scholarly journals One-Year Characterization and Reactivity of Isoprene and Its Impact on Surface Ozone Formation at A Suburban Site in Guangzhou, China

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Zou ◽  
Xue Jiao Deng ◽  
Tao Deng ◽  
Chang Qin Yin ◽  
Fei Li

Isoprene has a potentially large effect on ozone (O3) formation in the subtropical, highly polluted city of Guangzhou. Online measurements of isoprene in Guangzhou city are scarce; thus, isoprene levels were monitored for one year at the Guangzhou Panyu Atmospheric Composition Station (GPACS), a suburban site in Guangzhou, using an online gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC–FID) system to investigate the characterization and reactivity of isoprene and its effect on the O3 peak profile in different seasons. The results showed that the daily average mixing ratios of isoprene at GPACS were 0.40, 2.20, 1.40, and 0.13 mixing ratio by volume (ppbv) in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. These values were considerably higher than the mixing ratios of isoprene in the numerous other subtropical and temperate cities around the world. Furthermore, isoprene ranked first with regard to O3 formation potential (OFP) and propylene-equivalent mixing ratio among 56 measured non–methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs). The ratios of isoprene to cis-2-butene, an exhaust tracer, were determined to estimate the fractions of biogenic and anthropogenic emissions. The results revealed a much greater contribution from biogenic than anthropogenic factors during the daytime in all four seasons. In addition, night-time isoprene emissions were mostly associated with vehicles in winter, and the residual isoprene that remained after photochemical loss during the daytime also persisted into the night. The high levels of isoprene in summer and autumn may cause the strong and broad peaks of the O3 profile because of its association with the most favorable meteorological conditions (e.g., high temperature and intense solar radiation) and the highest OH mixing ratio, which could affect human health by exposing people to a high O3 mixing ratio for prolonged periods. The lower mixing ratios of isoprene resulted in a weak and sharp peak in the O3 profile in both spring and winter. The high level of isoprene in the subtropical zone could accentuate its large impact on atmospheric oxidant capacity and air quality in Guangzhou city.

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 6863-6881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Lyapina ◽  
Martin G. Schultz ◽  
Andreas Hense

Abstract. The high density of European surface ozone monitoring sites provides unique opportunities for the investigation of regional ozone representativeness and for the evaluation of chemistry climate models. The regional representativeness of European ozone measurements is examined through a cluster analysis (CA) of 4 years of 3-hourly ozone data from 1492 European surface monitoring stations in the Airbase database; the time resolution corresponds to the output frequency of the model that is compared to the data in this study. K-means clustering is implemented for seasonal–diurnal variations (i) in absolute mixing ratio units and (ii) normalized by the overall mean ozone mixing ratio at each site. Statistical tests suggest that each CA can distinguish between four and five different ozone pollution regimes. The individual clusters reveal differences in seasonal–diurnal cycles, showing typical patterns of the ozone behavior for more polluted stations or more rural background. The robustness of the clustering was tested with a series of k-means runs decreasing randomly the size of the initial data set or lengths of the time series. Except for the Po Valley, the clustering does not provide a regional differentiation, as the member stations within each cluster are generally distributed all over Europe. The typical seasonal, diurnal, and weekly cycles of each cluster are compared to the output of the multi-year global reanalysis produced within the Monitoring of Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) project. While the MACC reanalysis generally captures the shape of the diurnal cycles and the diurnal amplitudes, it is not able to reproduce the seasonal cycles very well and it exhibits a high bias up to 12 nmol mol−1. The bias decreases from more polluted clusters to cleaner ones. Also, the seasonal and weekly cycles and frequency distributions of ozone mixing ratios are better described for clusters with relatively clean signatures. Due to relative sparsity of CO and NOx measurements these were not included in the CA. However, simulated CO and NOx mixing ratios are consistent with the general classification into more polluted and more background sites. Mean CO mixing ratios are within 140–145 nmol mol−1 (CL1–CL3) and 130–135 nmol mol−1 (CL4 and CL5), and NOx mixing ratios are within 4–6 nmol mol−1 and 2–3 nmol mol−1, respectively. These results confirm that relatively coarse-scale global models are more suitable for simulation of regional background concentrations, which are less variable in space and time. We conclude that CA of surface ozone observations provides a powerful and robust way to stratify sets of stations, being thus more suitable for model evaluation.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Lyapina ◽  
Martin G. Schultz ◽  
Andreas Hense

Abstract. The high density of European surface ozone monitoring sites provides unique opportunities for the investigation of regional ozone representativeness and for the evaluation of chemistry climate models. The regional representativeness of European ozone measurements is investigated through a cluster analysis (CA) of 4 years of three-hourly ozone data from 1492 European surface monitoring stations in the Airbase database; the time resolution corresponds to the output frequency of the model that is compared to the data in this study. K-means clustering is implemented for seasonal-diurnal variations (i) in absolute mixing ratio units, and (ii) normalized by the overall mean ozone mixing ratio at each site. Statistical tests suggest that each CA can distinguish between 4 and 5 different ozone pollution regimes. The individual clusters reveal differences in seasonal-diurnal cycles, showing typical patterns of the ozone behavior for more polluted stations or more rural background. The robustness of the clustering was tested with a series of k-means runs decreasing randomly the size of the initial data set or lengths of the timeseries. Except for the Po Valley, the clustering does not provide a regional differentiation, as the member stations within each cluster are generally distributed all over Europe. The typical seasonal, diurnal, and weekly cycles of each cluster are compared to the output of the multi-year global reanalysis produced within the Monitoring of Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) project. While the MACC reanalysis generally captures the shape of the diurnal cycles and the diurnal amplitudes it is not able to reproduce the seasonal cycles very well and it exhibits a high bias up to 12 nmol/mol. The bias decreases from more polluted clusters to cleaner ones. Also, the seasonal and weekly cycles and frequency distributions of ozone mixing ratios are better described for clusters with relatively clean signatures. Due to relative sparsity of CO and NOx measurements these were not included in the cluster analysis. However, simulated CO and NOx mixing ratios are consistent with the general classification into more polluted and more background sites. Mean CO mixing ratios are ≈ 140–145 nmol/mol (CL1 – CL3) and ≈ 130–135 nmol/mol (CL4 and CL5), and NOx mixing ratios are ≈ 4–6 nmol/mol and ≈ 2–3 nmol/mol, respectively. These results confirm that relatively coarse scale global models are more suitable for simulation of regional background concentrations, which are less variable in space and time. We conclude that cluster analysis of surface ozone observations provides a powerful and robust way to stratify sets of stations being thus more suitable for model evaluation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1877
Author(s):  
Ukkyo Jeong ◽  
Hyunkee Hong

Since April 2018, the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) has provided data on tropospheric NO2 column concentrations (CTROPOMI) with unprecedented spatial resolution. This study aims to assess the capability of TROPOMI to acquire high spatial resolution data regarding surface NO2 mixing ratios. In general, the instrument effectively detected major and moderate sources of NO2 over South Korea with a clear weekday–weekend distinction. We compared the CTROPOMI with surface NO2 mixing ratio measurements from an extensive ground-based network over South Korea operated by the Korean Ministry of Environment (SKME; more than 570 sites), for 2019. Spatiotemporally collocated CTROPOMI and SKME showed a moderate correlation (correlation coefficient, r = 0.67), whereas their annual mean values at each site showed a higher correlation (r = 0.84). The CTROPOMI and SKME were well correlated around the Seoul metropolitan area, where significant amounts of NO2 prevailed throughout the year, whereas they showed lower correlation at rural sites. We converted the tropospheric NO2 from TROPOMI to the surface mixing ratio (STROPOMI) using the EAC4 (ECMWF Atmospheric Composition Reanalysis 4) profile shape, for quantitative comparison with the SKME. The estimated STROPOMI generally underestimated the in-situ value obtained, SKME (slope = 0.64), as reported in previous studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 4561-4573
Author(s):  
Ziru Lan ◽  
Weili Lin ◽  
Weiwei Pu ◽  
Zhiqiang Ma

Abstract. Ammonia (NH3) plays an important role in particulate matter formation; hence, its atmospheric level is relevant to human health and climate change. Due to different relative distributions of NH3 sources, concentrations of atmospheric NH3 may behave differently in urban and rural areas. However, few parallel long-term observations of NH3 exist to reveal the different behaviors of NH3 concentrations at urban and rural sites in a same region. In this study, online ammonia analyzers were used to continuously observe atmospheric NH3 concentrations at an urban site and a suburban site in Beijing from 13 January 2018 to 13 January 2019. The observed mixing ratio of NH3 averaged 21±14 ppb (range of 1.6–133 ppb) at the urban site and 22±15 ppb (range of 0.8–199 ppb) at the suburban site. The NH3 mixing ratios at the urban and suburban sites exhibited similar seasonal variations, with high values in summer and spring and low values in autumn and winter. The hourly mean NH3 mixing ratios at the urban site were highly correlated (R=0.849, P<0.01) with those at the suburban site; however, the average diurnal variations in the NH3 mixing ratios at the urban and suburban sites differed significantly, which implies different contributions from NH3 sources and sinks at the urban and suburban sites. In addition to the emission sources, meteorological factors were closely related to the changes in the NH3 concentrations. For the same temperature (relative humidity) at the urban and suburban sites, the NH3 mixing ratios increased with relative humidity (temperature). Relative humidity was the factor with the strongest influence on the NH3 mixing ratio in different seasons at the two sites. The relationships between the NH3 concentrations and temperature (relative humidity) varied from season to season and showed differences between the urban and suburban sites. The reasons for the different relationships need to be investigated in future studies. Higher wind speed mainly from the northwest sector lowered the NH3 mixing ratios at both sites. Similarly to other primary pollutants in Beijing, the NH3 mixing ratios were high when impacted by air masses from the southern sector.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 2441-2453 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Fiorucci ◽  
G. Muscari ◽  
L. Froidevaux ◽  
M. L. Santee

Abstract. In response to the need for improving our understanding of the evolution and the interannual variability of the winter Arctic stratosphere, in January 2009 a Ground-Based Millimeter-wave Spectrometer (GBMS) was installed at the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) site in Thule (76.5° N, 68.8° W), Greenland. In this work, stratospheric GBMS O3 and HNO3 vertical profiles obtained from Thule during the winters 2010 (HNO3 only), 2011 and 2012 are characterized and intercompared with co-located measurements of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) experiment. Using a recently developed algorithm based on Optimal Estimation, we find that the GBMS O3 retrievals show good sensitivity (> 80%) to atmospheric variations between ~ 17 and ~ 50 km, where their 1σ uncertainty is estimated to be the larger of ~ 11% or 0.2 ppmv. Similarly, HNO3 profiles can be considered for scientific use between ~ 17 and ~ 45 km altitude, with a 1σ uncertainty that amounts to the larger of 15% or 0.2 ppbv. Comparisons with Aura MLS version 3.3 observations show that, on average, GBMS O3 mixing ratios are biased negatively with respect to MLS throughout the stratosphere, with differences ranging between ~ 0.3 ppmv (8%) and 0.9 ppmv (18%) in the 17–50 km vertical range. GBMS HNO3 values display instead a positive bias with respect to MLS up to 26 km, reaching a maximum of ~ 1 ppbv (10%) near the mixing ratio profile peak. O3 and HNO3 values from the two datasets prove to be well correlated at all altitudes, although their correlations worsen at the lower end of the altitude ranges considered. Column contents of GBMS and MLS O3 (from 20 km upwards) and HNO3 (from 17 km upwards) correlate very well and indicate that GBMS measurements can provide valuable estimates of column interannual and seasonal variations for these compounds.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. ASWR.S10590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neerja Sharma ◽  
Rabindra K Nayak ◽  
Vinay K Dadhwal ◽  
Yogesh Kant ◽  
Meer M Ali

The present study reports the temporal variations of CO2 mixing ratio measured using Vaisala GMP-343 sensor (at 15 m height) in Dehradun (30.1 °N, 77.4 °E) during 2009. Being a valley station, the mixing ratios are controlled by biospheric processes but not by large scale transport phenomenon or local pollution. A distinct diurnal cycle varies from 317.9 ppm in the afternoon to 377.2 ppm in the morning (before sunrise). The minimum early morning (0700-1000 IST) drop and minimum afternoon (1300-1700 IST) trough observed during monsoon months are related to the enhanced vegetation activity due to rain at the site. The maximum night time (2200 IST to next day 0700 IST) build up of CO2 observed during monsoon season is associated with the increase in heterotrophic respiration due to high moisture content in the soil. This is also confirmed by the positive coherence between night time CO2 mixing ratio with soil respiration simulated from Carnagie-Ames-Standford Approach (CASA) model. The strong negative coherence with net ecosystem productivity (simulated from the same model) shows that observations captured the regional changes in emission and uptake of CO2 in atmosphere.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziru Lan ◽  
Weili Lin ◽  
Weiwei Pu ◽  
Ziqiang Ma

Abstract. Ammonia (NH3) plays an important role in particulate matter formation; however, few long-term observations with a high temporal resolution have been conducted on the NH3 concentrations in Beijing. In this study, online ammonia analyzers were used to observe continuously the atmospheric NH3 concentrations at an urban site and a suburban site in Beijing from January 13, 2018, to January 13, 2019. The average mixing ratio of NH3 at the urban site was 21 ± 14 ppb (range: 1.6–133 ppb) and that at the suburban site was 22 ± 15 ppb (range: 0.8–199 ppb). The NH3 mixing ratios at the urban and suburban sites exhibited similar seasonal variations, with high values being observed in the summer and spring and low values being observed in the autumn and winter. The hourly mean NH3 mixing ratios at the urban site were highly correlated (R = 0.849, P 


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 2979-3011
Author(s):  
I. Fiorucci ◽  
G. Muscari ◽  
L. Froidevaux ◽  
M. L. Santee

Abstract. In response to the need for improving our understanding of the evolution and the interannual variability of the winter Arctic stratosphere, in January 2009 a ground-based millimeter-wave spectrometer (GBMS) was installed at the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) site in Thule (76.5° N, 68.8° W), Greenland. In this work, stratospheric GBMS O3 and HNO3 vertical profiles obtained from Thule during winters 2010 (HNO3 only), 2011 and 2012 are characterized and intercompared with co-located Aura MLS measurements. Using a recently developed algorithm based on Optimal Estimation, we find that the GBMS O3 retrievals show good sensitivity (> 80%) to atmospheric variations between ~ 17 and ~ 50 km, where their 1σ uncertainty is estimated to be the larger of ~ 11% or 0.2 ppmv. Similarly, HNO3 profiles can be considered for scientific use between ~ 17 and ~ 45 km altitude, with a 1σ uncertainty that amounts to the larger of 15% or 0.2 ppbv. Comparisons with Aura MLS version 3.3 observations show that, on average, GBMS O3 mixing ratios are biased low with respect to MLS throughout the stratosphere, with differences ranging between ~ 0.3 ppmv (8%) and 0.9 ppmv (18%) in the 17–50 km vertical range. GBMS HNO3 values display instead a high bias with respect to MLS up to 26 km, reaching a maximum of ~ 1 ppbv (10%) near the mixing ratio profile peak. O3 and HNO3 values from the two data sets prove to be well correlated at all altitudes, although their correlations worsen at the lower end of the altitude ranges considered. Column contents of GBMS and MLS O3 (from 20 km upwards) and HNO3 (from 17 km upwards) correlate very well and indicate that GBMS measurements can provide valuable estimates of column interannual and seasonal variations for these compounds.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 3945-3963
Author(s):  
Frank Roux ◽  
Hannah Clark ◽  
Kuo-Ying Wang ◽  
Susanne Rohs ◽  
Bastien Sauvage ◽  
...  

Abstract. The research infrastructure IAGOS (In-Service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) equips commercial aircraft with instruments to monitor the composition of the atmosphere during flights around the world. In this article, we use data from two China Airlines aircraft based in Taipei (Taiwan) which provided daily measurements of ozone, carbon monoxide and water vapour throughout the summer of 2016. We present time series, from the surface to the upper troposphere, of ozone, carbon monoxide and relative humidity near Taipei, focusing on periods influenced by the passage of typhoons. We examine landing and take-off profiles in the vicinity of tropical cyclones using ERA-5 reanalyses to elucidate the origin of the anomalies in the vertical distribution of these chemical species. Results indicate a high ozone content in the upper- to middle-troposphere track of the storms. The high ozone mixing ratios are generally correlated with potential vorticity and anti-correlated with relative humidity, suggesting stratospheric origin. These results suggest that tropical cyclones participate in transporting air from the stratosphere to troposphere and that such transport could be a regular feature of typhoons. After the typhoons passed Taiwan, the tropospheric column was filled with substantially lower ozone mixing ratios due to the rapid uplift of marine boundary layer air. At the same time, the relative humidity increased, and carbon monoxide mixing ratios fell. Locally, therefore, the passage of typhoons has a positive effect on air quality at the surface, cleansing the atmosphere and reducing the mixing ratios of pollutants such as CO and O3.


1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1057-1064
Author(s):  
P.R. Mahaffy ◽  
S.K. Atreya ◽  
H.B. Niemann ◽  
T.C. Owen

AbstractInsights into both the detailed composition of Jupiter’s atmosphere and unexpected local meteorological phenomena were revealed by in-situ measurements from the Galileo Probe Neutral Mass Spectrometer taken on December 7, 1995. Measurements of the neutral atmospheric composition from a pressure of 0.5 bar to approximately 21 bar revealed the mixing ratios of the major species helium and hydrogen as well as numerous minor constituents including methane, water, ammonia, ethane, ethylene, propane, hydrogen sulfide, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. This instrument measured the isotope ratios3He/4He, D/H, and13C/12C as well as the isotopes of neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. A summary is given of progress that has been made in refining preliminary estimates of the abundances of condensable volatiles and noble gases as a result of an ongoing laboratory study using a nearly identical engineering unit. The depletion of simple condensable species to depths well below their expected condensation levels is explained by a local downdraft in the region of the probe entry. The mass spectrometer data suggests that different species may recover at different depths and this may be due to lateral mixing of Jovian air.


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