Cause of a lower-tropospheric high-ozone layer in spring over Hanoi

We investigated the evolution of the ozone enhancement from analysis of meteorological data, backward trajectories, and model sensitivity experiments. In spring, air masses over Hanoi exhibit strong height dependence.

At 3 km, the high-ozone air masses originate from the land area to the west of Hanoi, while low-ozone air masses below about 1.5 km are from the oceanic area to the east. Above 4 km, the air masses are mostly traced back to the farther west area. The chemical transport model simulations revealed that precursor emissions from biomass burning in the inland Indochina Peninsula have the largest contribution to the lower tropospheric ozone enhancement, which is transported upward and eastward and overhangs the clean air intrusion from the ocean to the east of Hanoi.