Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

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Rapid High Concentration Rural Wintertime Photochemical Ozone Production

Ryan R. Neely(1), Russell C. Schnell(1), Samuel J. Oltmans(1) , Maggie S. Endres(2) , John V. Molenar(3) and Allen B. White(1)

(1) NOAA/ESRL, (2) Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, (3) Air Resource Specialists, Inc.

Rapid, diurnal, wintertime, photochemical ozone production at temperatures as low as -15C has been observed to occur regularly in the rural Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming, USA during sharp temperature inversion events. These daily photolytic ozone concentrations approach the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 8-hour average concentration exceedance level of 75ppb. Violations may result in regulation of wintertime production in the gas field. Surprisingly, these very high ozone concentrations occur well outside the April to October time of the year which USEPA ozone regulatory measurements are required. Recently, similar observations have been made in gas fields across the USA.