Vertical distribution of ozone in spring based on two high tower observations over the Pearl River Delta, China

This study investigates the vertical distribution characteristics of ozone (O3) in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region during spring, utilising observational data from two tall towers in urban and suburban areas of the PRD, i.e., the 600 m high Canton Tower and the 356 m high Shenzhen Meteorology Gradient Tower (SZMGT), between 2018 and 2020. The observations indicate that the peak times of O3 concentrations differ under polluted and clean conditions, with polluted conditions showing 1–3 h later peaks compared with clean conditions. The diurnal variation in the O3 concentration is more pronounced at the SZMGT than at the Canton Tower. The O3 vertical gradients differ between the two towers, with the Canton Tower showing larger daytime gradients and the SZMGT showing larger nighttime gradients under polluted conditions. The vertical O3 distribution patterns are categorised into three types: Polluted, Moderate, and Good levels. The O3 concentration initially rises with altitude and then decreases under polluted conditions. Elevated O3 is observed in the lower planetary boundary layer (PBL), approximately between 110 and 210 m in height, where the concentration is 1.1–1.4 times higher than the surface level. Both the Moderate and Good levels occur under clean conditions, in which the O3 of the Canton Tower increases with altitude, whereas the O3 of the SZMGT first increases and then decreases with altitude. The correlation between O3 and the meteorological conditions (temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, and wind speed) decreases with increasing altitude. The cluster analysis of backward trajectories identifies three main transport paths affecting the O3 levels: northeasterly continental, southerly oceanic, and easterly coastal paths. Combining the observations from O3 lidar in Guangzhou and Shenzhen and two additional cities within the PRD region, Foshan and Zhongshan, the analysis of a typical pollution case indicates that different cities have different local chemical generation and regional transport contributions to O3 pollution. A conceptual model reflecting the horizontal transport paths and vertical structures of O3 pollution in the spring over the PRD is proposed, which enhances our understanding of the O3 vertical distribution in different cities and contributes to the analysis of the O3 pollution mechanism in the PRD agglomeration.