Back
Sensitivity of Ozone and PM2.5 to Climate in the Eastern USA: A Modeling Case Study
John P. Dawson 1,2, Peter J. Adams 2,3, and Spyros N. Pandis 1
| In this work, sensitivities of ozone and PM2.5
concentrations to a suite of eight perturbations in meteorological parameters
are examined. The modeling tool used in this case study is PMCAMx. The
sensitivities of PM2.5 concentrations are studied in both July and January,
while ozone concentrations are examined only in July. The modeled time
periods include portions of July 2001 and January 2002. The meteorological
parameters investigated include temperature, absolute humidity, wind speed,
mixing height, cloud liquid water content and optical depth, cloudy area,
precipitation rate, and precipitating area. Temperature increases generally
led to increases in sulfate and decreases in nitrate. Changes in wind
speed, mixing height, absolute humidity, and precipitation had appreciable
effects on PM2.5 concentrations, while changes in cloud cover had little
effect. Changes in temperature had the largest effect on ozone concentrations.
1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon
University, Pittsburgh, PA |