An investigation of temporal surface ozone concentration characteristics over Dar-es-Salam city

Abstract

Tanzania, like many developing countries, has been facing air pollution problems , through the Implementation of Air Quality Monitoring Capacity Building project by National Environment Management Council. Efforts are underway to reduce the air pollution in the fast growing city of Oar-es-salaam. Air pollution is the most widespread form of pollution that impacts at local, national and global levels affecting human health and well-being, vegetation, crops, wildlife, buildings and other materials, and world's climate. In Africa, as the rate of urbanization, motorization and economic activities increase air quality in cities is progressively deteriorating more. Air pollution is emerging as key threat to human health, the environment and the quality of life of millions of Africans. The air quality in cities varies depending on the industrialization, population and traffic density; and meteorological and topographical properties of the city. Especially in industrialized cities, the pollutant exhausted, emitted and discharged by the industrial foundations has the most significant effect. This study addresses the linkages between meteorological processes and air pollution in the atmosphere over the Oar -es- salaam city. The study establishes influence of meteorological conditions like mean maximum and minimum temperatures, mean rainfall, mean relative humidity, mean cloud amount and mean wind speed with mean concentration of ozone over Dar- es- Salam city. Simple correlation, regression analysis, and time series analysis were used in order to achieve the above objectives. The relationships between ozone concentration /at 0600Z and 1200Z and meteorological parameters such as maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, relative humidity, cloud amount and wind speed during the period of 2004-2008 were established. Rainfall, relative humidity and cloud amount were inversely related to surface ozone concentration