Ozone is an important trace constituent in the atmosphere. While stratospheric ozone acts as an effective absorber of harmful ultraviolet radiation, the ozone found in the troposphere particularly at the surface acts as a pollutant and impacts on ecosystems (vegetation, forests and many crop species) as well as on human health. Ozone in the troposphere is the 3rd most important greenhouse gas affecting radiative forcing which therefore contributes to the heat budget of the planet and is a significant contributor to climate change. It is the main precursor of oxidizing agents in the atmosphere, the hydroxyl radicals, affecting the cleansing capacity of the atmosphere. Ozone (and its precursors) is one of the air pollutant species that is identified as a transboundary pollutant, by the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of air pollution under the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution [CLRTAP]. It is also a priority pollutant under the EU Clean Air for Europe (CAFÉ) Programme. It was therefore fitting that a programme of research work was undertaken to analyse ozone levels, changes and trends over Ireland. Surface ozone data at Irish sites with a relatively long data record (for more than 8 years) are analyzed to assess the overall ozone level, exposure exceedances and long term trends using statistical methods widely used for time analysis. The time series analysis shows that there is a decline in the occurrences of ozone peaks in recent years in urban as well as in rural areas which is likely to be mainly attributable to the substantial decline in NOx and NMVOC (Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds) in background air composition. Except for the coastal marine sites of Mace Head and Valentia, all stations have shown an overall declining negative trend in ozone levels and also a negative trend in spring peaks, mainly in recent years. The rural sites in Ireland particularly Monaghan and Wexford may have responded to a regional reduction in ozone precursors and have shown the strongest negative decreasing trends in ozone levels during the 2000-2007 period. The data from Mace Head have shown a positive increasing trend of about 0.16 ppb/year over the period 1988-2007. Meteorological variability could be masking the impact of emission reductions on long-term ozone trends. This is indicated through European trends in NOx and VOC emissions which show a uniform decrease in ozone precursors across Europe but which are not directly reflected in observed ozone trends.

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Tripathi, O. Jennings, G.   "Ozone levels, changes and trends over Ireland - an Integrated Analysis ". Associated datasets and digitial information objects connected to this resource are available at: Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data (SAFER) managed by Environmental Protection Agency Ireland https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/resource?id=82e90834-bbaa-11e1-84ca-005056ae0019 (Last Accessed: 2023-05-28)

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SAFER-Data Display URL	https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/display?isoID=271
Resource Keywords	ozone, ireland, trends, greenhouse gases, health
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Code	2006-AQ-MS-50
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Theme	Air Quality
Resource Availability:	Public-Open
Limitations on the use of this Resource	Any attached datasets, data files, or information objects can be downloaded for further use in scientific applications under the condition that the source is properly quoted and cited in published papers, journals, websites, presentations, books, etc. Before downloading, users must agree to the "Conditions of Download and Access" from SAFER-Data. These appear before download. Users of the data should also communicate with the original authors/owners of this resource if they are uncertain about any aspect of the data or information provided before further usage.
Number of Attached Files (Publicly and Openly Available for Download):	1
Project Start Date	Sunday 1st October 2006 (01-10-2006)
Earliest Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Sunday 1st October 2006 (01-10-2006)
Most Recent Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Saturday 1st October 2011 (01-10-2011)
Published on SAFER	Thursday 21st June 2012 (21-06-2012)
Date of Last Edit	Friday 22nd June 2012 at 13:08:10 (22-06-2012)
Datasets or Files Updated On	Friday 22nd June 2012 at 13:08:10 (22-06-2012)

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Description of Geographical Characteristics of This Project or Dataset
Ground-level ozone is currently measured in many rural and urban areas of Ireland but a long term record is only available and analyzed for the coastal station of Mace Head. Ozone at EPA stations, at Mace Head, Valentia Observatory, and Lough Navar is measured using a continuous ozone analyzer by UV Photometry. The ozone analyser is microprocessor-controlled and the principle of operation is based on the Beer-Lambert law for measuring ozone in ambient air. Ozone concentration data for Ireland are provided by the EPA for EPA measurement sites (Dublin Pottery Road, Dublin Rathmines, Cork, Wexford, and Monaghan). The ozone measurements at different sites in Ireland started in different years.

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