The dependence of tropospheric ozone production rate on ozone precursors

An analytic formula is derived expressing the tropospheric O-3 production rate, P(O-3), as a power law function of radical production rate, NOx concentration, and VOC-OH reactivity. Power law exponents depend on a single X parameter, L-N/Q, which is the fraction of free radicals removed by reactions with NOx. The formula reproduces the functional form of P(O-3) 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(O-3), with P(O-3) either obtained from measurements collected during field campaigns or produced as output from chemical-transport models. Published by Elsevier Ltd.