2006, did not show superiority of this method over the other 2 methods in all regions of the continental U.S. Further efforts in model improvement for the parameterizations of turbulent mixing and other surface O₃ forecast related processes are warranted.     

Evaluating pollution-related damage and restoration success in urban forests with participatory monitoring and digital tools

Peri-urban forest monitoring requires indicators of vegetation damage. An example is the sacred fir (Abies religiosa) forests surrounding Mexico City, which have been heavily exposed to tropospheric ozone, a harmful pollutant, for over 4 decades. We developed a participatory monitoring system with which local community members and scientists generated data on ozone tree damage. Santa Rosa Xochiac rangers (13) used the digital tool KoboToolBox to record ozone damage to trees, tree height, tree ages, tree condition, tree position, and whether the tree had been planted. Thirty-five percent of the trees (n = 1765) had ozone damage. Younger trees had a lower percentage of foliage damaged by ozone than older trees (p < 0.0001), and asymptomatic trees tended to be younger (p < 0.0001). Symptomatic trees were taller than asymptomatic trees of the same age (R²_c = 0.43, R²_m = 0.27). Involving local communities facilitated forest monitoring and using digital technology improved data quality. This participatory system can be used to monitor forest condition change over time and thus aids restoration efforts driven by government or local communities’ interests, facilitating local decision-making.     

Biofuel production,hydrogen production and water remediation by photocatalysis,biocatalysis and electrocatalysis

The energy crisis and environmental pollution have recently fostered research on efficient methods such as environmental catalysis to produce biofuel and to clean water. Environmental catalysis refers to green catalysts used to breakdown pollutants or produce chemicals without generating undesirable by-products. For example, catalysts derived from waste or inexpensive materials are promising for the circular economy. Here we review environmental photocatalysis, biocatalysis, and electrocatalysis, with focus on catalyst synthesis, structure, and applications. Common catalysts include biomass-derived materials, metal–organic frameworks, non-noble metals nanoparticles, nanocomposites and enzymes. Structure characterization is done by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherm, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy. We found that water pollutants can be degraded with an efficiency ranging from 71.7 to 100%, notably by heterogeneous Fenton catalysis. Photocatalysis produced dihydrogen (H₂) with generation rate higher than 100 μmol h⁻¹. Dihydrogen yields ranged from 27 to 88% by methane cracking. Biodiesel production reached 48.6 to 99%.

     

Mechanisms to initiate a Heterosigma akashiwo red tide in Osaka bay

The ecological role of diel vertical migration of Heterosigma akashiwo Hada to initiate red tide was investigated in Tanigawa Fishing Port and Sano Harbor, Osaka Bay, Japan during red tide seasons in 1979 and 1980. This species migrated toward the surface early in the morning at a velocity of 1.0 to 1.3 m h^-1. Downward migration was found in the afternoon, and more than 2.0×10³ cells ml^-1 aggregated in the bottom layer at night. The upward migration started before sunrise and downward shifting occurred prior to sunset. The movement is presumably associated with circadian rhythm, which is known as one of the biological periodicities. H. akashiwo crossed steep temperature and salinity gradients (6.5°C and 5.7 S) during the diel vertical migration. High values of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations were obtained in dialysis bags suspended in situ at identical layers with high cell concentration, while the values for surface and bottom bags were comparatively low. The results reveal that H. akashiwo migrates toward the sea surface to carry out photosynthesis effectively, and to the bottom to utilize nutrients efficiently.