Sydney Ozone & Haze Already Exceed Gov. Standards For The Entire Year; Pushing 100F
An air pollution alert has been issued for Sydney residents due to a high level of ozone, already exceeding government standards for the entire year.
The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage put the air-quality forecast for Sydney’s metropolitan area on Tuesday as “poor”, denoting a score of 100-149 on the Air Quality Index (AQI). “Hazardous” is classified as 200 and above.
Ozone is an irritant secondary pollutant formed by chemical reactions between atmospheric gases and nitrogen oxides from car-vehicle exhausts on sunny days. The problem is exacerbated by lack of wind. As temperatures increase, so does ozone production, meaning it forms more readily in summer and reaches its highest concentrations in the afternoon or early evening.
Matthew Riley, the director of climate and atmospheric science at OEH, said higher levels of ozone were not unusual in Sydney over December and January. The national standards allowed for one day above the accepted ozone levels per year, to account for extreme events such as bushfires that can increase production, said Riley. Ozone levels exceeded that level in Richmond and St Marys in western Sydney late on Monday afternoon and could do so again on Tuesday or Wednesday, due to high temperatures and weak winds.
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/weather/2017/jan/10/sydney-air-pollution-alert-issued-due-to-high-ozone-level
