Title: Evaluation of CALPUFF modelling system performance: an application over the Greater Athens Area, Greece

Authors: Anna Protonotariou, Elisabeth Bossioli, Eleni Athanasopoulou, Aggeliki Dandou, Maria Tombrou, Helena A. Flocas, Costantinos G. Helmis, Vasiliki D. Assimakopoulos

Addresses: Laboratory of Meteorology, Division of Applied Physics Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Building Physics V, University Campus, 15784, Athens, Greece. ' Laboratory of Meteorology, Division of Applied Physics Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Building Physics V, University Campus, 15784, Athens, Greece. ' Laboratory of Meteorology, Division of Applied Physics Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Building Physics V, University Campus, 15784, Athens, Greece. ' Laboratory of Meteorology, Division of Applied Physics Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Building Physics V, University Campus, 15784, Athens, Greece. ' Laboratory of Meteorology, Division of Applied Physics Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Building Physics V, University Campus, 15784, Athens, Greece. ' Laboratory of Meteorology, Division of Applied Physics Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Building Physics V, University Campus, 15784, Athens, Greece. ' Laboratory of Meteorology, Division of Applied Physics Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Building Physics V, University Campus, 15784, Athens, Greece. ' National Observatory of Athens, Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, I. Metaxa and Vas. Pavlou Street, Palaia Penteli, 152 36 Athens, Greece

Abstract: This study has been carried out in order to evaluate the performance of CALPUFF modelling system in an area of complex topography. For this reason a comparison was performed between numerical results produced by this modelling system and those derived by two Eulerian models (UAM-V and REMSAD), together with experimental measurements. The meteorological input parameters, produced by the meteorological model CALMET are also examined through comparison with observations and to MM5 model results. Emphasis is given to the mixing height calculation, due to its importance in the prediction of pollutant concentrations. It was found that the overall performance of the CALPUFF is satisfactory and the results derived are compatible with these produced by the Eulerian models, especially under unstable atmospheric conditions. The CALPUFF model|s performance is improved significantly when vertical meteorological profiles produced by MM5 are additionally employed.

Keywords: air quality; atmospheric dispersion modelling; air pollution; complex terrain; CALPUFF; CALMET; UAM-V; REMSAD; MM5; Greece; meteorological data; pollutant concentration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2005.007382

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2005 Vol.24 No.1/2/3/4, pp.22 - 35

Published online: 15 Jul 2005 *

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