High Resolution Bayesian Space-Time Modelling for Ozone Concentration Levels

Sujit Sahu (University of Southampton)

Friday 10th December, 2010 15:00-16:00 326

Abstract

Ground-level ozone is a pollutant that is a significant health risk, especially for children with asthma. It also damages crops, trees and other vegetation. It is a main ingredient of urban smog. To evaluate exposure to ozone levels, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has developed a primary and a secondary air quality standard. To assess compliance to these standards, the USEPA collects ozone concentration data continuously from several networks of sparsely and irregularly spaced monitoring sites throughout the US. Data obtained from these sparse networks must be processed using spatial and spatio-temporal methods to check compliance to the ozone standards at an unmonitored site in the vast continental land mass of the US. This talk will first discuss the two air quality standards for ozone levels and then will develop high resolution Bayesian space-time models which can be used to assess compliance. Predictive inference properties of several rival modelling strategies for both spatial interpolation and temporal forecasting will be compared and illustrated with simulation and real data examples. A number of large real life ozone concentration data sets observed over the eastern United States will also be used to illustrate the Bayesian space-time models. Several prediction maps from these models for the eastern US, published and used by the USEPA, will be discussed.

Add to your calendar

Download event information as iCalendar file (only this event)