Measures of Day and Night Times Ozone (O3) Concentration in Parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Measures of Day and Night Times Ozone (O3) Concentration in Parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Onengiyeofori A. Davies, Sudum Esaenwi, Nicholas N. Tasie
Physics Department, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2023.10417

Received: 10 April 2023; Revised: 19 April 2023; Accepted: 26 April 2023; Published: 25 May 2023

Abstract: This work was aimed at taking measures of ozone concentration during day and night times in Port Harcourt. To this end, we employed a smart unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that we had previously designed and constructed to take measures of atmospheric zone concentration in mg/m3. We collected data, in 5-minutes intervals, at noon for 245 minutes within 1pm-3:45pm and at night for 180minutes within 8pm-10pm on the 18/11/2022 on our pilot launch. The data collected was determined by how long our device battery could last on the pilot launch. Our results from the day time measures of ozone concentration showed that the concentration of ozone was quite stable, remaining between 0.1 and 0.2 mg/m3 the whole period while the night time observation shows a natural rise in ozone levels throughout this time period, with concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 0.06 mg/m3. This shows that the ozone concentration was higher during the night time, which could be attributed to Port Harcourt being an urban area and the weather condition in Port Harcourt during the period of this study.

Keywords: Ozone, Concentration, UAV, Day time, Night time

I. Introduction

The ozone (O3) is a naturally occurring gas that can be found in the stratosphere, which is 10 to 50 kilometers above the surface of the planet [1, 2]. By absorbing and blocking damaging ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, the ozone layer is a key factor in controlling the climate and weather on Earth [3-5].
Relative to Temperature Regulation, the ozone layer acts as a protective shield that absorbs the incoming UV radiation from the sun, which causes a temperature rise in the stratosphere [6]. This absorbed energy is then re-emitted as heat, warming the stratosphere and resulting in a temperature inversion. This inversion layer inhibits the mixing of colder air below with warmer air above, thereby regulating the temperature of the troposphere, the lower stratum of the atmosphere where meteorological phenomena occur [7, 8]. Without the ozone layer, the troposphere would substantially cool, resulting in a variety of climatic changes, such as alterations in temperature, wind patterns, and precipitation [9].

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