A prominent maximum in surface ozone concentration during winter months at Pune (India)

ABSTRACT. Concentration of ozone near the ground has been recorded at Pune (India) since 1972 with the help of a continuous surface ozone recorder using electro-chemical sensor. The analysis of the records of winter season indicates a sharp rise in ozone amount in the forenoon around 1000 to 1200 LST. Prior to 1985 this forenoon: higher value in surface ozone concentration was followed by another maximum in the afternoon hours coinciding with the maximum temperature epoch of the day. After 1985 the surface ozone data indicates that the forenoon peak value has become invariably higher than the afternoon value. Due to increasing concentration of anthropogenic gases in the atmosphere there is a possibility of photochemical production of ozone in the troposphere which may give rise to higher surface ozone values, when the meteorological conditions are favourable for the accumulation of such gases which are involved in ozone production.

Effect of ozone precursors on surface ozone variations in GAW Kototabang and Cibeureum

Ozone composition is widely distributed in the troposphere. Surface ozone, known as a secondary pollutant, is a by-product of burning fossil fuels. Increasing the concentration of GHG (CO2, CH4, and CO) as precursors can affect the surface ozone concentration. This study aims to determine the type of precursor that affects the concentration of surface ozone and also to determine the impact of surface ozone and its precursors in rural and remote areas. In general, surface ozone concentrations in both Kototabang and Cibereum begin to increase at 08 – 09 WIB, following the increase in solar radiation intensity, and decrease at 18 – 19 WIB. This pattern is because surface ozone is a secondary pollutant formed by photochemical reactions, in which the photochemical reactions are triggered by energy from solar radiation. The correlation of the surface ozone concentration with CO2, CH4, and CO in the Cibeureum was -0.17, 0.31, and 0.40. The correlation values of surface ozone concentration with CO2, CH4, and CO in the Cibeureum area are 0.09, 0.45, and 0.48. The highest correlation is shown by a CO correlation of 0.40. moreover the highest correlation is shown by a CO correlation of 0.48. The results in this study indicate the effect of each precursor on surface ozone concentration and the accompanying processes.

Methane removal and the proportional reductions in surface temperature and ozone

Mitigating climate change requires a diverse portfolio of technologies and approaches, including negative emissions or removal of greenhouse gases. Previous literature focuses primarily on carbon dioxide removal, but methane removal may be an important complement to future efforts. Methane removal has at least two key benefits: reducing temperature more rapidly than carbon dioxide removal and improving air quality by reducing surface ozone concentration. While some removal technologies are being developed, modelling of their impacts is limited. Here, we conduct the first simulations using a methane emissions-driven Earth System Model to quantify the climate and air quality co-benefits of methane removal, including different rates and timings of removal. We define a novel metric, the effective cumulative removal, and use it to show that each effective petagram of methane removed causes a mean global surface temperature reduction of 0.21 ± 0.04°C and a mean global surface ozone reduction of 1.0 ± 0.2 parts per billion. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of methane removal in delaying warming thresholds and reducing peak temperatures, and also allow for direct comparisons between the impacts of methane and carbon dioxide removal that could guide future research and climate policy. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Rising methane: is warming feeding warming? (part 1)'.