Temporal Variations of O3 and NO x in the Urban Background Atmosphere of Nanjing, East China

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2016 Aug;71(2):224-34. doi: 10.1007/s00244-016-0290-8. Epub 2016 Jun 7.

Abstract

Rapid economic growth has given rise to a significant increase in ozone (O3)-precursor emissions in many regions of China. An improved understanding of O3 formation in response to different precursor emissions is imperative to address the highly nonlinear O3 problem and to provide a solid scientific basis for efficient O3 abatement in these regions. To this end, this study was performed in Nanjing using a set of observational data from June 1, 2013, to May 31, 2014. The results showed that O3 concentrations were positively correlated with wind speed and temperature and were significantly negatively correlated with relative humidity. The highest monthly daytime, nighttime, and daily average O3 concentrations were observed in summer with values of approximately 46, 18 and 30 ppb, respectively. The lowest O3 concentrations were observed in November through January with values as low as 17, 4, and 9 ppb for the daytime, nighttime, and daily concentrations, respectively. The highest daytime average NO and NO2 concentrations were observed in December, whereas the lowest concentrations were observed in July. A unimodal O3 peak was observed with the highest O3 levels in summer followed by spring and then autumn; the lowest levels observed in the winter. The O3 concentration reached maximum levels at 14:00 to 15:00 h (local standard time). It was found that the crossover occurred with approximately several hours difference with the earliest occurring in summer (06:00 h) followed by spring (08:00 h), autumn (09:00 h), and winter (10:30 h). Furthermore, the highest constant rate of O3 accumulation was observed in summer (5.6 ppb/h) followed by autumn (4.8 ppb/h), spring (4.5 ppb/h), and winter (2.7 ppb/h). The oxidant intercept ranged from 28.4 ppb in January to 58.6 ppb in June, although the slope also shows substantial variation from 0.18 in June to 0.67 in August. The weekend effect is stronger in spring and summer than in autumn and winter and is more intense on Sundays than on Saturdays. Thus, the decrease of O3 levels during weekends suggests that it may be NO x -sensitive.

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants / analysis*
  • Air Pollution / statistics & numerical data
  • Atmosphere / chemistry*
  • China
  • Environmental Monitoring*
  • Nitrogen / analysis*
  • Oxygen / analysis*
  • Ozone / analysis*
  • Spatio-Temporal Analysis

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • nitrox
  • Ozone
  • Nitrogen
  • Oxygen