Daytime Ozone Variation in Surface Air in a Subtropical Mangrove Estuary at Manakudy, South India

Surface ozone (SOZ) can be very harmful if it exceeds the threshold limit. It can accumulate over sea and can return back to the land along with the breeze. Rural and vegetation rich areas often record elevated levels of surface ozone because of the variations in Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) levels, wind velocity and direction. Similarly methane is also an important greenhouse gas and plays a vital role in the atmospheric budget. In this work, ozone and methane levels measured during daytime in a mangrove estuary near Manakudy(8.0911 N, 77.477 E),kanyakumari, South India for a period of ten months from March 2014 to December 2014 are analyzed.SOZ showed an imprecise diurnal pattern with an early morning peak whereas methane recorded an apparent diurnality. The maximum value of SOZ was around 50 ppb. Summer months recorded high levels of SOZ followed by Southwest monsoon (SWM) and Northeast monsoon (NEM).High levels of methane were found in SWM followed by NEM and low concentration during summer. The correlation between SOZ and methane was found as r = -0.257, p