Regional Impact of Ozone Precursor Emissions on NOx and O3 Levels at
ZOTTO Tall Tower in Central Siberia
Abstract
Seasonal variations of the near-surface odd nitrogen
(NOX=NO+NO2) and ozone
(O3) mixing ratios at Zotino Tall Tower (ZOTTO), a
remote site in central Siberia, are described for years 2007–2014.
Conditional probability function analysis and back trajectories are used
to determine the origins of clean (continental background, CB) and
regional emissions-influenced air. High NOX levels at
the site are observed for air from industrial regions of western Siberia
and Ural Mountains, whereas CB air originates from remote areas of North
Eurasia within 55°–70°N. The estimated annual means of daytime
O3 and NOX mixing ratios for CB air are
27.0 ppbv and 0.44 ppbv, correspondingly, vs. the similar quantities of
27.9 and 0.79 ppbv for all data. Monthly ozone for CB air shows a
distinct maximum in April, as is the case for Northern Hemisphere
midlatitude background (NHMLB) air at the European inflow boundary
according to the surface ozone data for Mace Head and Norwegian
monitoring sites, and a minimum in late summer – early autumn
reflecting a weak continental-scale ozone production from biogenic
sources of ozone precursors and wildfire emissions throughout a warm
season. During spring and early summer under hot weather conditions,
regional anthropogenic and wildfire emissions are an important source
for ozone in the continental boundary layer over southern and central
Siberia, resulting in surface ozone levels compared to or larger than
those observed in NHMLB air. Throughout the remaining part of a year,
the central North Eurasia represents a sink for tropospheric ozone on a
hemispheric scale.