Ozone precursor relationships in the ambient atmosphere

While a large gradient is found among remote, rural, and urban/suburban nitrogen oxide concentrations, the total hydrocarbon reactivity in all continental locations is found to be comparable. Apportionment of the observed hydrocarbon species to mobile and stationary anthropogenic sources and biogenic sources suggests that present-day emission inventories for the United States underestimate the size of mobile emissions. The analysis also suggests a significant role for biogenic hydrocarbon emissions in many urban/suburban locations and a dominant role for these sources in rural areas of the eastern United States. -from Authors

Duke Scholars

Author William Chameides Earth and Climate Sciences