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Analysis of the photochemical production of ozone using Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) Radiation Model in an Asian megacity

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Abstract

A study of surface layer ozone (O3) and its primary precursors (NO x  = NO + NO2) was carried out at Kolkata (22° 33′ N, 88° 30′ E), an urban site in eastern India from October 2010 to April 2011. A simple NO x cycle-based photochemical model for the net rate of production of tropospheric ozone was studied. Photolytic rate constants for NO2 (\( {j}_{{\mathrm{NO}}_2} \)) were estimated using the Tropospheric Ultraviolet and Visible (TUV) Radiation Model-Version 4.1. Relationships between predicted and measured ozone data were found to be sensitive with respect to time of the day. A correlation between the observed ozone and \( {j}_{{\mathrm{NO}}_2} \) during some case study days in the morning (R 2 range, 0.34 to 0.96) and the late afternoon (R 2 range, 0.79 to 0.99) implies that the NO x chemistry is predominant due to enhanced automobile emissions during the peak traffic hours. VOCs and some peroxy radicals play a vital role in the chemistry of ozone production (net). Computed air mass backward trajectories using HYSPLIT model established the source and transport pathways of the trace gases. The results obtained on different days indicate the importance of advection of gases from both continental as well as marine air mass on case-specific circumstances. Tropospheric columnar NO2 outputs were also compared to ground-based measurements, and these point towards a good regional contribution of NO2.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to ISRO-AT-CTM and CSIR for funding this research. They are also thankful to the Department of Instrumentation and Electronics Engineering, Jadavpur University, for providing with a laboratory space to set up the necessary instruments to carry out the research work. They should also like to convey their sincere gratitude to Dr. Sasha Madronich (NCAR, USA), Dr. Dominik Brunner (ETH-Hönggerberg, Switzerland) and Larry Oolman (Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming) for their kind support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Jadavpur University, 188 Raja S C Mallik Road, Kolkata, 700032, India

    Debreka Ghosh & Ujjaini Sarkar

  2. Department of Chemistry, Jadavpur University, 188 Raja S C Mallik Road, Kolkata, 700032, India

    Debreka Ghosh

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  1. Debreka Ghosh
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  2. Ujjaini Sarkar
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Correspondence to Ujjaini Sarkar.

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Ghosh, D., Sarkar, U. Analysis of the photochemical production of ozone using Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) Radiation Model in an Asian megacity. Air Qual Atmos Health 9, 367–377 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-015-0346-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-015-0346-3

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