High resolution modelling of aerosol dispersion regimes during the CAPITOUL field experiment: from regional to local scale interactions
Abstract. High resolution simulation of complex aerosol particle evolution and gaseous chemistry over an atmospheric urban area is of great interest for understanding air quality and processes. In this context, the CAPITOUL (Canopy and Aerosol Particle Interactions in the Toulouse Urban Layer) field experiment aims at a better understanding of the interactions between the urban dynamics and the aerosol plumes. During a two-day Intensive Observational Period, a numerical model experiment was set up to reproduce the spatial distribution of specific particle pollutants, from the regional scales and the interactions between different cities, to the local scales with specific turbulent structures. Observations show that local dynamics is driven either by convective cells coexisting with rolls or only by rolls depending on the day-regime. The 500 meter resolution simulation manages to reproduce these rolls, which concentrate most of the aerosol particles and can locally affect the pollutant dispersion and air quality.