Seasonal and long term variations of surface ozone concentrations in Malaysian Borneo

Abstract

Malaysian Borneo has a lower population density and is an area known for its lush rainforests. However, changes in pollutant profiles are expected due to increasing urbanisation and commercial-industrial activities. This study aims to determine the variation of surface {O3} concentration recorded at seven selected stations in Malaysian Borneo. Hourly surface {O3} data covering the period 2002 to 2013, obtained from the Malaysian Department of Environment (DOE), were analysed using statistical methods. The results show that the concentrations of {O3} recorded in Malaysian Borneo during the study period were below the maximum Malaysian Air Quality Standard of 100 ppbv. The hourly average and maximum {O3} concentrations of 31 and 92 ppbv reported at Bintulu (S3) respectively were the highest among the {O3} concentrations recorded at the sampling stations. Further investigation on {O3} precursors show that sampling sites located near to local petrochemical industrial activities, such as Bintulu (S3) and Miri (S4), have higher NO2/NO ratios (between 3.21 and 5.67) compared to other stations. The normalised {O3} values recorded at all stations were higher during the weekend compared to weekdays (unlike its precursors) which suggests the influence of {O3} titration by {NO} during weekdays. The results also show that there are distinct seasonal variations in {O3} across Borneo. High surface {O3} concentrations were usually observed between August and September at all stations with the exception of station {S7} on the east coast. Majority of the stations (except {S1} and S6) have recorded increasing averaged maximum concentrations of surface {O3} over the analysed years. Increasing trends of {NO2} and decreasing trends of {NO} influence the yearly averaged maximum of {O3} especially at S3. This study also shows that variations of meteorological factors such as wind speed and direction, humidity and temperature influence the concentration of surface O3.