000135146 001__ 135146 000135146 005__ 20260217205531.0 000135146 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.5194/acp-24-4827-2024 000135146 0248_ $$2sideral$$a138522 000135146 037__ $$aART-2024-138522 000135146 041__ $$aeng 000135146 100__ $$aMassagué, Jordi 000135146 245__ $$aExtreme ozone episodes in a major Mediterranean urban area 000135146 260__ $$c2024 000135146 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000135146 5203_ $$aThis study analyses three extreme ozone (O3) episodes that occurred in Barcelona (NE Spain) during the summers of 2015, 2018, and 2019. These episodes exceeded the EU's hourly information threshold (180 µg m−3) for the first time since at least the year 2000, raising concerns due to Barcelona's large population. By employing experimental data and various modelling tools, our main objective is to elucidate the underlying phenomena of these recent O3 episodes and improve predictive capabilities. The findings indicate that the factors contributing to these occurrences are largely consistent across episodes. These factors, with estimated O3 contributions specified for particular instances, comprise (i) initial O3 accumulation in surrounding coastal areas; (ii) weekend occurrence, accompanied by the corresponding weekend effect (+15 µg m−3); and (iii) the prevalence of Tramontana meteorological conditions during above-normal temperatures, which (iv) force the convergence of multiregional polluted air masses to the city (+45–65 µg m−3). Major source areas include regions of southern France through the Gulf of Lion, the interior of the Mediterranean, and eastern Spanish coastal regions, including Barcelona's pollution plume. Some of these factors, which may manifest in the days preceding the episodes, are observable or can be anticipated. This study enhances understanding of the mechanisms driving extreme O3 episodes recently observed in Barcelona and provides valuable insights for prediction. 000135146 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 000135146 590__ $$a5.1$$b2024 000135146 592__ $$a2.112$$b2024 000135146 591__ $$aMETEOROLOGY & ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES$$b18 / 111 = 0.162$$c2024$$dQ1$$eT1 000135146 593__ $$aAtmospheric Science$$c2024$$dQ1 000135146 591__ $$aENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES$$b92 / 376 = 0.245$$c2024$$dQ1$$eT1 000135146 594__ $$a10.3$$b2024 000135146 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000135146 700__ $$aTorre-Pascual, Eduardo 000135146 700__ $$aCarnerero, Cristina 000135146 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-8227-5689$$aEscudero, Miguel$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000135146 700__ $$aAlastuey, Andrés 000135146 700__ $$aPandolfi, Marco 000135146 700__ $$aQuerol, Xavier 000135146 700__ $$aGangoiti, Gotzon 000135146 7102_ $$12002$$2385$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Física Aplicada$$cÁrea Física Aplicada 000135146 773__ $$g24, 8 (2024), 4827-4850$$pAtmos. chem. phys.$$tAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics$$x1680-7316 000135146 8564_ $$s13347312$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/135146/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000135146 8564_ $$s2612187$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/135146/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000135146 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:135146$$particulos$$pdriver 000135146 951__ $$a2026-02-17-20:32:26 000135146 980__ $$aARTICLE