Ozone in the tropical troposphere : a review

Abstract

The sources of ozone in the troposphere are stratospheric/tropospheric exchange and in situ photochemical production; the sinks include destruction at the earth's surface and in situ photochemical destruction. The distribution of ozone in the tropical troposphere reflects the rapidity of photochemical processes in the tropics. In this review of current knowledge of ozone in the tropical troposphere, a discussion on the atmospheric cycles of ozone over the remote tropical oceans, over the continents in unperturbed conditions, over the continents biomass burning and in tropical urban areas is presented. The areas of lowest tropospheric ozone content occur over the tropical oceans while the most enriched regions occur over the continents following biomass burning.