Assimilation of numerical study of the distribution of ozone above the greater Athens area (GAA)

Abstract

Air pollution is considered to be a critical environmental problem of large urban areas posing a threat to human health because of elevated concentrations of pollutants such as O3, NOx, VOCs and PM. In the past decades the GAA has experienced rapid expansion of the urban grid. Thus, the current study aims to examine the distribution of ozone above the GAA, with the help of the photochemical model CAMx, and assess the contribution of multiple geographical source areas, boundary and initial conditions to ozone formation. Results showed that the transport of primary and secondary pollutants can affect the air quality of the receptor area. Many pollution episodes reported to ground stations are often due to the development of a local circulation system (sea breeze) that disperses intense pollutant emissions. Moreover, the boundary and initial conditions used in numerical studies play a significant role to the ozone formation.