Ozone and other air quality related variables affecting visibility in the Southeast United States
- North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)
An analysis of ozone (O{sub 3}) concentrations and several other air quality related variables was performed to asses their relationship with visibility, at five urban and semi-urban locations in the southeast United States during the summer seasons of 1980 to 1996. The role and impact of ozone on aerosols was investigated to ascertain a relationship with visibility. Regional trend analysis of the 1980s reveals an increase in maximum ozone concentration coupled with a decrease in visibility. However, the 1990s shows a leveling-off of both ozone and visibility; in both cases the results were not statistically significant at the 5% level. Site specific trends at Nashville Tennessee followed similar trends. To better ascertain the relationships and forcing mechanisms, the analysis was changed from yearly to daily and hourly averaged values. This increased resolution showed a statistically significant inverse relationship between visibility and ozone. Additionally, by performing back trajectory analysis, it was observed that the visibility degraded both by airmass migration over polluted areas and chemical kinetics.
- OSTI ID:
- 617772
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9704195--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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