Ozone (O3) ambient levels as a secondary airborne precursor in Fahaheel urban area, the State of Kuwait

• Published in: Atmospheric science letters Vol. 21; no. 9
• Main Authors: Al‐Qassimi, Masumah, Al‐Salem, Sultan Majed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01-09-2020; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Air pollution; air quality; Atmospheric sciences; chemical mass balance; Chemical reactions; Daytime; Diurnal variations; Emissions; Ground level; Mass balance; modelling; Night; Nitrogen dioxide; Nitrogen oxides; Nitrogen oxides emissions; Oil fields; Oxidants; Oxidation; Oxides; Oxidizing agents; Ozone; ozone (O3); Petroleum; Petroleum refineries; Photochemical oxidants; Photochemicals; Photochemistry; Pollutant load; Pollutants; pollution; Pollution load; Pollution monitoring; Precursors; Receptors; Slopes; Urban areas; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; volatiles; Kuwait
• ISSN: 1530-261X; 1530-261X
• DOI: 10.1002/asl.983

Two years of continuous monitoring data over two time‐spans (2004–2005 and 2014–2015) were used to investigate the relationship between ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOX ≈ NO + NO2) in Fahaheel urban area (Kuwait). Their relationship was used to understand their chemical reactions and the NO2 and O3 concentration ratio to gain an insight into the sources of total atmospheric oxides (OX = O3 + NO2) levels. A Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) model was developed to detect likely point sources around the monitoring station and quantify their contribution to the overall air pollution load. Hourly diurnal variations in O3 ground level concentrations during weekends showed a slight increase in O3 levels. In addition, it was observed that overall hourly average O3 concentration reached higher levels during weekdays and weekends in 2004–2005 compared to 2014–2015. The concentration of photochemical oxidants (e.g., O3 and NO2) can be decreased by controlling the emissions of their precursors; NOX and VOCs. The net effect of NOX emissions on O3 concentrations was negative with a weak exponential decline correlation between NOX and O3, indicating Fahaheel urban area's VOC‐sensitive characteristics. For all years considered, the slopes of the linear OX–NOX relationships were higher during daytime compared to night‐time, showing that NO2 oxidations were dominant during daytime and that O3 net production was high. The study also showed the high NOX oxidation level and the possible presence of O3 net production. The slopes during night‐time indicated that NO2 consumption exceeded its formation rate. During day and night‐time, the NO2/NOX ratio was found to decline significantly as newly emitted NOX increased, supporting the area's VOC‐sensitive nature. By setting up a CMB model around the Fahaheel receptor point, it was revealed that downstream petroleum facilities have been the major contributor to pollutants environmental load over the years.
Two years of continuous monitoring data over two time spans (2004–2005 and 2014–2015) were used to investigate the relationship between ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOX ≈ NO + NO2) in Fahaheel urban area (Kuwait). Their relationship was used to understand their chemical reactions; and the NO2 and O3 concentration ratio to gain an insight into the sources of total atmospheric oxides (OX = O3 + NO2) levels.