Assessing Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Observed Ground-level Ozone in China

Elevated ground-level ozone (O₃), which is an important aspect of air quality related to public health, has been causing increasing concern. This study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of ground-level O₃ concentrations in China using a dataset from the Chinese national air quality monitoring network during 2013-2015. This research analyzed the diurnal, monthly and yearly variation of O₃ concentrations in both sparsely and densely populated regions. In particular, 6 major Chinese cities were selected to allow a discussion of variations in O₃ levels in detail, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, Shanghai, and Urumchi, located on both sides of the Heihe-Tengchong line. Data showed that the nationwide 3-year MDA8 of ground-level O₃ was 80.26 μg/m³. Ground-level O₃ concentrations exhibited monthly variability peaking in summer and reaching the lowest levels in winter. The diurnal cycle reached a minimum in morning and peaked in the afternoon. Yearly average O₃ MDA8 concentrations in Beijing, Chengdu, Lanzhou, and Shanghai in 2015 increased 12%, 25%, 34%, 22%, respectively, when compared with those in 2013. Compared with World Health Organization O₃ guidelines, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai suffered O₃ pollution in excess of the 8-hour O₃ standard for more than 30% of the days in 2013 to 2015.