scholarly journals Air quality forecasts on a kilometer-scale grid over complex Spanish terrains

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1979-1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Pay ◽  
F. Martínez ◽  
M. Guevara ◽  
J. M. Baldasano
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Expected Improvement ◽  
Stochastic Field ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Air Quality Forecast

Abstract. The CALIOPE Air Quality Forecast System (CALIOPE-AQFS) represents the current state of the art in air quality forecasting systems of high-resolution running on high-performance computing platforms. It provides a 48 h forecast of NO2, O3, SO2, PM10, PM2.5, CO, and C6H6 at a 4 km horizontal resolution over all of Spain, and at a 1 km horizontal resolution over the most populated areas in Spain with complex terrains (the Barcelona (BCN), Madrid (MAD) and Andalusia (AND) domains). Increased horizontal resolution from 4 to 1 km over the aforementioned domains leads to finer textures and more realistic concentration maps, which is justified by the increase in NO2/O3 spatial correlation coefficients from 0.79/0.69 (4 km) to 0.81/0.73 (1 km). High-resolution emissions using the bottom-up HERMESv2.0 model are essential for improving model performance when increasing resolution on an urban scale, but it is still insufficient. Decreasing grid spacing does not reveal the expected improvement in hourly statistics, i.e., decreasing NO2 bias by only ~ 2 μg m−3 and increasing O3 bias by ~ 1 μg m−3. The grid effect is less pronounced for PM10, because part of its mass consists of secondary aerosols, which are less affected than the locally emitted primary components by a decreasing grid size. The resolution increase has the highest impact over Barcelona, where air flow is controlled mainly by mesoscale phenomena and a lower planetary boundary layer (PBL). Despite the merits and potential uses of the 1-km simulation, the limitations of current model formulations do not allow confirmation of their expected superiority close to highly urbanized areas and large emissions sources. Future work should combine high grid resolutions with techniques that decrease subgrid variability (e.g., stochastic field methods), and also include models that consider urban morphology and thermal parameters.

scholarly journals Air quality forecasts at kilometer scale grid over Spanish complex terrains

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 2293-2334 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Pay ◽  
F. Martínez ◽  
M. Guevara ◽  
J. M. Baldasano
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Expected Improvement ◽  
Computing Platforms

Abstract. CALIOPE-AQFS represents the current state-of-the-art in air quality forecasting systems running at high resolution over high performance computing platforms. It provides 48 h forecast of main pollutants over Spain at 4 km horizontal resolution, and over the most populated areas with complex terrains in Spain (Barcelona, Madrid and Andalucia domains) at 1 km. Increased horizontal resolution from 4 km to 1 km over the aforementioned domains leads to finer texture and more realistic concentration maps, justified by the increase of NO2/O3 spatial correlation coefficients from 0.79/0.69 (4 km) to 0.81/0.73 (1 km). High resolution emissions using the bottom-up HERMESv2.0 model are essential to improve the model performance when increasing resolution at urban scale, but it is not sufficient. Decreasing grid spacing does not reveal the expected improvement on hourly statistics, decreasing NO2 bias only in ~ 2 μg m−3 and increasing O3 bias in ~ 1 μg m−3. The grid effect is less pronounced for PM10 because part of its mass consists of secondary aerosols which are less affected by a decreasing grid size in contrast to the locally emitted primary components. The resolution increase has the highest impact over Barcelona, where air flow is mainly controlled by mesoscale phenomena and a lower PBL. Despite the merits and potential uses of the 1 km simulation, the limitations of current model formulations do not allow confirming their expected superiority close to highly urbanized areas and large sources. Future work should combine high grid resolution with techniques that decrease subgrid variability and models that consider urban morphology and thermal parameters.

scholarly journals High resolution air quality simulation over Europe with the chemistry transport model CHIMERE

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 4137-4187 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Terrenoire ◽  
B. Bessagnet ◽  
L. Rouïl ◽  
F. Tognet ◽  
G. Pirovano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Mean Squared Error ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Good Reproduction ◽  
Eastern European Countries

Abstract. A high resolution air quality simulation (0.125° × 0.0625° horizontal resolution) performed over Europe for the year 2009 has been evaluated using both rural and urban background stations available over most of the domain. Using seasonal and yearly mean statistical indicators such as the correlation index, the fractional bias and the root mean squared error; we interpret objectively the performance of the simulation. Positive outcomes are: a very good reproduction of the daily variability at UB sites for O3 (R =0.73) as well as for NO2 (R =0.61); a very low bias calculated at UB stations for PM2.5 (FB = −6.4%) and PM10 concentrations (FB = −20.1%). Conversely, main weaknesses in model performance include: the underestimation of the NO2 daily maxima at UB site (FB = −53.6%); an overall underestimation of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations observed over Eastern European countries (e.g. Poland); the overestimation of sulphates concentrations at spring time (FB = 53.7%); finally, over the year, total nitrate and ammonia concentrations are better reproduced than nitrate and ammonium aerosol phase compounds. Obtained results suggest that, in order to improve the model performances, efforts should focus on the improvement of the emission inventory quality for Eastern Europeans countries and the improvement of a specific parameterisation in the model to better account for the urban effect on meteorology and air pollutants concentrations.

Assessment of the quality of TROPOMI high-spatial-resolution NO2 data products

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyi Zhao ◽  
Debora Griffin ◽  
Vitali Fioletov ◽  
Chris McLinden ◽  
Alexander Cede ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Forecast Model ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Data Product ◽  
Air Quality Forecast ◽  
Data Products ◽  
Regional Air Quality ◽  
Quality Forecast

<p>The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on-board the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite (launched on 13 October 2017) is a nadir-viewing spectrometer measuring reflected sunlight in the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and shortwave infrared spectral ranges. The measured spectra are used to retrieve total columns of trace gases, including nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>). In this study, Pandora NO<sub>2</sub> measurements made at three sites located in or north of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are used to evaluate the TROPOMI NO<sub>2</sub> data products, including the standard Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) NO<sub>2</sub> data product and a research data product developed by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) using a high-resolution regional air quality forecast model (used in the airmass factor calculation).</p><p>TROPOMI pixels located upwind and downwind from the Pandora sites were analyzed using a new wind-based validation method that increases the number of coincident measurements by about a factor of five compared to standard techniques. Using this larger number of coincident measurements, this work shows that both TROPOMI and Pandora instruments can reveal detailed spatial patterns (i.e., horizontal distributions) of local and transported NO<sub>2</sub> emissions, which can be used to evaluate regional air quality changes. The TROPOMI ECCC NO<sub>2</sub> research data product shows improved agreement with Pandora measurements compared to the TROPOMI standard tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> data product, demonstrating the benefit of using the high-resolution regional air quality forecast model to derive NO<sub>2</sub> airmass factors.</p>

scholarly journals HighResMIP versions of EC-Earth: EC-Earth3P and EC-Earth3P-HR. Description, model performance, data handling and validation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rein Haarsma ◽  
Mario Acosta ◽  
Rena Bakhshi ◽  
Pierre-Antoine Bretonnière Bretonnière ◽  
Louis-Philippe Caron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Warming Trend ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Performance Data ◽  
Coupled Climate Model ◽  
Historical Simulation

Abstract. A new global high-resolution coupled climate model, EC-Earth3P-HR has been developed by the EC-Earth consortium, with a resolution of approximately 40 km for the atmosphere and 0.25 degree for the ocean, alongside with a standard resolution version of the model, EC-Earth3P (80 km atmosphere, 1.0 degree ocean). The model forcing and simulations follow the HighResMIP protocol. According to this protocol all simulations are made with both high and standard resolutions. The model has been optimized with respect to scalability, performance, data-storage and post-processing. In accordance with the HighResMIP protocol no specific tuning for the high resolution version has been applied. Increasing horizontal resolution does not result in a general reduction of biases and overall improvement of the variability, and deteriorating impacts can be detected for specific regions and phenomena such as some Euro-Atlantic weather regimes, whereas others such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation show a clear improvement in their spatial structure. The omission of specific tuning might be responsible for this. The shortness of the spin-up, as prescribed by the HighResMIP protocol, prevented the model to reach equilibrium. The trend in the control and historical simulations, however, appeared to be similar, resulting in a warming trend, obtained by subtracting the control from the historical simulation, close to the observational one.

scholarly journals Impact of urban parameterization on high resolution air quality forecast with the GEM – AQ model

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 10387-10404 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Struzewska ◽  
J. W. Kaminski
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Air Quality Forecast ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Quality Forecast

Abstract. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of urban cover on high-resolution air quality forecast simulations with the GEM-AQ (Global Environmental Multiscale and Air Quality) model. The impact of urban area on the ambient atmosphere is non-stationary, and short-term variability of meteorological conditions may result in significant changes of the observed intensity of urban heat island and pollutant concentrations. In this study we used the Town Energy Balance (TEB) parameterization to represent urban effects on modelled meteorological and air quality parameters at the final nesting level with horizontal resolution of ~5 km over Southern Poland. Three one-day cases representing different meteorological conditions were selected and the model was run with and without the TEB parameterization. Three urban cover categories were used in the TEB parameterization: mid-high buildings, very low buildings and low density suburbs. Urban cover layers were constructed based on an area fraction of towns in a grid cell. To analyze the impact of urban parameterization on modelled meteorological and air quality parameters, anomalies in the lowest model layer for the air temperature, wind speed and pollutant concentrations were calculated. Anomalies of the specific humidity fields indicate that the use of the TEB parameterization leads to a systematic reduction of moisture content in the air. Comparison with temperature and wind speed measurements taken at urban background monitoring stations shows that application of urban parameterization improves model results. For primary pollutants the impact of urban areas is most significant in regions characterized with high emissions. In most cases the anomalies of NO2 and CO concentrations were negative. This reduction is most likely caused by an enhanced vertical mixing due to elevated surface temperature and modified vertical stability.

Evaluation of NO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5 in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina using WRF-Chem model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Isabel Lopez-Noreña ◽  
Lucas Berná ◽  
María Florencia Tames ◽  
Emmanuel Millán ◽  
Enrique Puliafito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Modeling Tools ◽  
Pm10 And Pm2.5 ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

<p>The online-coupled Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem v4.0), was applied to evaluate the impact of using different anthropogenic emissions inventories on regional air quality in Argentina. For this purpose, we couple the Argentinian high-resolution emissions inventory (GEAA-AHRI) and the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research – Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (EDGAR-HTAP) and introduce them into the model, with a local optimized configuration considering 3 nested domains with a horizontal grid size of 20 x 20 km, 4 x 4 km, and 1.3 x 1.3 km and the MOZART chemical scheme. The model output for NO2, PM10, PM2.5, and O3 concentrations over the innermost domain was compared against the existing surface and satellite-derived observations for the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) during austral fall 2018. We found an overall good model performance for all simulations, and large discrepancies between the emission inventories, obtaining an improved urban-scale spatio-temporal representation when the high resolution GEAA-AHRI dataset is considered. Our results show that the daytime concentrations of air pollutants are strongly influenced by the shape and shift of the hourly emissions profile before sunrise and after sunset, especially for NO2 where the inclusion of the temporal profile decreased the mean bias by ~80%. Performance criteria for modeled PM10 and PM2.5 were in general satisfied, despite having an average underestimation of observations. When compared to NO2 tropospheric columns derived from TROPOMI, The general magnitude and spatial pattern of the NO2 tropospheric column is in agreement with the mean TROPOMI columns during the modeled period, obtaining correlation coefficients higher than 0.6 for all simulations. Our results highlight the benefits of using a time-dependent and high-resolution local inventory for addressing the background air quality in AMBA. The implementation and validation of local emissions and static fields with high spatial and temporal resolution carried out in this work, establishes a benchmark for forthcoming studies in other regions of South America where different modeling tools for air quality analysis are currently being used to complement the usually sparse and discontinuous air quality networks.</p>

Development of a high-resolution air quality forecasting system, based on WRF-Chem model, for the greater area of Thessaloniki, Greece

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Zyrichidou ◽  
Stavros Solomos ◽  
Stylianos Kotsopoulos ◽  
Panagiota Syropoulou ◽  
Evangelos Kosmidis
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Urban Pollution ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Implementation Period ◽  
Simulated Surface

<p>Air pollution models play an important role in science because of their capability to give a description of the air quality problem including an analysis of factors and causes (emission sources, meteorological processes, and physical and chemical changes). Real-time forecast of urban air quality is highly important to the public as advanced information for both air quality and safety assessment. This study presents the development of a regional scale high-resolution modeling system for simulating air quality and forecasting changes in urban pollution levels. The air quality system based on the state-of-the-art Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) has been applied over the greater area of Thessaloniki, Greece. The model performance, in terms of simulated surface major air pollutants’ concentrations, is evaluated using ground-based measurements during the operational implementation period in winter-spring 2020. Our study highlights the importance of resolving local scale atmospheric conditions such as surface wind flow and boundary layer properties for describing the pollutants’ concentrations and the importance of constraining emissions over the study area.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals An Evaluation of the Efficacy of Very High Resolution Air-Quality Modelling over the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Russell ◽  
Amir Hakami ◽  
Paul A. Makar ◽  
Ayodeji Akingunola ◽  
Junhua Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Athabasca Oil Sands ◽  
Air Quality Forecast ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Very High ◽  
Resolution Simulation

Abstract. We examine the potential benefits of very high resolution for air-quality forecast simulations using a nested system of the Global Environmental Multiscale – Modelling Air-quality and Chemistry chemical transport model. We focus on simulations at 1 km and 2.5 km grid-cell spacing for the same time period and domain (the industrial emissions region of the Athabasca Oil Sands). Standard grid-cell to observation station pair analyses show no benefit to the higher resolution simulation (and a degradation of performance for most metrics using this standard form of evaluation). However, when the evaluation methodology is modified, to include a search over equivalent representative regions surrounding the observation locations for the closest fit to the observations, the model simulation with the smaller grid cell size had the better performance. While other sources of model error thus dominate net performance at these two resolutions, obscuring the potential benefits of higher resolution modelling for forecasting purposes, the higher resolution simulation shows promise in terms of better aiding localized chemical analysis of pollutant plumes, through better representation of plume maxima.

scholarly journals The air quality forecast of PM<sub>10</sub> in Beijing with Community Multi-scale Air Quality Modeling (CMAQ) system: emission and improvement

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 3403-3439
Author(s):  
Q. Wu ◽  
W. Xu ◽  
A. Shi ◽  
Y. Li ◽  
X. Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Area Source ◽  
Air Quality Forecast ◽  
Pollution Episode ◽  
Quality Forecast

Abstract. The MM5-SMOKE-CMAQ model system, which was developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) as the Models-3 system, has been used for daily air quality forecasts in the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center (Beijing MEMC), as a part of the Ensemble Air Quality Forecast System for Beijing (EMS-Beijing) since the Olympic Games 2008. According to the daily forecast results for the entire duration of 2010, the model shows good model performances in the PM10 forecast on most days but clearly underestimates some air pollution episodes. A typical air pollution episode from 11–20 January 2010 was chosen, where the observed air pollution index of particulate matter (PM10-API) reached to 180 while the forecast's PM10-API was about 100. In this study, three numerical methods are used for model improvement: first, enhance the inner domain with 3 km resolution grids: the coverage is expanded from only Beijing to the area including Beijing and its surrounding cities; second, add more regional point source emissions located at Baoding, Landfang and Tangshan, which is to the south and east of Beijing; third, update the area source emissions, which includes the regional area source emissions in Baoding and Tangshan and the local village–town level area source emissions in Beijing. As a result, the hindcast shows a much better model performance in the national standard station-averaged PM10-API, whereas the daily hindcast PM10-API reaches 180 and is much closer to the observation and has a correlation coefficient of 0.93. The correlation coefficient of the PM10-API in all Beijing MEMC stations between the hindcast and observation is 0.82, obviously higher than the forecast's 0.54, and the FAC2 increases from 56% in the forecast to 84% in the hindcast, while the NMSE decreases from 0.886 to 0.196. The hindcast also has better model performance in PM10 hourly concentrations during the typical air pollution episode, the correlation coefficient increases from 0.77 in the forecast to 0.88, the FAC increases from 62% to 74%, and the NMSE decreases to 0.190. All of this illustrates that the hindcast gives much better model performance than the forecast in PM10 prediction in Beijing stations.

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