Investigating ozone high levels and the role of sea breeze on its transport

Monteiro, Alexandra; Gama, Carla; Cândido, Marta; Ribeiro, Isabel; Carvalho, David; Lopes, Myriam

Investigating ozone high levels and the role of sea breeze on its transport

2016

This works intends to investigate the ozone episodes reported in three different monitoring sites distributed along the Central region of Portugal (from the coast to inland direction). Ozone data time series are first analysed according to the legislation thresholds fulfilment (information threshold and target value) and two episodes are selected according to the magnitude and simultaneously exceedances at the three sites. The episodes are then analysed in terms of meteorological data (surface and vertical profiles) obtained with the WRF model and also using backtrajectories obtained with the HYSPLIT model. The integration of both results, together with the ozone and NO2 precursor concentration time series, allowed to conclude about the different origin of ozone in the two episodes. A sea breeze circulation is present in the first episode, inducing the transport of this pollutant and its precursors from the coast to inland (about 30 km), which is verified by the wind patterns and vertical profiles and by the daily profile of O3 measured at the three sites. The second episode studied does not show so clearly this influence.

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