Influence of local meteorology conditions on ground-level ozone concentrations in Jackson, MS

The influence of local meteorological conditions on ground level ozone concentrations is an area of increasing interest to officials with public health concerns and those concerned about climate change. High concentrations of ground level ozone can affect people with breathing difficulties such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis. Many aspects of ozone formation and dispersion processes are still difficult to understand, but atmospheric conditions, urbanization, increased pollution and changes in population trends have a direct impact on ozone levels. One of these aspects is the estimation of the sensitivity of ozone concentrations to individual conditions includes temperature, winds, radiation, atmospheric moisture, and mixing depth (US EPA 2009). The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) monitors pollutants and provides daily forecasts for particulate matter and ozone for the DeSoto County, Jackson Metropolitan area, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In 2015, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strengthened national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone from 75 to 70 parts per billion (ppb). With the decreased standard, changes in population, land use and an increased number of commuters through the city there is potential for Jackson to exceed the new standard. This study will look at the frequency of ozone action days in Jackson, MS Metro area to determine if the NWS Jackson Forecast office should partner with MSDEQ to issue air quality alerts for the Jackson metro area. Analyzing atmospheric conditions and MSDEQ ozone data, three case studies have been identified between June 2016 and June 2018. Mean averages will be used to show relationships between temperature, humidity, wind pressure, and peaks in ground ozone. Air quality model simulations for these cases will be conducted to perform the study of model comparison.