Surface Ozone and Lower Atmospheric Temperature Inversions

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Surface Ozone and Lower Atmospheric Temperature
Inversions

• By Kim Kubera

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Outline

• Study Objective
• Hypothesis
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions

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Study Objective

• Examine to see whether there is a relationship
  between surface ozone concentrations and lower
  tropospheric inversion layers. (Increase
  inversion magnitude/number? Decrease? No effect?)

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Hypothesis

• Increased amounts of ozone at the surface will
  strengthen or cause low level inversions.

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Methods

• Data Collection
• Data Analysis

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Collection

• Ozone concentrations (ppbv)
• - Fall Line Air Quality Study
• - ½ hour max.
• - Griffen, Ga
• - January 5-18, 2002
• July 2-15, 2002

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• Inversion layers
• - Radiosonde Database
• (raob.fsl.noaa.gov)
• - Peachtree City
• - 0UTC and 12UTC
• -7pm day before and 7am
• - location and dT of
• inversions below 700mb

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Analysis

• Calculated 12 hour average 03 present (7am, 7pm)
• Plotted average O3 conc. to of inversions to
  see
• if there was a pattern (7am, 7pm)
• Look to see if avg. O3 conc. and magnitude of
  lowest inversion are correlated (7am, 7pm)
• Used hydrostatic eqn. to convert dP (from
  sounding) to dz (to get dT wrt dz)
• Assumed dry air, constant g (to calc density
• at top and bottom of inversion)
• Used average value of density for inv. (in hydro.
  eqn)

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• Looked to see if O3 conc. had an effect on the
  number of inversions present, regardless of
  magnitude
• Basic statistical analysis

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Results

• July
• January

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July 7am
O3
of inv.
12
July 7pm
O3
of inv.
13
July 7 am
14
July 7 pm
15
July 7am

• Top 31 of ozone concentration data
• Number of inversions from surface to 700mb
  regardless of magnitude

2 inv.
25
50
25
1 inv
3 inv.
16
July 7 pm

• Top 31 of ozone concentration data
• Number of inversions from surface to 700mb
  regardless of magnitude

2 inv.
25
No inversions
75
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January 7am
O3
of inv.
18
January 7pm
O3
of inv.
19
January 7am
20
January 7pm
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January 7 am

• Top 31 of ozone concentration data
• Number of inversions from surface to 700mb
  regardless of magnitude

1 inversion
3 inv.
25
75
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January 7pm

• Top 31 of ozone concentration data
• Number of inversions from surface to 700mb
  regardless of magnitude

No inversions
25
2 inv
75
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Conclusion

• There is no sign of a significant correlation
  between surface ozone concentrations and lower
  atmospheric inversions.

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Questions