High-Resolution Dust Simulations with the Coupled WRF/Chem over Los Banos, California
Location
Eccles Conference Center
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu/
Start Date
3-29-2011 10:50 AM
End Date
3-29-2011 10:55 AM
Description
The regional air pollution caused by dust due to tillage activities in agricultural fields has long been a concern in the San Joaquin Valley of California. To understand the dust pollution processes, a high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with a chemistry component including (WRF/Chem) developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. WRF/Chem including observed PM10 emission rates (aerosol particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 10 micrometers) was set up to simulate airborne dust distribution at a tillage site near Los Banos, California in October 2007. Performance of the WRF/chem model in simulating the meteorological background and PM10 concentration distribution is evaluated with the California Irrigation Management Information System datasets and Technical Support System observed PM10 data. Results show that the WRF/chem model can provide reasonable background winds, surface level air temperature, and humidity information. It also captures the dynamical distribution of the PM 10, but it produces a higher PM 1 0 concentration than observations. Several other case studies in different fields were also conducted and compared with observations to further validate our results.
High-Resolution Dust Simulations with the Coupled WRF/Chem over Los Banos, California
Eccles Conference Center
The regional air pollution caused by dust due to tillage activities in agricultural fields has long been a concern in the San Joaquin Valley of California. To understand the dust pollution processes, a high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with a chemistry component including (WRF/Chem) developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. WRF/Chem including observed PM10 emission rates (aerosol particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 10 micrometers) was set up to simulate airborne dust distribution at a tillage site near Los Banos, California in October 2007. Performance of the WRF/chem model in simulating the meteorological background and PM10 concentration distribution is evaluated with the California Irrigation Management Information System datasets and Technical Support System observed PM10 data. Results show that the WRF/chem model can provide reasonable background winds, surface level air temperature, and humidity information. It also captures the dynamical distribution of the PM 10, but it produces a higher PM 1 0 concentration than observations. Several other case studies in different fields were also conducted and compared with observations to further validate our results.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2011/Posters/6