Grantee Research Project Results
2009 Progress Report: Impact of Climate Change on Air Quality in the U.S.: Investigations With Linked Global- and Regional-Scale Models
EPA Grant Number: R833377Title: Impact of Climate Change on Air Quality in the U.S.: Investigations With Linked Global- and Regional-Scale Models
Investigators: Sillman, Sanford , Keeler, Gerald J. , Penner, Joyce
Institution: University of Michigan
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: February 1, 2007 through January 31, 2010 (Extended to January 31, 2012)
Project Period Covered by this Report: February 1, 2009 through January 31,2010
Project Amount: $899,468
RFA: Consequences of Global Change For Air Quality (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Climate Change , Air
Objective:
The project will use global and regional-scale models for chemistry and transport to investigate the impact of future climate and emissions on air quality in the U.S., with focus on ozone and mercury. It will use models that include gasphase and aqueous photochemistry and an updated representation of the interaction between aerosols and tropospheric chemistry. A major focus will be on observation based methods – an attempt to identify atmospheric measurements that can be used to estimate the impact of climate change and global increases in emissions on air quality.
Progress Summary:
Work has focused on the global-scale simulation for current conditions (1997/2001). Results showed that the model is able to match the observed increase in ozone with temperature in the U.S. and also matches with measured correlations between reactive nitrogen species (PAN, HNO3) and temperature. This finding suggests that the model can successfully predict the effect of future temperature changes on ozone. Model results used tracers to identify transport of O3 and reactive nitrogen precursors from emission sources outside the U.S. For current conditions transport to the U.S. from Asian emissions coincides with transport from other source regions and from the stratosphere. Events dominated by transport are associated with a higher slope for O3 vs CO and O3 vs PAN relative to events dominated by production within the U.S. Future work will evaluate whether this model prediction is confirmed by measurements and whether it can be used to identify changes in response to future emissions.
Modeling activity has now been expanded to include both ozone and aerosols, with emphasis on methods of forming secondary organic aerosols (SOA). SOA formation pathways include direct photochemical pathways developed here, formation from glyoxal and methyl glyoxal (Fu et al., 2008), formation from epoxides derived from isoprene (Paulot et al., 2009) and possible formation based on HAC (Ervens et al., 2008, Matsunaga et al., 2004). The implications of each of these formation mechanisms for aerosols in 2050 will be investigated.
Future Activities:
During the final year of the project we expect to complete the following tasks.
- Simulations for the year 2050 in a global-scale model.
- Evaluations of changes in measured species concentrations between 2001 and 2050 as evidence for identifying changes as they happen.
- Evaluation of predicted correlations between O3 and CO and O3 and PAN in comparison with measurements, and its use to identify the impact of transport.
In comparison with the original plan, the project has developed comparisons with measured O3 versus temperature somewhat ahead of schedule. The project is behind schedule in the addition of mercury to the global-scale model, and in the development of regional simulations linked to the global model for current conditions.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 15 publications | 6 publications in selected types | All 6 journal articles |
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Type | Citation | ||
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Ito A, Sillman S, Penner JE. Global chemical transport model study of ozone response to changes in chemical kinetics and biogenic volatile organic compounds emissions due to increasing temperatures:sensitivities to isoprene nitrate chemistry and grid resolution. Journal of Geophysical Research 2009;114(D9):D09301 (19 pp.). |
R833377 (2009) R833377 (2010) R833377 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
RFA, Air, climate change, Air Pollution Effects, AtmosphereRelevant Websites:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sillman/obm.htm
http://www.sph.umich.edu/ehs/umaql
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.