2011a Modeling Platform
Described in detail in the 3SAQS_2011a Modeling Protocol and Model Performance Evaluation report, this platform consists of data and software for simulating year 2011 air quality over a modeling domain focused on the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
The table below lists the 3SAQS_2011a air quality modeling platform components, including a qualitative metric of the level of evaluation for each component. The Evaluation metric conveys the level of evaluation conducted by the 3SAQS team on the modeling platform component. The data components cover only the input data to the chemistry-transport models. For information on data further up the processing chain, such as the emissions inventories used as inputs to SMOKE, refer to the Wiki pages for the different components.
Multiple options currently exist for initial/boundary condition data for this platform. The 3SAQS team evaluated the impacts of the boundary conditions on CAMx model performance and concluded that each of the BC data options have merits and weaknesses. We are providing multiple BC options with the 3SAQS_2011a platform to allow users of these data to choose the best dataset for their modeling study.
| Type | Option | Source | Description | Notes/References | Evaluation (1=low, 10=high) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modeling Software | |||||
| CAMx v6.10 | ENVIRON | Chemistry-transport model configured with CB6r2 photochemistry for simulating gas, aerosols, and deposition | www.camx.com | 8 | |
| CMAQ v5.0.2 | US EPA | Chemistry-transport model configured with CB05 photochemistry for simulating gas, aerosols, and deposition | www.cmaq-model.org | 8 | |
| WRF v3.5.1 | NOAA | Regional climate model configured for simulating meteorology over the Inter-mountain West | www.wrf-model.org | 8 | |
| SMOKEv3.5.1 | UNC-IE | Emissions processor for preparing emissions inventory and ancillary data for input to chemistry-transport models | www.smoke-model.org | 8 | |
| Emissions Data | |||||
| Emissions v2011a | 3SAQS | 2011 emissions data prepared for CAMx and CMAQ with SMOKE | Wiki Evaluation Report | 7 | |
| Emissions v2020a_11 | 3SAQS | 2020 emissions data prepared for CAMx with SMOKE | Evaluation Report | 6 | |
| Meteorology Data | |||||
| Meteorology v2011a | 3SAQS | 2011 meteorology data estimated with WRF and prepared for CAMx and CMAQ with WRFCAMx and MCIP | The version a WRF simulation is not configured for wintertime O3 conditions; Wiki Evaluation report | 7 | |
| Initial and Boundary Condition Data | |||||
| MOZART ICBCs | NOAA/3SAQS | 2011 Initial/Boundary Conditions from NOAA global GEOS5 MOZART simulations; prepared for CAMx with MZ2CAMx | The MOZART (MZ) boundary conditions bring too much dust into the 3SAQS modeling domains. While the ozone and inorganic PM model performance with the MZ BC's is generally acceptable (see 3SAQS CAMx B11a MPE report), the total PM2.5 concentrations are too high. | 8 | |
| Geos-Chem ICBCs | Harvard/3SAQS | 2011 Initial/Boundary Conditions from Harvard global GEOS-Chem simulations; prepared for CAMx with GEOS2CAMx | The GEOS-Chem (GC) boundary conditions reduce the dust concentrations in the 3SAQS modeling domains, the CAMx performance for ozone and inorganic PM species degrades relative to the MZ boundary conditions | 8 | |
| Hybrid MZ-GC ICBCs | 3SAQS | 2011 Initial/Boundary Conditions with non-dust species from NOAA MOZART runs and dust species from Harvard GEOS-Chem runs | The 3SAQS modeling team engineered an ICBC dataset that leverages the best features of both the MZ and GC global model results. The hybrid BCs combine the GC dust concentrations with the rest of the species (gas and aerosols) from MZ. We have not run a CAMx simulation with the hybrid ICBC data. | 1 | |
| Other Input Data | |||||
| Ozone Columns | NASA | Daily ozone column data processed for CAMx using the utility AHOMAPv4 | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer/Ozone Monitoring Instrument | 2 | |
| Chemistry Parameters | ENVIRON | CAMxv6.10 chemistry parameters files for CB6r2 and aerosol module CF | 9 | ||
| Landuse | ENVIRON | NALC data merged with Leaf Area Index data using ArcGIS macros, Perl, and Fortran | |||
| Total UV columns | ENVIRON | Daily photolysis rates calculated using TUV v4.8 | Average values for typical snow cover were utilized; note that this is in contrast to the more highly reflective white snow that typically occurs during winter high ozone events in southwest Wyoming and the Uinta Basin in Utah. Note that the 3SAQS will address winter ozone modeling using a subsequent round of 2011 modeling | 7 | |
| Output Data | |||||
| CAMx Base11a | 3SAQS | Output data from a 2011 36/12/4-km domain CAMx simulation with MOZART boundary conditions | Wiki | 8 | |
| CAMx Base11a2 | 3SAQS | Output data from a 2011 36/12/4-km domain CAMx simulation with GEOS-Chem boundary conditions | Wiki | 8 | |
| CMAQ Base11a2 | 3SAQS | 4-km domain only CMAQ simulation with BC's derived from CAMx simulation Base11a2 | 8 | ||
| CAMx Base20a_11 | 3SAQS | Output data from a 2011-based 2020 36/12/4-km domain CAMx simulation with MOZART boundary conditions | Attainment Test | 5 |