Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Seasonal Simulation of Tropospheric Ozone over the Midwestern and Northeastern United States: An Application of a Coupled Regional Climate and Air Quality Modeling System

Ho-Chun Huang Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois

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Xin-Zhong Liang Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois

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Kenneth E. Kunkel Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois

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Michael Caughey Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois

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Allen Williams Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois

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Print Publication:
01 Jul 2007
Collections:
NOAA/EPA Golden Jubilee
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2521.1
Page(s):
945–960
Restricted access

Abstract

The impacts of air pollution on the environment and human health could increase as a result of potential climate change. To assess such possible changes, model simulations of pollutant concentrations need to be performed at climatic (seasonal) rather than episodic (days) time scales, using future climate projections from a general circulation model. Such a modeling system was employed here, consisting of a regional climate model (RCM), an emissions model, and an air quality model. To assess overall model performance with one-way coupling, this system was used to simulate tropospheric ozone concentrations in the midwestern and northeastern United States for summer seasons between 1995 and 2000. The RCM meteorological conditions were driven by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Department of Energy global reanalysis (R-2) using the same procedure that integrates future climate model projections. Based on analyses for several urban and rural areas and regional domains, fairly good agreement with observations was found for the diurnal cycle and for several multiday periods of high ozone episodes. Even better agreement occurred between monthly and seasonal mean quantities of observed and model-simulated values. This is consistent with an RCM designed primarily to produce good simulations of monthly and seasonal mean statistics of weather systems.

Corresponding author address: Ho-Chun Huang, Illinois State Water Survey, 2204 Griffith Dr., Champaign, IL 61820. Email: huang2@uiuc.edu

This article included in the NOAA/EPA Golden Jubilee special collection.

Abstract

The impacts of air pollution on the environment and human health could increase as a result of potential climate change. To assess such possible changes, model simulations of pollutant concentrations need to be performed at climatic (seasonal) rather than episodic (days) time scales, using future climate projections from a general circulation model. Such a modeling system was employed here, consisting of a regional climate model (RCM), an emissions model, and an air quality model. To assess overall model performance with one-way coupling, this system was used to simulate tropospheric ozone concentrations in the midwestern and northeastern United States for summer seasons between 1995 and 2000. The RCM meteorological conditions were driven by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Department of Energy global reanalysis (R-2) using the same procedure that integrates future climate model projections. Based on analyses for several urban and rural areas and regional domains, fairly good agreement with observations was found for the diurnal cycle and for several multiday periods of high ozone episodes. Even better agreement occurred between monthly and seasonal mean quantities of observed and model-simulated values. This is consistent with an RCM designed primarily to produce good simulations of monthly and seasonal mean statistics of weather systems.

Corresponding author address: Ho-Chun Huang, Illinois State Water Survey, 2204 Griffith Dr., Champaign, IL 61820. Email: huang2@uiuc.edu

This article included in the NOAA/EPA Golden Jubilee special collection.

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Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology

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