Threshold exceedances and cumulative ozone exposure indices at tropical suburban site

Abstract

This study provides the first analysis of threshold exceedances and cumulative ozone exposure indices from Pune, a tropical suburban site in India. We used the directives on ozone pollution in ambient air provided by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and by the World Health Organization to assess the air quality from in situ measurements of surface ozone (during the years 2003-2006). We find that the exposure-plant response index (Accumulated exposure Over a Threshold of 40 ppb (AOT40)) and target values for protection of human health (8-h > 60 ppb) are regularly surpassed. This is a concern for agricultural and human health. Air-mass classification based on back-air trajectories shows that the excess of AOT40 values is quite plausibly due to long-range transport of background ozone and its precursors to the measurement site.