On springtime high ozone events in the lower troposphere from Southeast Asian biomass burning

• Published in: Atmospheric environment (1994) Vol. 33; no. 15; pp. 2403 - 2410
• Main Authors: Liu, Hongyu, Chang, Wen Lam, Oltmans, Samuel J., Chan, Lo Yin, Harris, Joyce M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.1999; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Back trajectory analysis; Chemical composition and interactions. Ionic interactions and processes; Continental Southeast Asia; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Hong Kong; Meteorology; Pollutants physicochemistry study: properties, effects, reactions, transport and distribution; Pollution; Tropospheric ozone; Vertical profiles; Hong Kong; Asia; China; Tropospheric ozone; Vertical profiles; Continental Southeast Asia; Hong Kong; Back trajectory analysis; Troposphere; Ozone; Air pollution; Balloon observation; Trajectory; Precursor; Canopy fire; Altitudinal distribution
• ISSN: 1352-2310; 1873-2844
• DOI: 10.1016/S1352-2310(98)00357-4

Ozone peaks with mixing ratios as high as 138 ppbv were observed in the lower troposphere (2.5–4.5 km) over Hong Kong in spring. Simultaneously observed high humidity suggests that this enhanced ozone was not the result of transport from the upper troposphere. Back trajectory analysis suggests that these enhancements resulted from lateral transport. Air masses arriving at the altitude of the ozone peaks appear to have passed over continental Southeast Asia where the bulk of biomass burning occurs at this time of the year (February–April). We hypothesize that biomass burning in this region provided the necessary precursors for the observed ozone enhancement. As far as we know this is the first observation of highly enhanced ozone layers associated with biomass burning in continental Southeast Asia.