Synoptic-scale meteorological variability and surface ozone concentrations in Vancouver, British Columbia

Abstract

The Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia is currently experiencing rapid population growth and episodically suffers elevated oxidant concentrations, the frequency of which is linked to meteorological conditions on the synoptic scale. This study is a first step towards developing and validating a methodology for "declimatizing' air quality data so that postulated effects of changing emissions patterns can be addressed. Principal component analysis of gridded fields at three atmospheric levels (sea level-reduced surface pressure, 850-mb height, and 500-mb height) yields four principal components (or modes of the atmospheric circulation) that account for over 83% of geophysical dataset variance. Daily component scores from these components are used as independent parameters in a regression equation of the daily maximum ozone concentrations at a site. -from Authors