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EXCEEDANCE OF OZONE THRESHOLD VALUES
IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY IN 1995.

Summary based on the information reported in the framework of the Council Directive 92/72/EEC on air pollution by ozone.

Report to the Commission by the European Environment Agency
European Topic Centre on Air Quality.

Topic report no. 29/1996 part I

Frank de Leeuw, Esther van Zantvoort
September 1996

Table of Contents
Summary
1. Introduction
2. Data Reporting
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Data handling
3. Summary of reported data for 1995
4. Discussion
4.1 Geographical coverage of monitoring stations
4.2 Annual statistics for 1995
4.3 Exceedances of threshold values in 1995

Exceedances of threshold value for protection of human health
Exceedances of threshold values for information and warning of the population
Exceedances of the daily threshold value for protection of vegetation
Exceedances of the hourly threshold value for the protection of vegetation

4.4 Summer smog episodes in 1995
4.5 Comparison with exceedances of threshold values in 1994
4.6 Data reported for 1989-1995
5. Conclusions and recommendations
References
Annex I. Exceedances of ozone threshold values and annual statistics at individual monitoring stations reported in the framework of the Council Directive 92/72/EEC on air pollution by ozone
Annex II. Phenomenology of ozone concentrations
Annex III. Remarks concerning data transmission and suggestions for improvement
List of Maps
Map 1 : Location of ozone monitoring stations as reported by Member States in the framework of the Ozone Directive for the reference period 1995.
Map 2 : Location of background ozone monitoring stations. Tentatively the area for which the ozone measurements might be representative is indicated with a circle with a radius of 100 km
Map 3 : 98 percentiles (based on hourly concentrations; µg/m3) measured at background stations, period 1 January- 31 December 1995.
Map 4 : 98 percentiles (based on hourly concentrations; µg/m3) measured at urban, street and other stations, period 1 January - 31 December 1995.
Map 5 : Number of exceedances of the threshold value for protection of human health (110 µg/m3 for eight hourly values) observed at background stations; 1 January - 31 December 1995; eight hourly average values for the period 12.00-20.00.
Map 6 : Number of exceedances of the threshold value for protection of human health (110 µg/m3 for eight-hourly values) observed at urban, street and other stations; 1 January - 31 December 1995; eight-hourly average values for the period 12.00-20.00.
Map 7 : Number of exceedances of the threshold value for information of the population (180 µg/m3 for hourly values) observed at background stations;1 January - 31 December 1995.
Map 8 : Number of exceedances of the threshold value for information of the population (180 µg/m3 for hourly values) observed at urban, street and other stations; 1 January - 31 December 1995.
Map 9 : Number of exceedances of the threshold value for vegetation (65 µg/m3 for daily values) observed at background stations; 1 January - 31 December 1995. Data is interpolated using inverse distance weighting and a cut-off distance of 100 km.
Map 10 : Number of exceedances of the threshold value for vegetation (65 µg/m3 for daily values) observed at urban and unspecified stations;1 January - 31 December 1995.
Map 11 : Number of exceedances of the threshold value for vegetation (200 µg/m3 for hourly values) observed at background stations;1 January - 31 December 1995. Data is interpolated using inverse distance weighting and a cut-off distance of 100 km.
Map 12 : Number of exceedances of the threshold value for vegetation (200 µg/m3 for hourly values) observed at urban, street and other stations; 1 January - 31 December 1995.
Map 13 : Example of an ozone smog episode: hourly ozone concentrations in excess of 180 µg/m3 as measured on 1 August 1995.