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The Variability of Lightning Flashes, Lightning NO, and the Implications for Air Quality over the Contiguous United States
Citation:
Kang, D., R. Mathur, Keith Appel, C. Hogrefe, G. Pouliot, Cheung Wong, AND S. Roselle. The Variability of Lightning Flashes, Lightning NO, and the Implications for Air Quality over the Contiguous United States. 2019 International Technical Meeting on Air Pollution Modelling and its Application, Hamburg, GERMANY, September 23 - 27, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
To develop efficient emission control strategies in State Implementation Plans that seek to attain National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) under the Clean Air Act, all sources of airborne precursors -- anthropogenic and natural -- should be considered. Nitric oxides (NOx) generated by lightning can contribute approximately 10% of the total NOx burden across the U.S. This poster reports on the variability of lightning flashes, lightning produced NO, and the impact on air quality over the years from 2011-2016.
Description:
The trend of lightning flashes and the corresponding lightning produced nitrogen oxide (LNO) over the contiguous United States and at different sub-regions during 2011 through 2016 is examined. Based on simulations using the Weather and Forecasting (WRF) and Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system, we quantify the contribution of LNO emissions to the total NOx emissions (including anthropogenic and natural NOx emissions) budget in time and space and assess its spatial and temporal impacts on air quality predictions at both the surface and aloft in the changing environment over the years.