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This PowerPoint serves as a template presentation which introduces topics related to air quality
and is part of a suite of presentations provided by the EPA for the Megacities program.
See speaker notes for an additional description of slide content. Slides should be edited or added
to as necessary for your particular needs. Slides with highlighted yellow text require the addition
of specific context and information for your city.
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Air Quality Modeling
Air Quality Modeling Uses
Air quality modeling helps to estimate the relationship between
sources of air pollution and their effects on ambient air quality
Identify source contributions
Design effective air quality strategies
Predicts impact from new or proposed emissions sources
Simulates ambient pollutant concentrations under different air quality
policy scenarios
Tracks trends
Assesses compliance
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Applications of Air Quality Models
Air quality modeling is resource intensive
Requires staff with time and knowledge of how to use the model
itself
Can present information for a snapshot in time
Useful for understanding a certain policy scenario if a future
policy or past counterfactual scenario is modeled
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Requirements
Air quality models require detailed data inputs:
Emissions information
Emissions inventory
Source characteristics
Location, stack height, source type, exit velocity, release rate
Meteorological conditions
Wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, mixing height
Topography
Receptor locations
Obstructions
Secondary atmospheric chemistry processes
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Sources
Point Sources Area Sources Mobile Sources
• Power or • Cook stoves • On-road vehicles
chemical plant • Waste burning • Off-road vehicles
stacks • Ships
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Types of Air Quality Models
Photochemical Model
Dispersion Model Used in regulatory or policy assessments
Used in permitting processes to to simulate impacts from all sources
estimate the pollutant concentrations at by estimating pollutant concentrations
specified ground-level receptors and deposition of both inert and
surrounding an emissions source chemically reactive pollutants over
large spatial scales
Receptor Model
Observational techniques that use
chemical and physical characteristics of Reduced Form Model
gases and particles measured at source
Use limited input information to
and receptor locations to identify
presence of pollutant and quantify approximate photochemical models
source contributions to pollutant
concentrations at receptor locations
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[Link]
What Does an Air Quality Model Do?
Uses mathematical and numerical techniques to simulate air
pollutant transport and transformation (e.g., through
chemical reactions).
Characterize dispersion of directly emitted primary
pollutants (e.g., NOx, VOCs) and secondary pollutants (e.g.,
Ozone) that are formed in the atmosphere.
Inputs include:
Meteorological data
Emission rates and stack height
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How Are Air Quality Models Used?
Estimate exposure to pollutants
Identify current pollutant source
contributions
Design effective pollution reduction
strategies
Estimate future source contributions Monitors (dots) are sparse even
and concentration impacts before in populated areas, and models
help fill in unmonitored areas
implementing a new regulatory
program 9
Meteorological Data
Required meteorological inputs vary by air quality model, but usually include
information regarding:
Temperature and
Wind speed and
Vertical mixing atmospheric
direction
moisture
Two main sources of inputs:
Observational Meteorological Data
Meteorological Grid Models
Photochemical models require more inputs than dispersion models
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Example: Continental Scale AQ Model
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More example results for the US: [Link]
Photochemical Forecasts Available Globally
NASA GEOS-CF NCAR WACCM
[Link] [Link]
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Photochemical Forecasts Available Globally
Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction
CAMS Particulate Matter Forecast
System Global Aerosol Model
[Link]
[Link]/charts/cams/ 13
Thank you!
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