Abstract
In Extremadura, Southwest Spain, environmental conditions combined with a complex mixture of natural and anthropogenic precursors favour the appearance of episodes of high concentrations of tropospheric ozone, whose levels sometimes exceed legal thresholds. In this mainly rural region, no study has been carried out to identify and interpret regional ozone episodes, so this work aims to fill this gap. Ozone and precursor (nitrogen oxides and organic compounds) levels from six representative air quality monitoring stations located in suburban and rural areas have been used to investigate selected ozone episodes during 2014 and 2015. Air mass back-trajectories were used to assess the contribution of long-range transport, resulting in Europe, Mediterranean and Peninsular routes. The analysis of synoptic patterns revealed that high pressures with stationary character, which occur in different synoptic conditions, have an important role in the increment of the ozone values. Finally, the evaluation of the results showed that the daily ozone cycle is mainly regulated by the emissions of precursors in the surrounding environment, the high temperatures that occur during the day and the influence of atmospheric conditions on the low troposphere under anticyclonic conditions that promote ozone accumulation.
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Funding
Junta de Extremadura, Spain (project PRI IB16114), and the air quality surveillance network of Extremadura (REPICA, project 1855999FD022) are both partially financed by European Union Funds for Regional Development (FEDER).
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Maria Cerrato-Alvarez and Eduardo Pinilla-Gil formulated the overarching research goals and aims; Maria Cerrato-Alvarez, Marcelino Núñez-Corchero, Conrado Miró-Rodríguez and Eduardo Pinilla-Gil applied statistical, mathematical, computational or other formal techniques to analyse or synthesise study data; Maria Cerrato-Alvarez prepared the manuscript with contributions from all co-authors.
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Cerrato-Alvarez, M., Núñez-Corchero, M., Miró-Rodríguez, C. et al. Synoptic circulation patterns and local sources associated to high concentrations of tropospheric ozone in rural and suburban areas in southwestern Spain. Air Qual Atmos Health 13, 97–108 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-019-00774-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-019-00774-w