Analysis of Multiday Episodic Ozone Action Days (OAD) across Mississippi from 1999 to 2010

Ozone action days are defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as those in which are conducive to ground-level ozone formation at unhealthy amounts. The latest standards for ground-level ozone states that any amount greater than 75 ppb within an 8 hour maximum period is unhealthy and warrants an OAD. This is due to be revised in December of 2013. The acceptable level is expected to drop down between 60 and 70 ppb, as recommended by the EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee. In this study it was decided that the expected ozone levels would be used, therefore anything measured 60 ppb 8hr max and above would be considered a significant ozone day. There have been numerous studies on how meteorological variables affect ozone trends and forecasting; however the purpose of this study is to analyze consecutive multiday and single ozone days to see if a correlation exists with significant weather events. The data points were gathered from 8 different counties distributed evenly around Mississippi. These counties house the locations that are monitored by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. It is expected that a climatological study of ground-level ozone days will reveal a direct relationship with major meteorological events, and then in turn become a useable variable for forecasting the weather.