Title: Numerical experiments to determine MM5/WRF-CMAQ sensitivity to various PBL and land-surface schemes in north-eastern Spain: application to a case study in summer 2009

Authors: Raúl Arasa; Maria Rosa Soler; Miriam Olid

Addresses: Department of Astronomy and Meteorology, University of Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain ' Department of Astronomy and Meteorology, University of Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain ' Department of Astronomy and Meteorology, University of Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Abstract: The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was used along with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to study air quality modelling sensitivity to various Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) schemes and Land Surface Models (LSMs). The performance is assessed and quantified by comparing results with surface observations and the outputs provided by the fifth generation Mesoscale Model (MM5) when coupled to the CMAQ model. The evaluated meteorological variables include temperature, wind speed and direction and mixing ratio, while the CMAQ evaluation focuses on ozone concentrations. Differences were observed in circulatory patterns and meteorological variables, which influence spatial ozone distributions and concentrations.

Keywords: model sensitivity; PBL; planetary boundary layer; air quality modelling; simulation; CMAQ; MM5; WRF; wind speed; wind direction; mixing ratio; ozone concentrations; air pollution; dispersion modelling; land surface models.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2012.049657

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2012 Vol.48 No.1/2/3/4, pp.105 - 116

Published online: 19 Nov 2014 *

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