The dependence of tropospheric ozone production rate on ozone precursors

An analytic formula is derived expressing the tropospheric O3 production rate, P(O3), as a power law function of radical production rate, NOx concentration, and VOC–OH reactivity. Power law exponents depend on a single parameter, LN/Q, which is the fraction of free radicals removed by reactions with NOx. The formula reproduces the functional form of P(O3) obtained from photochemical box model calculations. Ozone production rates are shown to have a smooth transition between previously derived low and high NOx limits. Potential applications of this formula include analysis of day to day and place to place variations in P(O3), with P(O3) either obtained from measurements collected during field campaigns or produced as output from chemical-transport models.