Air composition in moscow from measurements at iap ras site in 2018–2023
https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2026-4327
Abstract
The annual and intraseasonal variability of near-ground daytime mixing ratios of gaseous pollutants (O3 , NO, NO2 , CO, and benzene) and aerosols (PM10 and PM2.5 ) measured at the A.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences observation site in the center of Moscow in 2018–2023 is analyzed. The primary gas species (NO, NO2 , CO, and benzene) and PM2.5 show a unimodal seasonal cycle with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer months, reflecting a combined influence of extratropical tropospheric features and local meteorology. A distinct summertime ozone maximum provides evidence for the strong input from its photochemical source, which is presumably attributed to the upper part of the urban mixing layer. The relative contribution of Moscow emissions to the observed pollutant levels during the cold (warm) season is estimated to be approximately 56% (42%) for CO and 64% (67%) for NOx, 70% (59%) for PM2.5 , and 78% (77%) for PM10 , with the remaining part beingdue to advection of chemically aged air from upwind pollutant sources on a wide range of spatial scales. The number of synoptic-scale episodes (N) with the enhanced PM2.5 and CO levels decreases exponentially with episode duration (τ, days) as N(τ) ~ e–λ∙τ where the rate of decrease (λ) is 0.66 (0.83) for the cold (warm) season.
Keywords
urban air quality,
aerosol pollution,
atmospheric boundary layer,
atmospheric blocking,
gas impurities
Supporting agencies: The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 25-17-00060 “Research on mesoscale fluctuations in meteorological fields, impurities, and infrasound signals” (analysis of long-term variability of air composition in Moscow). A study of the November 25–December 7, 2022, blocking event in Moscow was performed within the framework of the state assignment 15.01.2026 № 103-00001-26-00 of the Russian University of Transport.
About the Authors
Elena V. Berezina
A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pyzhevsky lane, 3, Moscow, 119017
Anastasia V. Vasileva
A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pyzhevsky lane, 3, Moscow, 119017
Dina P. Gubanova
A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pyzhevsky lane, 3, Moscow, 119017
Natalia V. Pankratova
A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pyzhevsky lane, 3, Moscow, 119017
Igor B. Belikov
A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pyzhevsky lane, 3, Moscow, 119017
Valery A. Belousov
A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pyzhevsky lane, 3, Moscow, 119017
Konstantin B. Moiseenko
A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences; Russian University of Transport
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pyzhevsky lane, 3, Moscow, 119017
Obraztsova St., 9, Moscow, 127994
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For citations:
Berezina E.V., Vasileva A.V., Gubanova D.P., Pankratova N.V., Belikov I.B., Belousov V.A., Moiseenko K.B. Air composition in moscow from measurements at iap ras site in 2018–2023. GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY. 2026;19(3):48-62. https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2026-4327
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