Tropospheric ozone precursors: Global and regional distributions, trends, and variability

Abstract. Tropospheric ozone results from in situ chemical formation and stratosphere–troposphere exchange (STE), with the latter being more important in the middle and upper troposphere than in the lower troposphere. Ozone photochemical formation is nonlinear and results from the oxidation of methane and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) in the presence of nitrogen oxide (NOx=NO+NO2). Previous studies showed that O3 short- and long-term trends are nonlinearly controlled by near-surface anthropogenic emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and nitrogen oxides, which may also be impacted by the long-range transport (LRT) of O3 and its precursors. In addition, several studies have demonstrated the important role of STE in enhancing ozone levels, especially in the midlatitudes. In this article, we investigate tropospheric ozone spatial variability and trends from 2005 to 2019 and relate those to ozone precursors on global and regional scales. We also investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of the ozone formation regime in relation to ozone chemical sources and sinks. Our analysis is based on remote sensing products of the tropospheric column of ozone (TrC-O3) and its precursors, nitrogen dioxide (TrC-NO2), formaldehyde (TrC-HCHO), and total column CO (TC-CO), as well as ozonesonde data and model simulations. Our results indicate a complex relationship between tropospheric ozone column levels, surface ozone levels, and ozone precursors. While the increasing trends of near-surface ozone concentrations can largely be explained by variations in VOC and NOx concentration under different regimes, TrC-O3 may also be affected by other variables such as tropopause height and STE as well as LRT. Decreasing or increasing trends in TrC-NO2 have varying effects on TrC-O3, which is related to the different local chemistry in each region. We also shed light on the contribution of NOx lightning and soil NO and nitrous acid (HONO) emissions to trends of tropospheric ozone on regional and global scales.