Surface ozone scenario and air quality in the north-central part of India

Tropospheric pollutants including surface ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and meteorological parameters were measured at a traffic junction (78°2′ E and 27°11′ N) in Agra, India from January 2012 to December 2012. Temporal analysis of pollutants suggests that annual average mixing ratios of tropospheric pollutants were: O3 - 22.97 ± 23.36 ppbV, NO2 - 19.84 ± 16.71 ppbV and CO - 0.91 ± 0.86 ppmV, with seasonal variations of O3 having maximum mixing ratio during summer season (32.41 ± 19.31 ppbV), whereas lowest was found in post-monsoon season (8.74 ± 3.8 ppbV). O3 precursors: NO2 and CO, showed inverse relationship with O3. Seasonal variation and high O3 episodes during summer are associated with meteorological parameters such as high solar radiation, atmospheric temperature and transboundary transport. The interdependence of these variables showed a link between the daytime mixing ratios of O3 with the nighttime level of NO2. The mixing ratios of CO and NO2 showed tight correlations, which confirms the influence of vehicular emissions combined with other anthropogenic activities due to office/working hours, shallowing, and widening of boundary layer. FLEXTRA backward trajectories for the O3 episode days clearly indicate the transport from the NW and W to S/SE and SW direction at Agra in different seasons.

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