Twinning Project:

Training in Plausibility Assessment: Data of Nitrogen Monoxide

Nitrogen Monoxide

Please, assess the plausibility of the data based on the yearly cycles, daily cycles and weekly steps. The data are monitored at 5 conventional and 5 DOAS monitoring sites (not of Romania). The assessment should contain ½ page of assessment for each monitoring site and each systematic variation (cycles, steps) as well as a concluding summary of the assessment. The assessment might be written in Romanian language.

The station “CONV001” and “CONV002” are located in the same town and are of type “City” or “Traffic”. The station “CONV003” is located at another town and is of type “City”, too. The station CONV004 is located at the same town as the stations “DOAS001” and “DOAS002” and the station “CONV005” is located at a third town; this station is of type “City”, too.

The stations “DOAS001” and “DOAS002” are located at the same town as the station “CONV004”. The stations “DOAS003” and “DOAS004” are located at another but the same town and the station “DOAS005” is located at a third town. All DOAS stations are of type “City” but remember the height of the DOAS light beam.

The figures on next page demonstrate the yearly cycles of each year (2003, 2004, and 2005 (until September)). The last figure demonstrates the averaged yearly cycles – averaged over all conventional sites (not only the five sites of the example) – compared to the averaged cycles of the DOAS stations. The blue area demonstrates the average over all sites (CONV and DOAS) and all years.

The small figures are group wise arranged for each2 figures!


The figures above demonstrate the yearly cycles of nitrogen monoxide of the years 2003, 2004, and 2005. Please, carry out your assessment based on these yearly cycles at first.


Once you have finalised your assessment of the data based on the yearly cycles, please, move forward to the following systematic variation – the daily cycles. These cycles are presented for the same stations as above.

The figure above represents the averaged cycle of the 5 conventional stations (all 3 years) and the averaged cycle of the 5 DOAS stations (all 3 years) compared to the average of the 5 conventional and 5 DOAS stations.






The figures above demonstrate the daily cycles of nitrogen monoxide of the years 2003, 2004, and 2005 (entire year, not for summer or winter periods). Please, carry out your assessment based on these yearly cycles at first.


Once you have finalised your assessment of the data based on the daily cycles, please, move forward to the following systematic variation – the weekly steps. These steps are presented for the same stations as above.

The table above presents the averaged daily means of NO concentration – averaged over the 3 years 2003 – 2005 for working days, Monday – Friday, for Saturdays and for Sundays.

Please, assess the results and take these assessments as a basis for your assessment of the plausibility of the data.

Once you have finalised the plausibility assessment for each station and each of the systematic variations, please prepare an overall summary of the results. The summary should summarise the plausibility assessments of above and should demonstrate the difference between the conventional monitoring instruments and the DOAS instruments.

Additionally, the summary should contain answers to the following questions:

  • What are the most important emission sources of NO?
  • What happens to the emitted NO in the ambient air?
  • Why there exist such systematic variations (yearly/daily cycles, weekly steps)
  • Compared to other pollutants: Why is it so important to have plausible NO data?

Your “Plausibility Report” should be arranged in the following order:

  1. Introduction
  • Short summary of the EU Directive concerning nitrogen oxides
  • Threshold values (if there are any)
  1. Yearly Cycles
  • CONV001
  • CONV002
  • CONV003
  • CONV004
  • CONV005
  • DOAS001
  • DOAS002
  • DOAS003
  • DOAS004
  • DOAS005
  1. Daily Cycles
  • CONV001
  • CONV002
  • CONV003
  • CONV004
  • CONV005
  • DOAS001
  • DOAS002
  • DOAS003
  • DOAS004
  • DOAS005
  1. Weekly Steps
  • CONV001
  • CONV002
  • CONV003
  • CONV004
  • CONV005
  • DOAS001
  • DOAS002
  • DOAS003
  • DOAS004
  • DOAS005
  1. Summary
  • Emission Sources of NO
  • Chemical Reactions of NO
  • Reasons for Systematic Variations
  • Explanation of Monitoring Principles
  • Overall Plausibility Assessment

Please, forward your assessment to the colleagues of the NEPA. The results will be discussed at the training workshop in October 2006.

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Trainer: Rainer Lacombe and Wolfgang Bräuniger

Federal Environmental Agency of Germany