Statistical Forecast of Surface Ozone Concentration in Moscow

A. M. Zvyagintsev

Two synoptic-statistical methods for forecasting daily maximum surface ozone concentrations are proposed based on the relations between surface ozone and meteorological variables in the Moscow region. The methods use current ozone measurements and forecasts of meteorological variables and of synoptic situation. Statistically, the methods provide better forecast results than climatic and persistence methods. Compared with the persistence forecast, the above methods reduce the variance of the forecast error from 1.5 to 2 times. The most significant predictors for forecasting daily maximum surface ozone concentration with lead times of one to three days for Moscow are the forecast time (Julian day of the year), prognostic temperature, relative humidity, indices of the meteorological pollution potential of the atmosphere (MPP), and surface ozone concentration observed on the previous day. The forecast efficiency is demonstrated using the 2006 observational data from the stations of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences–Moscow State University and Mosecomonitoring State Nature Protection Organization.