Identification

Title

Development of the online MM5 tracer model and its applications to air pollution episodes in Istanbul, Turkey and Sahara dust transport

Abstract

An online tracer model, based on the fifth-generation Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale model, was developed. The new model includes full representation of processes for advection, boundary layer mixing, subgrid cumulus convective mixing, and sedimentation of tracers. The model was used in two very different applications to document its potential utility. The first application involves pollutant transport to Istanbul, Turkey, focusing on two high-pollution episodes in January 2002. To better maintain large scale features, model simulations were nudged to reanalysis for this application. Using a semi-idealized approach, it was shown that much of the pollution that affected Istanbul during these events may have come from other highly polluted cities located upstream, rather than just local emission sources. Pollutants from upstream sources were trapped in the boundary layer by statically stable low-level conditions and efficient transport to Istanbul was supported by strong northwesterly flow near the surface. The second application involves the transport of dust from the Sahara Desert to the Atlantic Ocean, and the potential role of this dust and the dry, warm Saharan Air Layer (SAL) in the genesis and development of Tropical Storm Chantal in 2001. No nudging was applied to this case study since it may degrade small scale features, which were important to dust saltation. The dust uplifting and transport during the earlier period of Chantal's life cycle were simulated to show a potential link between Sahara dust and Chantal's evolution. Results show strong evidence that Chantal started interacting with SAL and dust at a very early stage of storm development after propagating into the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, it was found that the peak of the averaged surface dust flux occurred in the early morning right before the mixed boundary layer developed, and the mechanism of dust uptake for this event, nocturnal low-level jets, was different from those previously documented.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7bv7gt2

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2008-06-06T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact