Model analysis of vertical exchange of boundary layer ozone and its impact on surface air quality over the North China Plain

Sci Total Environ. 2022 May 15:821:153436. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153436. Epub 2022 Jan 29.

Abstract

In addition to photochemical production and horizontal regional transport, surface O3 concentration can also likely be affected by vertical transport, which is not well known so far. The process analysis was conducted by using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System Community Multiscale Air Quality (RAMS-CMAQ) model to investigate photochemical production and the vertical transport mechanism of boundary-layer O3 during a typical O3 pollution episode in the North China Plain (NCP), and further quantify the contribution of vertical transport to surface O3. The diurnal variations of vertical budgets of O3 and NO2 in the boundary layer at multiple sites showed that there were substantial differences in the vertical distribution of O3 production and transport between urban and suburban/rural areas. In urban areas, surface O3 is consumed by titration reaction to generate NO2, which is then transported to the upper boundary layer and produces O3 by photochemical reaction. With the development of the boundary layer, the upper-layer O3 stored in the residual layer at nighttime can be transported vertically to the surface as the turbulent diffusion intensifies the next morning. While in suburban and rural areas, the vertical transport is relatively weaker because the photochemical formation of O3 occurs in the whole boundary layer, although it decreases slightly with the altitude. Model simulation showed that 20.6-27.9% of urban surface O3 changes in the morning (09:00-10:00 LST) was attributable to the downward transport from the residual layer, while it is 15.0-22.1% at suburban site. The vertical transport from above the boundary layer contributed 24.0-63.6% to daytime urban surface O3 changes, which was weak in suburban areas. Differences and similarities in O3 formation and transport mechanism in urban and suburban regions revealed here highlight the importance of earlier control and regional collaboration.

Keywords: Boundary-layer O(3); Chemical production; Process analysis; RAMS-CMAQ; Vertical transport.

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants* / analysis
  • Air Pollution* / analysis
  • Animals
  • China
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Male
  • Ozone* / analysis
  • Photochemical Processes
  • Sheep

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Ozone