Intercomparison of measured and modelled photochemical ozone production rates: Suggestion of chemistry hypothesis regarding unmeasured VOCs.
Jun Zhou, Wenjie Wang, Yan Wang, Zhen Zhou, Xiongzhou Lv, Meijin Zhong, Bowen Zhong, Minhui Deng, Bin Jiang, Junqing Luo, Jiahua Cai, Xiao-Bing Li, Bin Yuan, Min Shao
Author Information
Jun Zhou: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China. Electronic address: junzhou@jnu.edu.cn.
Wenjie Wang: Minerva Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz 55128, Germany.
Yan Wang: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Bowen Zhong: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Minhui Deng: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Bin Jiang: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Junqing Luo: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Jiahua Cai: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Xiao-Bing Li: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Bin Yuan: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Min Shao: College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; College of Environment and Climate, Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou 511443, China.
Ozone (O) pollution is a severe environmental problem in China. The incomplete understanding of atmospheric photochemical reaction mechanisms prevents us from accurately understanding the chemistry of O production. Here, we used an improved dual-channel reaction chamber technique to measure net photochemical O production rate (P(O)) directly in Dongguan, a typical industrial city in China. The maximum P(O) was 46.3 ppbv h during the observation period, which is at a relatively high level compared to previous observations under different environment worldwide. We employed an observation-based box model coupled with the state-of-the-art atmospheric chemical mechanism (MCM v3.3.1) to investigate the chemistry of O production. Under the base scenario, the modelling underestimates P(O) by ~30 %. Additionally considering HO uptake by ambient aerosols, inorganic deposition, and Cl chemistry only caused a small change (< 13 %) in the simulation of P(O). Further analysis indicates that unmeasured reactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as oxygenated VOCs and branched alkenes are potential contributors to the underestimation of P(O). This study underscores the underestimation of P(O) in conventional atmospheric modelling setups, providing a crucial scientific foundation for further investigation aimed at promoting our understanding of photochemical O formation.
