Trends analysis of ambient 8 hour ozone and precursor monitoring data in the south central U.S

For the south central U.S., lower tropospheric ozone pollution has been a persistent and challenging problem. This paper provides long-term trends analyses of the ozone and precursor monitoring data collected over the past 20 years in four south central U.S. cities. The results of these analyses should be useful to air quality scientists, managers, planners, and modelers in assessing the effectiveness of ozone pollution control strategies being implemented or being planned for the future. Results of the data analyses show that all areas have monitored significant decreases in ozone and precursor concentrations over the past 20 years, especially in El Paso, Texas. Continuing challenges include the reduction of the percentage of time that monitors record 8 hour ozone concentrations over the U.S. 8 hour ozone standard, and the future control of highly reactive volatile organic compounds.     

京津冀区域臭氧污染趋势及时空分布特征

为研究京津冀区域的臭氧(O_3)污染情况及其时空分布特征,对2013—2015年京津冀区域13个城市80个国家环境空气监测点位的监测数据进行了统计分析。结果表明:2013—2015年,京津冀区域O_3污染状况整体呈加重趋势,其中2014年污染状况最为严重。13个城市中O_3污染最严重的城市为北京和衡水,连续3年均超标,且处于上升态势中。区域内不同城市O_3污染趋势并不相同。京津冀区域O_3浓度变化呈明显的季节变化特征,春末和夏季的O_3污染最严重。O_3-8 h(臭氧日最大8 h均值)年均值的高值区主要分布在北京中北部、承德和衡水等,2013—2015年第90百分位O_3-8 h的高值区均集中分布在北京。O_3的浓度峰值时间要晚于NOx2~5 h。O_3在春、夏季呈单峰分布,白天15:00左右出现最大值,在秋、冬季浓度较低,全天波动不大。     

美国环境空气臭氧量值传递的经验与启示

新修订的《环境空气质量标准》对环境空气中的臭氧监测提出了明确的要求,一套有效的臭氧量值传递体系已成为保证中国环境空气臭氧监测数据质量的生命线。为加强中国环境空气臭氧量值传递体系的建设,总结了美国环境空气臭氧量值传递体系及其相关的技术规范体系,简要介绍其臭氧量值传递体系各关键环节的质量控制工作要点,并提出了对中国环境空气臭氧量值传递体系建设的建议。     

2008-2016年臭氧监测试点城市的臭氧污染特征

选取臭氧试点城市北京、沈阳、上海和重庆,通过对2008-2016年臭氧监测数据进行分析研究,可以看出4个试点城市中北京的臭氧污染最严重。4个城市的臭氧污染特征均为高浓度臭氧所占比例较大,高值比较高,低浓度臭氧所占比例较小。北京、沈阳和上海的年平均臭氧浓度总体呈上升趋势。北京、上海、重庆、沈阳4个城市9年的超标天数比例分别为15.9%、7.7%、3.9%、6.5%。上海的臭氧浓度在秋季非常高。2012年的臭氧变化趋势比较异常,可能是由于2012年发生的不寻常气候条件导致。4个城市的臭氧浓度变化和气象条件的变化显著相关。     

The Seasonal Variation of the Concentrations of Ozone, Sulfur Dioxide, and Nitrogen Oxides in Two Nigerian Cities

A combination of multivariate statistical methods including factor analysis, principal component analysis, principal component regression, and multiple linear regression (MLR) were employed to evaluate the influence of seasons on the concentrations of ozone, sulfur (IV) oxide, and oxides of nitrogen in ambient air of Nigerian cities of Lagos and Ilorin. The former city is located in the coastal area, and it is highly congested with a high intensity of marine, vehicular, and industrial activities, and the latter city is a medium size town, located in the central guinea savannah zone of Nigeria. Samples were collected using a high-volume sampler from near the ground at various sites of diverse human and industrial activities, during wet and dry seasons from 2003 to 2006. The PCA reveals three distinct groupings during the day for all data, which is a reflection of different factors contributing to the atmospheric chemistry of these cities. The predicted ozone concentration values by MLR agree fairly well with the measured data. The dependence of ozone on meteorological parameters including relative humidity, air temperature, and sun exposure and the precursor pollutants depends on weather and the anthropogenic activities. The results for the two cities indicate that reduction in the level of NO₂ is accompanied by an increase in the level of ozone, suggesting the interconversion between the two via photochemical activity.     

沈阳臭氧污染时空分布特征及变化趋势

以沈阳2013—2015年臭氧(O_3)监测数据为基础,从地域差异及时间变化上分析了沈阳O_3浓度变化特征。结果表明:沈阳城市外围O_3浓度高于城市中心;O_3浓度变化具有明显季节特征,夏季O_3浓度最高,冬季最低;O_3浓度日变化呈单峰分布,谷值出现在06:00,峰值出现在14:00;O_3浓度出现明显"周末效应",周末白天O_3浓度高于工作日O_3浓度,夜间差异不大。     

Variations in wood burning organic marker concentrations in the atmospheres of four European cities

The particulate emissions from biomass burning are a growing concern due to the recent evidence of their ubiquitous and important contribution to the ambient aerosol load. A possible strategy to apportion the biomass burning share of particulate matter is the use of organic molecular tracers. Anhydrosugars (levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan), together with two organic acids (dehydroabietic and pimaric acids), were previously reported as organic markers for particulate wood burning emissions. These five compounds were studied in four European cities (Helsinki, Copenhagen, Birmingham and Oporto), at both a Roadside and an Urban Background station, during a summer and a winter campaign in the fine (PM(2.5)) and the coarse (PM(10-2.5)) size-fractions of the ambient aerosol. Levoglucosan concentrations were highest in the city of Oporto. In winter, levoglucosan was more present in the fine fraction but in summer, concentrations were similar in both size fractions. Levoglucosan concentrations in the fine size fraction were higher in winter, but no seasonal differences were observed for the coarse size fraction. The lack of difference between the Roadside and Urban Background levoglucosan concentrations points towards a regional nature of this type of pollution. Wood burning was estimated to contribute to about 3.1% of the winter PM(10) mass in Oporto, and to 3.7% in Copenhagen. Mannosan followed the trends exhibited by levoglucosan. The ratio between the levoglucosan and mannosan concentrations allowed determination of a preference for softwood over hardwood in all four cities. Galactosan, pimaric acid and dehydroabietic acid were found to be minor compounds.     

A Preliminary Assessment of the Montréal Process Indicators of Air Pollution for the United States

Air pollutants pose a risk to forest health and vitality in the United States. Here we present the major findings from a national scale air pollution assessment that is part of the United States' 2003 Report on Sustainable Forests. We examine trends and the percent forest subjected to specific levels of ozone and wet deposition of sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium. Results are reported by Resource Planning Act (RPA) reporting region and integrated by forest type using multivariate clustering. Estimates of sulfate deposition for forested areas had decreasing trends (1994-2000) across RPA regions that were statistically significant for North and South RPA regions. Nitrate deposition rates were relatively constant for the 1994 to 2000 period, but the South RPA region had a statistically decreasing trend. The North and South RPA regions experienced the highest ammonium deposition rates and showed slightly decreasing trends. Ozone concentrations were highest in portions of the Pacific Coast RPA region and relatively high across much of the South RPA region. Both the South and Rocky Mountain RPA regions had an increasing trend in ozone exposure. Ozone-induced foliar injury to sensitive species was recorded in all regions except for the Rocky Mountain region. The multivariate analysis showed that the oak-hickory and loblolly-shortleaf pine forest types were generally exposed to more air pollution than other forest types, and the redwood, western white pine, and larch forest types were generally exposed to less. These findings offer a new approach to national air pollution assessments and are intended to help focus research and planning initiatives related to air pollution and forest health.     

青岛市环境空气臭氧污染特征分析

青岛市是国家环保部确定的臭氧试点监测城市之一。文章结合青岛市市南区东部和四方区空气子站2008—2011年的试点监测数据,从区域差异、时间变化等方面分析了青岛市的臭氧污染特征,结果表明：①二区域臭氧浓度的日分布均呈现“单峰型”,12：00～15：00是一天中臭氧污染最严重的时段;②每月监测累积值市南区东部呈现“双峰型”,四方区呈现“单峰型”;③二区域臭氧污染最突出的月份均为5月;④二区域臭氧平均浓度从高到低季节排序略有差异;⑤2009年二区域臭氧污染最严重,该年四季中春季臭氧污染最为突出。     

天津市臭氧污染特征与影响因素分析

2013—2015年,天津市臭氧(O_3)浓度整体呈下降趋势,污染状况略低于京津冀区域的其他城市。O_3浓度春、夏季高,冬季低,高值主要集中在5—9月,浓度从早上06:00开始升高,至中午14:00达到峰值。污染主要集中在中心城区、西部和北部地区,东部、南部和西南部地区污染相对较轻。O_3浓度在温度303 K以上、相对湿度70%以下或西南风为主导时较高。VOCs/NOx比值低于8,O_3的生成处于VOCs控制区。芳香烃类和烯烃类对天津市O_3生成贡献最大,其中,乙烯和甲苯为O_3生成潜势贡献最大的物种,其次为间/对二甲苯、丙烯、邻二甲苯、异戊二烯、反-2-丁烯、乙苯等,通过控制汽车尾气、化工行业及溶剂使用等对O_3生成潜势贡献大的VOCs排放源可有效控制天津市O_3污染。     

河源市2014-2017年空气污染特征及天气类型分析

利用2014—2017年河源城区环境空气自动监测站数据和气象数据，对期间出现的污染天气过程进行统计，对影响污染的天气类型进行分类。结果表明，2014—2017年，河源城区累计出现污染天气65 d，超标污染物主要为PM_2.5和O₃，O₃超标比例逐年上升成为达标率首要影响因子。PM_2.5易污染天气型中冷高压出海占比最多（38.2%），其次为冷锋前（17.7%）和均压场（14.8%）；O₃易污染天气型中副高控制占比最多（31.0%），其次为副高叠加台风外围（24.1%）和冷高压出海（13.8%）及均压场（13.8%）。河源城区低程度污染（AQI值101～110）占比较大。     

Near-surface ozone levels and trends at rural stations in France over the 1995–2003 period

There is a considerable interest in quantifying near-surface ozone concentrations and associated trends, as they serve to define the impacts on ozone of the anthropogenic precursors reductions and to evaluate the effects of emission control strategies. A statistical test has been used to the ozone air concentrations measured in the French rural monitoring network stations, called MERA, in order to bring out spatio-temporal trends in air quality in France over the 1995-2003 period. The non-parametric Mann-Kendall test has been developed for detecting and estimating monotonic trends in the time series and applied in our study at annual values: mean, 98th percentile and median based on hourly averaged ozone concentrations and applied to daily maxima. In France, when averaged overall 9 stations between 1995 and 2003, a slight increasing trend of the O(3) levels (+0.6 +/- 1.3% year( - 1)) is observed, which is strongly influenced by the concentrations of the high altitude stations. In stations below 1000 m a mean rate of -0.48% year( - 1) from annual average concentrations, of -0.45% year( - 1) for medians and of +0.56% year( - 1) for P.98 over the 1995-2003 period were obtained. In stations above 1,000 m a mean rate of +1.75% year( - 1) from annual averages values, of +4.05% year( - 1) for medians and of +2.55% year( - 1) for P.98 were calculated over the 1997-2003 period. This situation is comparable to the one observed in other countries. In Europe and in France a reduction of precursor emissions is observed whereas a slight increasing trend of the O(3) levels is observed over the 1995-2003 period. One reason is the non-linearity of chemical ozone production with respect to precursor emissions. Possible explanations are an increase in near-surface ozone values caused by a reduced ozone titration by reduced NO( x ), the meteorological parameters change, an increase in bio-geogenic compound concentrations, the intercontinental transport from North America and Asia and the influence of stratospheric-tropospheric exchanges. These possible explanations must be interpreted carefully as on the short time scales considered.     

Simulation and Evaluation of Control Strategies for Ozone Reduction in a Complex Terrain in Southwestern Spain

During the central months of the year, southwestern Spain is under strong insolation and weak synoptic forcing, promoting the development of sea breezes and mountain-induced winds and creating recirculations of pollutants. The complex topography of the Southwestern Iberia Peninsula induces the formation of vertical layers, into which the pollutants are injected and subjected to long-distance transport and compensatory subsidence. The characteristics of these highly complex flows have important effects on the pollutant dispersion. Air pollution studies in very complex terrains require high-resolution modelling for resolving the flow dynamics. This paper shows the results obtained from using the MM5-CAMx multiscale-nested air quality model to relate the sensitivity regimes for ozone, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in an area of high geographical complexity. The article assesses the impact on the hourly and eight-hourly maximum daily ozone concentrations of four reduction strategies during two ozone pollution episodes. This analysis of the ozone response has led to a preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of the most common control strategies: traffic, industry, mixed traffic and industry, and closure of some of the largest industries (oil and petrochemical refineries). Photochemical indicators show that ozone chemistry in southwestern Spain is strongly sensitive to NO _x . However, volatile organic compound-sensitive points are found in areas with anthropogenic influence (highways, cities and industrial parks). Our results indicate that reductions in road traffic lead to ozone reductions over large areas, whereas reductions in industrial emissions, despite sometimes showing greater decreases in the maximum hourly and eight-hourly ground-level ozone levels, lead to ozone reductions in a local area only. In the control study case, with the oil refinery and the petrochemical plants closed, decreases in ozone hourly concentrations are up to 40% higher than in the other emission control scenarios studied. This analysis provides an assessment of the effectiveness of different policies for controlling precursor emissions by comparing the modelled results for different scenarios.     

Apportioning variability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and chlordanes in indoor and outdoor environments

Measurements of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in air are subject to substantial variability and uncertainty. This study apportions total variance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and chlordanes to variability and uncertainty components. Concentrations of PAHs and chlordanes were measured inside and outside of 116 residences in three large cities in the U.S. during 1999-2000. Total variance was apportioned to between-city, between-tract, between-residence, and seasonal variation, as well as measurement uncertainty using variance component analysis and log-transformed data for frequently detected compounds. Outdoors, seasonal variation was the greatest portion (44-67%) of total variance, and city effects were significant (19-24%). Indoors, seasonality dominated variability of PAH measurements (>50%). Gas-phase PAHs varied more within city than between cities; particulate-phase PAHs varied significantly between cities but were largely homogeneous within cities. Gas-phase chlordanes showed larger intra-urban variation (63%) than seasonal variation (18%). Measurement uncertainty was generally below 10% with a few exceptions occurring at very low concentrations. Results indicate a need to collect multiple-season samples to account for the large temporal variation between seasons. Samples from centrally located monitoring stations could be representative of ambient SVOCs. Variance component analysis is useful to weigh influential factors in SVOC concentrations, identify and apportion sources, evaluate method performance, and design effective monitoring programs.     

我国典型南方城市臭氧污染特征

分析了我国典型南方城市的臭氧污染特征,选取我国4个有代表性的南方重点城市武汉、宁波、中山和南宁的2013—2015年监测数据,使用EXCEL、ORIGIN和MATLAB等统计软件开展研究,结果表明:我国南方典型城市的臭氧质量浓度分布有明显时间变化特征,超标时间跨度大,部分南方城市与氮氧化物存在较明显负相关性,相关系数高于-0.6;受城市所在不同地理位置、气象因素、大气扩散条件及可能的不同本地排放污染源构成等因素影响,4个城市的近3年臭氧浓度月均值、超标情况和年内峰值均存在一定差异和分组相似性;与部分气象因素也表现出显著相关性。     

应用稳健统计方法对环境空气臭氧自动监测现场比对核查结果的分析研究

根据2015年9个城市53台现场臭氧分析仪的现场比对核查结果,比较研究了稳健统计方法和一般统计方法在评价国控网臭氧自动监测数据准确性和精密性上的应用。研究表明:稳健统计能够在不剔除异常数据的前提下降低异常值对正确评价臭氧自动监测数据质量的影响,适合评价现场比对核查结果;采用Hubers方法进行稳健统计,2015年国控网臭氧日常浓度点相对偏差的95%置信区间约为-0.1%至4.5%,95%预测区间为-14.0%~18.3%,变异系数约为9.5%,数据质量仍有提升空间。     

支撑京津冀区域大气污染联防联控的大气监测体系构建

京津冀区域已成为全国大气污染最严重的地区之一,并且呈现出明显的区域性污染特征,加强区域间的环境合作,实施区域联防联控是解决京津冀区域大气污染问题的有效手段。对照《生态环境监测网络建设方案》的要求,目前京津冀区域大气监测体系还存在着监测网络不健全、监测项目覆盖不全面、监测新技术应用不足、质控体系不完善、信息产品供给与公众需求有差距等问题,与京津冀区域大气污染联防联控的要求不相适应。为全面提升京津冀区域大气监测体系对区域联防联控的技术支撑能力,亟需进一步完善京津冀区域的监测网络,增设传输研究、污染监控等特殊监测点位;逐步拓展监测项目,开展颗粒物化学组分和O_3前体物监测;加快遥感监测等立体监测技术在大气监测中的应用,全面分析污染物时空分布特征与传输规律;加强空气质量预报预警能力建设,为重污染天气应对提供技术支持;规范监测事权上收后的全过程质控体系,建立颗粒物标准方法比对和O_3量值传递质控机制;构建环境监测大数据平台,加强数据分析应用与信息公开。     

Continuous and filter-based measurements of PM2.5 nitrate and sulfate at the Fresno Supersite

PM(2.5) nitrate [Formula: see text] and sulfate ([Formula: see text]) were measured continuously with R&P8400N and R&P8400S instruments, respectively, and compared with filter-based measurements at the Fresno Supersite from October, 2000 through December, 2005. [Formula: see text] concentrations were higher in winter than summer with a long-term decreasing trend. Correlations between 24-h average continuous and filter-based [Formula: see text] were greater than 0.96 in 4 out of 5 years. Continuous [Formula: see text] was generally lower than filter-based [Formula: see text] although the difference decreased over time, from -52% in 2001 to +13% in 2005. These differences were similar in winter (-23%) and summer (-19%) while the corresponding differences between ambient and instrument temperature were -12 and 0.7 degrees C, respectively. Neither seasonal nor long-term trends in [Formula: see text] can be explained by variations in ambient temperature, the difference between ambient and instrument temperature, or changes in aerosol chemical composition. There were no seasonal or long-term trends in [Formula: see text] concentrations, partially due to low concentrations observed in Fresno. Long-term variability in the performance of R&P8400 [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] instruments suggest that collocation with filter measurements is needed for long-term measurements.     

Variation of Surface Ozone in the Ambient Air of Auckland, New Zealand

A study has been performed on the characteristics and behavior of surface ozone concentrations at four monitoring sites in Auckland, New Zealand (37 degrees S, 174.8 degrees E) for a four-year period (October 1997-October 2001). One monitoring site (rural) was located upwind of the Auckland urban complex, a second downwind (rural-coastal), and a third within the urban area, while the fourth was an elevated urban-city site located 250 m up the Sky Tower in the central city. In contrast to the high elevation site, the diurnal behaviour of ozone at the three low elevation sites followed a typical solar radiation cycle with high ozone during the day and low nocturnal values. The effect of NO(x) titration was distinct at the urban sites. There was also a seasonal variability in the measured ozone levels with high concentrations in spring and a significant summer minimum. The observed surface ozone concentrations in Auckland were significantly lower than other cities of the world, although a potential for high oxidant formation existed. Observed ozone episodes appear to have been either generated locally or the precursors transported via the prevailing southwest wind. A unique feature of Auckland's air quality is the dilution of polluted city air due to the mixing of east-coast air into the clean west-coast circulation leading to the overall lower average concentrations in summer. A second feature is the potential interaction between sea salt particles and ozone that may provide an additional ozone loss mechanism.     

Heavy metals in urban ambient PM10 and soil background in eight cities around China

The ambient PM₁₀ and background soil samples were collected and analyzed with ICP-AES in eight cities around China to investigate the levels of ten heavy metals (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb). The mean concentrations of ten heavy metals in PM₁₀ of the eight cities of China followed the order of Zn?>?Pb?>?Mn?>?Cu?>?Ni?>?Cr?>?Co?>?V. The metals in the ambient PM₁₀ and soil were compared in each city to evaluate the heavy metal mass fraction from anthropogenic sources in ambient air. The CD values in these cities were all above 0.2, indicating that the ingredients spectrums of PM₁₀ and soil vary markedly. Most heavy metals were enriched in PM₁₀, except Fe and Ti. The results showed that almost all the cities suffer important heavy metal pollution from anthropogenic sources. The eight cities were also grouped according to their similarity in heavy metals of ambient PM₁₀ by cluster analysis to investigate the relationship between the heavy metals and the pollution sources of each city. The conclusion was that the eight cities were divided into three clusters which had similar industrial type and economy scale: the first cluster consisted of Shenzhen, Wuxi, and Guiyang; followed by Jinan and Zhengzhou as the second grouping; and the third group had Taiyuan, Urumqi, and Luoyang.