Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Ozone Pollution in Demonstration Zone of the Yangtze River Delta, China

Emerging research indicates that ground-level ozone (O₃) has become a leading contributor to air quality concerns in many Chinese cities, with the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region facing particular challenges. This study investigated the characterization of air pollutants in Wujiang, which is located within the YRD demonstration zone, during the warm season (April–September) of 2022. The contributions of emission and meteorology to O₃ were identified, the O₃-NO_X-VOC sensitivities were discussed, and the VOC sources and their contributions to O₃ formation were analyzed. A random forest model revealed that the high O₃ concentration was mainly caused by a combination of increased emission intensity due to the resumption of work and production after the COVID-19 pandemic, along with adverse meteorological conditions. The results revealed more than 92% of the pollution days were related to O₃ during the warm season, and the impact of O₃ precursor emissions was slightly greater than that of the meteorological conditions. O₃ formation was in the VOC-limited regime, and emission reduction strategies targeting VOCs, particularly aromatics such as toluene and xylene, have been identified as the most effective approach for mitigating O₃ pollution. Changes in O₃-NO_X-VOC sensitivity were also observed from the VOC-limited regime to the transitional regime, which was primarily driven by variations in the NO_X concentrations. The VOC source analysis results showed that the contributions of gasoline vehicle exhaust and diesel engine exhaust (mobile source emissions) were significantly greater than those of the other sources, accounting for 20.8% and 16.5% of the total VOC emissions, respectively. This study highlights the crucial role of mobile source emission control in mitigating O₃ pollution. Furthermore, prioritizing the control of VOC emission sources with minimal NO_X contributions is highly recommended within the VOC-limited regime.