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Significant ground-level ozone attributed to lightning-induced nitrogen oxides during summertime over the Mountain West States.

ABSTRACT: Using lightning flash data from the National Lightning Detection Network with an updated lightning nitrogen oxides (NO_x) emission estimation algorithm in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, we estimate the hourly variations in lightning NO_x emissions for the summer of 2011 and simulate its impact on distributions of tropospheric ozone (O₃) across the continental United States. We find that typical summer-time lightning activity across the U.S. Mountain West States (MWS) injects NO_x emissions comparable to those from anthropogenic sources into the troposphere over the region. Comparison of two model simulation cases with and without lightning NO_x emissions show that significant amount of ground-level O₃ in the MWS during the summer can be attributed to the lightning NO_X emissions. The simulated surface-level O₃ from a model configuration incorporating lightning NO_x emissions showed better agreement with the observed values than the model configuration without lightning NO_x emissions. The time periods of significant reduction in bias in simulated O₃ between these two cases strongly correlate with the time periods when lightning activity occurred in the region. The inclusion of lightning NO_x increased daily maximum 8 h O₃ by up to 17 ppb and improved model performance relative to measured surface O₃ mixing ratios in the MWS region. Analysis of model results in conjunction with lidar measurements at Boulder, Colorado during July 2014 corroborated similar impacts of lightning NO_x emissions on O₃ emissions estimated for other summers is comparable to the 2011 air quality. The magnitude of lightning NO_x estimates suggesting that summertime surface-level O₃ levels in the MWS region could be significantly influenced by lightning NO_x.

SUBMITTER: Kang D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7075249 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Significant ground-level ozone attributed to lightning-induced nitrogen oxides during summertime over the Mountain West States.

Kang Daiwen D Mathur Rohit R Pouliot George A GA Gilliam Robert C RC Wong David C DC

NPJ climate and atmospheric science 20200101

Using lightning flash data from the National Lightning Detection Network with an updated lightning nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission estimation algorithm in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, we estimate the hourly variations in lightning NOx emissions for the summer of 2011 and simulate its impact on distributions of tropospheric ozone (O3) across the continental United States. We find that typical summer-time lightning activity across the U.S. Moun ...[more]

PMID: 32181370

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Project description:This paper investigates the correlation between the high level of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infection accelerated transmission and lethality, and surface air pollution in Milan metropolitan area, Lombardy region in Italy. For January-April 2020 period, time series of daily average inhalable gaseous pollutants ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), together climate variables (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation rate, atmospheric pressure field and Planetary Boundary Layer) were analyzed. In spite of being considered primarily transmitted by indoor bioaerosols droplets and infected surfaces or direct human-to-human personal contacts, it seems that high levels of urban air pollution, and climate conditions have a significant impact on SARS-CoV-2 diffusion. Exhibited positive correlations of ambient ozone levels and negative correlations of NO2 with the increased rates of COVID-19 infections (Total number, Daily New positive and Total Deaths cases), can be attributed to airborne bioaerosols distribution. The results show positive correlation of daily averaged O3 with air temperature and inversely correlations with relative humidity and precipitation rates. Viral genome contains distinctive features, including a unique N-terminal fragment within the spike protein, which allows coronavirus attachment on ambient air pollutants. At this moment it is not clear if through airborne diffusion, in the presence of outdoor and indoor aerosols, this protein "spike" of the new COVID-19 is involved in the infectious agent transmission from a reservoir to a susceptible host during the highest nosocomial outbreak in some agglomerated industrialized urban areas like Milan is. Also, in spite of collected data for cold season (winter-early spring) period, when usually ozone levels have lower values than in summer, the findings of this study support possibility as O3 can acts as a COVID-19 virus incubator. Being a novel pandemic coronavirus version, it might be ongoing during summer conditions associated with higher air temperatures, low relative humidity and precipitation levels.

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Significant ground-level ozone attributed to lightning-induced nitrogen oxides during summertime over the Mountain West States.

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Significant ground-level ozone attributed to lightning-induced nitrogen oxides during summertime over the Mountain West States.

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