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Understanding high tropospheric ozone episodes in Bangu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Abstract

This study investigates the potential factors that contribute to frequent high levels of ozone in Bangu, one of the most critical areas in the city of Rio de Janeiro, regarding ozone levels and air quality. Speciated non-oxygenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured using method TO-15 (US EPA). The measured concentrations and kinetic and mechanistic analysis of VOC reactivity showed that alkanes were the most important compounds. Ozone concentrations were simulated for a base case representing a day with high ozone levels. Simulated results and statistical multivariate analysis showed that the high ozone concentrations did not seem to be closely related to local emissions but rather were related to pollutant transport and low measured NOx levels and were triggered by photochemical activity. The differences between weekdays and weekends were also investigated, showing that ozone concentrations were also higher during weekends, mainly on Sunday, when the diesel heavy vehicle fleet was reduced and lower NO emissions were observed. The VOC/NOx ratios correspond to a VOC-limited process, which leads to higher ozone concentrations under low NOx conditions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge data provided by Secretaria Municipal de Meio Ambiente (SMAC) and the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for the provision of HYSPLIT (READY website).

Funding

The study was funded in part by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and Centro de Pesquisas Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello (CENPES/Petrobras).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Química, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Claudio Gabriel Pinheiro Geraldino & Eduardo Monteiro Martins

  2. Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Graciela Arbilla & Cleyton Martins da Silva

  3. Universidade Veiga de Almeida, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Cleyton Martins da Silva

  4. Faculdade de Tecnologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Resende, RJ, Brazil

    Sérgio Machado Corrêa

  5. Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Eduardo Monteiro Martins

Authors
  1. Claudio Gabriel Pinheiro Geraldino
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  2. Graciela Arbilla
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  3. Cleyton Martins da Silva
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  4. Sérgio Machado Corrêa
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  5. Eduardo Monteiro Martins
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Correspondence to Eduardo Monteiro Martins.

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FAPERJ: E-26/202.793/2015 Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

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Geraldino, C.G.P., Arbilla, G., da Silva, C.M. et al. Understanding high tropospheric ozone episodes in Bangu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Environ Monit Assess 192, 156 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-8119-3

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