Grantee Research Project Results

2013 Progress Report: Atmospheric Ammonia Emissions from the Livestock Sector: Development and Evaluation of a Process-based Modeling Approach

EPA Grant Number: R834549
Title: Atmospheric Ammonia Emissions from the Livestock Sector: Development and Evaluation of a Process-based Modeling Approach
Investigators: Adams, Peter
Institution: Carnegie Mellon University
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: May 1, 2010 through April 30, 2014 (Extended to November 30, 2015)
Project Period Covered by this Report: April 1, 2013 through March 31,2014
Project Amount: $483,827
RFA: Novel Approaches to Improving Air Pollution Emissions Information (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , Air

Objective:

The objective of this project is to build an improved atmospheric ammonia emissions inventory for U.S. livestock by developing and evaluating a process-based approach that accounts for regional and temporal variations in weather and farming practices. We will accomplish this by pursuing the following goals and tasks:

Develop process-based models of ammonia emissions from beef cattle, swine, and chickens that account for differences in farming practices as well as seasonal and diurnal variability
Assess the uncertainty in livestock ammonia emissions and suggest sources of data that can help reduce this uncertainty
Test process-based models at the farm scale against NAEMS multi-year measurements
Develop a revised national emissions inventory based on these results
Test the performance of the revised national emissions inventory in a CTM against ambient measurements of NH₃ and NH₄⁺ concentrations and deposition
Assess the sensitivity of inorganic PM_2.5 to NH₃, SO₂, and NO_x emissions under current and future policy regimes

Progress Summary:

The goals of the project have not changed, and the project is proceeding on a reasonable schedule. In the past year, the student working on the project, Alyssa McQuilling, has finalized the farm emissions models (FEMs) for all livestock types and has largely concluded the comparisons with the NAEMS emissions measurements. These are discussed in more detail in the full annual report. Therefore, Task 1 is complete and Task 2 is nearly complete. A manuscript describing Task 1 is in the final stages of preparation, and we are beginning to draft a manuscript for Task 2. We have obtained a 1-year, no-cost extension in order to complete the remaining tasks. The rationale for the extension is primarily that Alyssa did not arrive to CMU as a new Ph.D. student until the fall of 2010 and was required to take approximately two semesters of coursework, so progress during the first year of the project was understandably slow. With the no-cost extension, the remaining time is adequate to complete the project, and remaining funds are also sufficient.

Future Activities:

Task 2 (evaluation of the farm models versus NAEMS data) will be completed in the next few months. With the improved and evaluated FEMs, we will build a new national ammonia inventory (Tasks 3 and 4) and then evaluate that inventory against ambient data and assess the implications for ambient PM_2.5 (Task 5).

Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views
Other project views:	All 3 publications	1 publications in selected types	All 1 journal articles

Publications
Type	Citation	Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	McQuilling AM, Adams PJ. Semi-empirical process-based models for ammonia emissions from beef, swine, and poultry operations in the United States. Atmospheric Environment 2015;120:127-136.	R834549 (2013) R834549 (2014) R834549 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: ScienceDirect-Abstract Exit Other: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

Acid deposition, particulate matter, ecosystem, agriculture

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

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.