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DISCOVER-AQ SJV Surface Measurements and Initial Comparisons with Photochemical Model Simulations
Citation:
Beaver, M., R. Long, Jim Szykman, R. Duvall, K. Baker, J. Kelly, A. Weinheimer, D. Knapp, D. Montzka, S. Pusede, AND R. Cohen. DISCOVER-AQ SJV Surface Measurements and Initial Comparisons with Photochemical Model Simulations. CMAS Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, October 27 - 29, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.
Description:
NASA’s DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) campaign studied the air quality throughout California’s San Joaquin Valley (SJV) during January and February of 2013. The SJV is a non-attainment area for EPA’s particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards. A better understanding of the sources and processes leading to the valley’s air pollution levels are needed to support effective emissions control strategy development. The wintertime study was designed to understand the vertical distribution of pollutants including PM, PM precursors, and other trace gases over routine, surface monitoring sites during meteorological conditions known to be conducive to PM2.5 formation. EPA’s ORD supplemented an existing meteorological monitoring site at the Visalia municipal airport with O3, NOx, and NOy measurements. NASA’s P3B aircraft conducted 25 missed approaches (reaching altitudes as low as 32m) over this site throughout the campaign, providing unique opportunities to compare surface and aircraft results collected during different times of day and atmospheric conditions. Data from this surface site and others throughout the SJV will be presented and used to explore the performance of EPA’s NOx monitoring methods (FEMs and FRMs) and the performance of EPA’s CMAQ model during this study.