Grantee Research Project Results
Study the Impact of Global Change on Air Quality Using the Global-Through-Urban Weather Research and Forecast Model with Chemistry
EPA Grant Number: R833376Title: Study the Impact of Global Change on Air Quality Using the Global-Through-Urban Weather Research and Forecast Model with Chemistry
Investigators: Zhang, Yang , Streets, David G. , Karamchandani, Prakash
Institution: North Carolina State University , Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc. , Argonne National Laboratory
Current Institution: North Carolina State University , Argonne National Laboratory , Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc.
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: May 7, 2007 through May 6, 2011 (Extended to May 6, 2012)
Project Amount: $900,000
RFA: Consequences of Global Change For Air Quality (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Climate Change , Air
Objective:
The objectives of this project are to estimate the long-term impacts of global changes on urban and regional air quality over the next 50 years and provide a realistic assessment of those impacts and associated uncertainties using an advanced 3-D model and available observational datasets. We hypothesize that the two-way feedbacks between climate changes and air quality are important in quantifying the impact of global changes on air quality.
Approach:
Our overall approach is to first globalize a community model (i.e., the Weather Research and Forecast Model with Chemistry (WRF/Chem)) by incorporating the state-of-the-science representations for ozone (O3), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and mercury (Hg) into WRF/Chem at all scales, then apply and evaluate this unified model with a consistent physics in a 2-way nesting mode for applications at a global scale and regional/urban scales over the Trans-Pacific and the contiguous U.S. to quantify the impact of global changes on urban/regional air quality. Sensitivity simulations with respect to model inputs, configurations, resolutions, and physics will also be conducted.
Expected Results:
This study will produce a community global-through-urban model framework that fully couples meteorology and chemistry and contains state-of-the-science treatments for O3, PM2.5, and Hg in both troposphere and stratosphere at all scales. It will provide a realistic assessment of the long-term impacts of global change on urban/regional air quality, accounting for feedbacks among meteorology, air quality, and radiation in such a unified model framework. It will quantify the sensitivity of air quality predictions to uncertain model parameters including inputs, configurations, spatial resolutions, and physics. It will improve our scientific understanding of the interactions among multiple pollutants (e.g., O3 PM, and Hg) and multiple processes (e.g., transport, chemistry, radiation, removal). Results from this project aim to help policy makers decide current and future integrated emission control strategies for multiple pollutants in a changing world. The development and application of a community global-through-urban model for air quality and climate studies will greatly benefit the scientific community.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 124 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 20 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
global-through-urban WRF/Chem, air quality modeling, climate modeling, coupled meteorology and air quality, aerosols, two-way feedbacks, two-way nesting,, RFA, Air, climate change, Air Pollution Effects, Atmosphere, air quality modelingProgress and Final Reports:
The 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.