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DEVELOPING EMISSION INVENTORIES FOR BIOMASS BURNING FOR REAL-TIME AND RETROSPECTIVE MODELING
Citation:
POULIOT, G., T. E. PIERCE, AND T. PACE. DEVELOPING EMISSION INVENTORIES FOR BIOMASS BURNING FOR REAL-TIME AND RETROSPECTIVE MODELING. Presented at 5th Annual CMAS Models-3 User's Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, October 16 - 18, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this task is to improve EPA's ability to accurately predict the concentrations and deposition of air pollutants in the atmosphere that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects to humans, or adverse environmental effects. It is an essential component of EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), which seeks to identify and quantify the concentrations and sources of those hazardous air pollutants which are of greatest potential concern, in terms of contribution to population risk. It is a major contributor to NERL's Air Toxics Research Program.
"Air toxics" or "hazardous air pollutants" (HAPs) is a category that covers a large variety of chemicals, which range from relatively non reactive to extremely reactive; can exist in the gas, aqueous, and/or particle phases; display a large range of volatilities; experience varying deposition velocities, including in some cases revolatilization; and are emitted from a wide variety of sources at a large variety of different scales. In addition, concentrations of air toxics are needed by regulators for both short (days) as well as long (up to a year) time scales. These requirements challenge our current capabilities in air quality models far beyond the needs for other pollutants, such as ozone. The specific work being done under this task involves 1.) developing and testing chemical mechanisms which are appropriate for describing the chemistry of air toxics; 2.) incorporating these chemical and physical mechanisms into EPA's CMAQ modeling system and applying the model at a variety of scales; and 3.) developing the methods for using models to predict HAPs concentrations at subgrid or neighborhood scales; and 4.) using these tools to assess the magnitude and variability of concentrations to which urban populations are exposed.
Description:
The EPA uses chemical transport models to simulate historic meteorological episodes for developing air quality management strategies. In addition, chemical transport models are now being used operationally to create air quality forecasts. There are currently a number of methods and approaches to the estimation of wildland fire emissions for use in chemical transport models. We will provide an overview of these approaches and compare and contrast their merits and deficiencies. Ground-based approaches as well as satellite based approaches will be reviewed. In particular, we will be comparing different approaches to national fuel loading estimates, the accuracy of satellite derived fire events both in space and in time, and emission factors used in generating emission estimates. The goal of this review is to guide the timely development of a spatially and temporally accurate method for estimating a national inventory of wild land fire emissions. Currently, there is a need to develop national wild land fire inventories on a timely basis.