Characteristics of Ground-Level Ozone from 2015 to 2018 in BTH Area, China

• Main Authors: Xiaozhen Fang, Huayun Xiao, Haixu Sun, Cheng Liu, Zhongyi Zhang, Yajun Xie, Yue Liang, Fang Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-01-01
• Series: Atmosphere
• Subjects: ozone; ozone precursors; ozone weekend effect; correlation analysis; air quality levels
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/2/130

With the ground-level ozone pollution problem increasingly prominent in recent years in China, it is particularly important in basic researches on ozone contamination characteristics. In this study, 13 cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) area were examined to determine the characteristics of surface ozone (O₃) from 2015 to 2018. Due to the photochemical oxidation of ozone precursors (such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide) along with the presence of sunlight and characteristics of local emission sources, the O₃ and oxidant (OX) concentrations showed obvious seasonal variation and daily variation. It implicated that the O₃ concentrations reached the maximum during summer. The concentrations of O₃ were higher at daytime than those measured at nighttime. The ozone weekend effect was estimated by the difference and deviation, which exhibited that the difference between weekday and weekend were related to the concentrations of ozone precursors and PM, vehicle emissions, and solar radiation. Moreover, the O₃ concentrations decreased with the increase of other air pollutants by correlation analysis. The ozone pollution was easily formed at light and moderate polluted periods when compared to other air quality levels.