Ozone concentrations at a remote mountain site and at two regional locations in southwestern Alberta

Ozone concentrations at a remote site in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Alberta averaged 43.4 ppb over a 2 year period and the Canadian air quality objective of an 80 ppb hourly average was exceeded 1.5% of the time. The diurnal variation in O₃ concentrations was small, 2.9 ppb, indicative of a remote location, above the nocturnal inversion and not greatly influenced by local emissions. During the period when O₃ concentrations were highest, winds were generally from the southwest, suggestive of the long range transport of anthropogenic pollutants from distant sources rather than the generation of O₃ from local emissions. In contrast, hourly O₃ concentrations at two regional air quality monitoring sites showed an average diurnal variation of 14 ppb. Only two hourly averages exceeded 80 ppb during the 2 years, and the mean O₃ concentration was 26 ppb. When these regional sites were within the urban plume from Calgary, the O₃ concentrations were depressed to a mean of 18 ppb. Ozone concentrations in downtown Calgary averaged 13 ppb. Under Alberta climatological and meteorological conditions, hourly O₃ objectives are most likely to be exceeded in remote areas, rather than in cities or in areas under the direct influence of urban emissions.