The Role of Temperature and NO<i><sub>x</sub></i> in Ozone Trends in the Los Angeles Basin
Clara M. Nussbaumer, R. C. Cohen
Abstract
Ozone, a major contributor to poor air quality, has an array of adverse effects on human, animal, and plant health. In the Los Angeles basin, a megacity that has pursued cleaner air for decades, unhealthy levels of ozone have decreased but remain stubbornly frequent even as the ozone precursors NOx (nitrogen oxides ≡ NO2 + NO) and VOC (volatile organic compounds) have decreased. We describe a combined analysis of decadal trends in these precursors, differences in emissions with day-of-week, and of the impact of temperature to assess the role of VOC and NOx and the likely effects of additional emission reductions on the occurrence of high ozone in the region.
Topics & Concepts
OzoneNOxMegacityAir quality indexEnvironmental scienceNitrogen oxidesEnvironmental chemistryHuman healthStructural basinAir pollutionTropospheric ozoneAtmospheric sciencesMeteorologyChemistryWaste managementEnvironmental healthGeographyCombustionGeologyOrganic chemistryEconomicsEngineeringMedicinePaleontologyEconomyAtmospheric chemistry and aerosolsAir Quality and Health ImpactsAir Quality Monitoring and Forecasting