A two-year study of ozone behaviour at rural and forested sites in Eastern France

Ozone and other gases measurements in three rural sites of different altitudes in eastern France (an area with important forest decline) were used as a basis to understand the mechanisms controlling the ozone behaviour in the lower troposphere. An analysis is presented of the annual variation of the background tropospheric ozone level in order to evaluate its contribution to the surface ozone level. The frequency of occurrence of simultaneous elevated ozone episodes at one urvan and the three rural sites was examined in order to determine the major cause of high ozone levels. The relation between elevated ozone concentrations and wind direction was also investigated. It was found that the majority of high ozone concentration episodes take place simultaneously at the three sites, showing an elevated occurrence of episodes of regional origins. Most of the episodes are associated with the east wind sector.