Analyzing ground ozone formation regimes using a principal axis factoring method: A case study of Kladno (Czech Republic) industrial area

Abstract

Tropospheric ozone is a secondary air pollutant, changes in the ambient content of which are affected by both, the emission rates of primary pollutants and the variability of meteorological conditions. In this paper, we use two multivariate statistical methods to analyze the impact of the meteorological conditions associated with pollutant transformation processes. First, we evaluated the variability of the spatial and temporal distribution of ozone precursor parameters by using discriminant analysis (DA) in locations close to the industrial area of Kladno (a city in the Czech Republic). Second, we interpreted the data set by using factor analysis (FA) to examine the differences between ozone formation processes in summer and in winter. To avoid temperature dependency between the variables, as well as to describe tropospheric washout processes, we used water vapour content rather than the more commonly employed relative humidity parameter. In this way, we were able to successfully determine and subsequently evaluate the various processes of ozone formation, together with the distribution of ozone precursors. High air temperature, radiation and low water content relate to summer pollution episodes, while radiation and wind speed prove to be the most important parameters during winter.