Trends in ozone concentrations in Jerusalem

Ozone concentrations have been measured in Jerusalem since 1977 by a chemiluminescent ozone meter. During the last five years ozone levels have increased considerably. In order to test whether this increase reflected the growth in the number of motor vehicles or was caused by atmospheric conditions, the summer data of the last five years were analyzed. Ozone levels were characterized by the daily one-hour maxima; the atmospheric factors considered were temperature, insolation and stability. A multiple regression equation was computed and a correlation coefficient r = 0.77 obtained. The yearly mean reduced ozone levels showed a definite trend, which reflected the corresponding trend in the number of motor vehicles.