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Scientists warn of ‘very high ozone pollution’ for Europe as heatwaves rise
Scientists with the European Union's climate monitoring service warned Tuesday (July 19) of “very high ozone pollution” for a large region of Europe stemming from the current heatwave.
A statement by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (CAMS): “Very high levels of ozone pollution in southern Europe caused by the heatwave could now affect northwestern regions in the coming week.”
Scientists anticipate that after "extremely high surface ozone pollution" was observed across western and southern Europe, ozone pollution might affect the "northwestern regions."
It said: "In mid-July, daily maximum values of surface ozone, which peak during the middle of the day, reached unhealthy levels in Portugal, Spain and Italy with some locations measuring in excess of 200 μg/m3.”
A according to CAMS scientists, Ozone pollution is expected to reach its highest in Europe on July 18 - 20.
While the heatwave in Spain and Portugal killed more than 330 people last week, the UK recorded its hottest temperature ever Tuesday (July 19).
In southwestern France, wildfires have devoured thousands of hectares of forests and lands.
Ozone can be “good” or “bad” for health and the environment depending on where it’s found in the atmosphere.
Stratospheric ozone is “good” because it protects living things from ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Climate change extreme weather costs Germany billions annually
The stratospheric ozone layer is Earth’s “sunscreen” – protecting living things from too much ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Ground-level ozone, the topic of this website, is “bad” because it can trigger a variety of health problems.
Ozone is a gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. It occurs both in the Earth's upper atmosphere and at ground level.
Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant, because of its effects on people and the environment, and it is the main ingredient in “smog."
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