Title: Investigation of Global Modeling and Lightning NOx Emissions as Sources of Regional Background Ozone in Texas
Institution(s) Represented: ENVIRON International - Chris Emery
Lead PI: Chris Emery
AQRP Project Manager: Elena McDonald-Buller
TCEQ Project Liaison: Jim Smith
Awarded Amount: $77,420.00
Abstract
Investigation of Global Modeling and Lightning NOx Emissions as Sources of Regional Background Ozone in Texas
The production, transport, and fate of tropospheric ozone are highly dynamic processes with contributions from a multitude of anthropogenic and natural sources spanning spatial scales from local to global. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires the use of regional photochemical models to demonstrate that local emission control plans will achieve the federal standard for ground-level ozone. As the ozone standard is lowered, sources contributing to uncontrollable "background" ozone become more significant and must be more accurately accounted. In response, regulatory modeling applications have employed continuously larger domains to explicitly include sources over broader portions of the continent. Regional models now include worldwide contributions by deriving boundary conditions from global models. As global models continue to emerge and improve, their contributions to background ozone as represented in regional models need to be evaluated.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) uses the Comprehensive Air quality Model with extensions (CAMx) for research and regulatory photochemical modeling. Two popular global models have been routinely coupled to CAMx: the Goddard Earth Observing System - Chemistry model (GEOS-Chem), developed and distributed by Harvard University, and the Model for OZone and Related chemical Tracers (MOZART), developed and distributed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). A newer global model called AM3, which is the atmospheric component of the CM3 global coupled atmosphere-oceans-land-sea ice model, is developed by Princeton University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL).
In this project, we will develop boundary condition inputs for CAMx utilizing output from all three global models (GEOS-Chem, MOZART, and AM3). The sensitivity of simulated ozone to regional boundary conditions will be investigated. We will develop quantitative comparisons of these global models with respect to their ability to provide accurate and reasonable boundary conditions for regional downscaling, particularly as it applies to regulatory ozone modeling.
Executive Summary: projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Executive Summary.pdf
Work Plan: projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Work Plan.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Jan 2013 MTR.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Feb 2013 MTR.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Mar 2013 MTR.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Apr 2013 MTR.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 May 2013 MTR.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Jun 2013 MTR.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Jul 2013 MTR.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Aug 2013 MTR.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Sep 2013 MTR.pdf
QAPP: projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 QAPP.pdf
Final Report: projectinfoFY12_13\12-011\12-011 Final Report.pdf
