Science Inventory

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CMAQ MODEL AEROSOL MODULE

Citation:

BHAVE, P., CHRIS NOLTE, JON PLEIM, D. B. SCHWEDE, AND S. J. ROSELLE. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CMAQ MODEL AEROSOL MODULE. Presented at 4th Annual CMAS Models-3 User's Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, September 26 - 28, 2005.

Impact/Purpose:

The objectives of this task are to develop, improve, and evaluate EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, as an air quality management and NAAQS implementation tool. CMAQ is a multiscale and multi-pollutant chemistry-transport model (CTM) that includes the necessary critical science process modules for atmospheric transport, deposition, cloud mixing, emissions, gas- and aqueous-phase chemical transformation processes, and aerosol dynamics and chemistry. To achieve the advances in CMAQ, research will be conducted to develop and test appropriate chemical and physical mechanisms, improve the accuracy of emissions and dry deposition algorithms, and to develop and improve state-of-the-science meteorology models and contributing process parameterizations.

The model will be tested and evaluated to thoroughly characterize the performance of the emissions, meteorological and chemical/transport modeling components of the CMAQ system, with an emphasis on the chemical/transport model, CMAQ. Emissions-based models are composed of highly complex scientific hypotheses concerning natural processes that can be evaluated through comparison with observations, but not truly validated. Both operational and diagnostic evaluations, together with sensitivity analyses are needed to both establish credibility and build confidence within the client and scientific community in the simulation results for policy and scientific applications. The characterization of the performance of Models-3/CMAQ is also a tool for the model developers to identify aspects of the modeling system that require further improvement.

Description:

This poster describes changes that were made to the aerosol module between CMAQ v4.4 and v4.5, as well as the effects of these changes on CMAQ model results. New aerosol diagnostic tools released with CMAQ v4.5 are also described and some illustrative results are provided

Record Details:

Record Type:DOCUMENT( PRESENTATION/ POSTER)
Product Published Date:09/27/2005
Record Last Revised:06/21/2006
Record ID: 140725