Study on spatiotemporal distribution of airborne ozone pollution in subtropical region considering socioeconomic driving impacts: A case study in Guangzhou, China

Ozone has become the primary air pollutant in the subtropical regions (i.e., Guangzhou, China). This significantly hinders the sustainable development of cities. The purpose of this work was to find out the main influencing factors of ozone, then put forward feasible control strategies. We first analyzed the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of ozone in 2016-2018. The effects of environmental factors (e.g., CO) and meteorological factors (e.g., temperature) on ozone were investigated comprehensively. Furthermore, the relationship between economic growth and ozone in Guangzhou was analyzed. There were 48 days with excessive ozone in 2017. Ozone exceeding rate displayed an M curve. Moreover, the number of months with excessive ozone increased each year. About the influential factors, temperature was the primary factor affecting ozone with a significant positive correlation. CO, relative humidity, and NO2 were negatively correlated with ozone. Because of the contemporaneous rain and heat climate, precipitation exhibited a positive correlation with ozone. The quantitative-relationship curve between economic growth and ozone displayed U-shaped trend. The proposed plans for ozone control could contribute to the sustainable development of Guangzhou through source control, departmental coordination, and government policy.