Potential Effects Of Increased Urbanization In Athens Biology

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the potential effects of increased urbanization in the Athens city, Greece on the intrinsic features of the temporal fluctuations of the surface ozone concentration (SOZ).

Methods The detrended fluctuation analysis was applied to the mean monthly values of SOZ derived from ground-based observations collected at the centre of Athens basin during 1901-1940 and 1987-2007.

Results Despite the present-day SOZ doubling in respect to SOZ historic levels, its fluctuations exhibit long-range power-law persistence, with similar features in both time periods. This contributes to an improved understanding of our predictive powers and enables better environmental management and more efficient decision making processes.

Conclusions The extensive photochemistry enhancement observed in the Athens basin from the beginning of the 20th century until the beginning of the 21st century, seems not to have affected the long memory of SOZ correlations. The strength of that memory provides the limits of the air pollution predictability at various time scales.

Keywords: Air pollution, Historic observations, Detrended fluctuation analysis, Long-range correlations, Surface ozone, Urbanization

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Article name: Potential Effects Of Increased Urbanization In Athens Biology essay, research paper, dissertation