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Vertical Sulfur Dioxide, Ozone, and Heavy Metal Concentration Profiles Above the Southern Bight of the North Sea
Author(s) -
Otten Philippe,
Injuk Jasna,
van Grieken René
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
israel journal of chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.908
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1869-5868
pISSN - 0021-2148
DOI - 10.1002/ijch.199400044
Subject(s) - chemistry , ozone , environmental chemistry , atmosphere (unit) , air mass (solar energy) , sulfur dioxide , metal , pollutant , atmospheric sciences , sulfur , meteorology , boundary layer , geology , inorganic chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , thermodynamics
Vertical profiles of SO 2 and O 3 concentrations were measured continuously within the lower atmosphere during 18 flights over the Southern Bight of the North Sea. The average SO 2 concentration below the temperature inversion layer ranged from 1.9 to 19.5 ppb. The highest levels were observed when the air masses came from the southeast‐east and under variable wind sector conditions: 15.2 and 12.0 ppb, respectively. The highest SO 2 concentrations were found at altitudes between 100 and 200 m. The overall average O 3 concentration was 46 ppb, with values of 30–40 ppb at sea level to 60–70 ppb at altitudes above 100 m. Low O 3 concentrations reflect O 3 depletion through reaction with freshly emitted pollutants, while high O 3 concentrations are an indication of photochemical activity. O 3 concentrations are primarily dependent on seasonal influences, while SO 2 levels are dictated more by the history of the sampled air mass. The results are discussed in relation to the heavy metal concentrations, measured within the same experiment. In spite of some differences, SO 2 and trace metals showed similar trends. The individual SO 2 and O 3 profiles clearly illustrated the high variability in vertical concentration distributions.