Some aspects of impact in the potential climate change on ozone pollution levels over bulgaria from high resolution simulations

Abstract

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), the ground-level ozone is one of the most serious air pollutants in Europe today. High levels of ozone can affect the respiratory system and increases morbidity and mortality, particularly in sensitive groups of the population. Ozone also damages vegetation, reduces crop yields and corrodes technological materials. Ozone pollution is pronounced in regions with strong photochemical activity, such as the Mediterranean basin and Balkan Peninsula. Due to its central location in the second region, Bulgaria may be considered as a hot-spot for ozone and representative of ozone effects on Balkan ecosystems. Ozone concentrations are highly dependent on environmental conditions, including temperature. It is thought to be likely that long-term changes in climate will affect levels of future ozone pollution. Based on the calculated and accumulated in NIMH - Bulgaria during the CECILIA WP7-program data, scope of the presented work is to investigate the changes in ozone pollution levels, expressed with some exposure indices, due to climate change in Southeastern Europe. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.