THE EFFECT OF LAKE TEMPERATURES ON OZONE IN THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION

摘要

While elevated concentrations of ozone pose important health risks to humans, they also pose an ecological risk. Recent and ongoing research clearly indicates that surface ozone pollution can have a detrimental effect on certain species of forest vegetation. In fact, the concentration threshold for vegetation damage is typically less than the standard set for human health concerns. Ozone is frequently transported over large distances from urban emission source areas to rural and forested regions by atmospheric circulations. For example, it is common for ozone and its precursors to be transported from Chicago to rural and forested areas in northern Wisconsin and Michigan during the summer.In this study, the evolution of ozone is simulated to determine the transport pathways over the western Great Lakes during a 30-day period. Since regional pollutant transport in the region often occurs over water, a sensitivity simulation is also performed to examine the effect of lake temperatures on ozone production.