Ozone and related gaseous pollutants in the boundary layer of eastern China: Overview of the recent measurements at a rural site

Abstract

We present a summary of the latest measurements of ozone (O 3 ) and primary air pollutants at a rural/agricultural site in the fast developing Yangtze Delta region of China. The results of this study show elevated levels of primary pollutants (CO, SO 2 and NO x * ), which are about 1–5 times of those typically found in rural areas of North America and Europe. O 3 pollution events are frequently observed. CO and SO 2 levels are particularly high, resulting from the unique energy‐use pattern in China. O 3 shows strong positive correlation with NO x * and CO during periods of high photochemical activity. The O 3 ‐NO x * slope is comparable to the result from rural North America, but the O 3 ‐CO slope is substantially smaller for the Chinese site. With the anticipation of rapid changes of atmospheric composition in China, long‐term measurements of key air pollutants will be necessary for documenting their trends and for studying their environmental impacts.