The Sensitivity of PM25 Source-Receptor Relationships to Atmospheric Chemistry and Transport in a Three-Dimensional Air Quality Model

Air quality model simulations constitute an effective approach to developing source-receptor relationships (so-called transfer coefficients in the risk analysis framework) because a significant fraction of particulate matter (particularly PM 2.5 ) is secondary (i.e., formed in the atmosphere) and, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995) 2000-03, Vol.50 (3), p.428-435
Main Authors: Seigneur, Christian, Tonne, Cathryn, Vijayaraghavan, Krishnakumar, Pai, Prasad, Levin, Leonard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants - analysis
Air Pollution - analysis
Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data
Algorithms
Applied sciences
Atmospheric pollution
Chemical composition and interactions. Ionic interactions and processes
Computer Simulation
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Meteorology
Models, Theoretical
Pollutants physicochemistry study: properties, effects, reactions, transport and distribution
Pollution
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Summary:Air quality model simulations constitute an effective approach to developing source-receptor relationships (so-called transfer coefficients in the risk analysis framework) because a significant fraction of particulate matter (particularly PM 2.5 ) is secondary (i.e., formed in the atmosphere) and, therefore, depends on the atmospheric chemistry of the airshed. In this study, we have used a comprehensive three-dimensional air quality model for PM 2 5 (SAQM-AERO) to compare three approaches to generating episodic transfer coefficients for several source regions in the Los Angeles Basin. First, transfer coefficients were developed by conducting PM 2.5 SAQM-AERO simulations with reduced emissions of one of four precursors (i.e., primary PM, sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), oxides of nitrogen (NO x ), and volatile organic compounds) from each source region. Next, we calculated transfer coefficients using two other methods: (1) a simplified chemistry for PM 2.5 formation, and (2) simplifying assumptions on transport using information limited to basin-wide emission reductions. Transfer coefficients obtained with the simplified chemistry were similar to those obtained with the comprehensive model for VOC emission changes but differed for NO and SO emission changes. The differences were due to the parameterization of the rates of secondary PM formation in the simplified chemistry. In 90% of the cases, transfer coefficients estimated using only basin-wide information were within a factor of two of those obtained with the explicit source-receptor simulations conducted with the comprehensive model. The best agreement was obtained for VOC emission changes; poor agreement was obtained for primary PM 2.5 .
ISSN:1096-2247
2162-2906
DOI:10.1080/10473289.2000.10464016