Meteorological Modeling - Coupling Meteorological and Air Quality Models Advanced
Reading Guide
The coupling of meteorological and air quality models is important to assure that air quality dispersion models take full advantage of the three-dimensional data simulated by meteorological models (e.g., wind vectors). For example, the US EPA has incorporated new guidelines in its recent Revisions to the Guideline on Air Quality Models: Enhancements to the AERMOD Dispersion Modeling System and Incorporation of Approaches To Address Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter (“Appendix W”). In these guidelines, the EPA states that it may be appropriate in same cases to use prognostic meteorological models, such as MM5 (Mesoscale Model 5) or WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) to provide meteorological inputs to air dispersion models, such as AERMOD or CALPUFF. In fact, the EPA has developed a processor (MMIF) to process MM5 or WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model data for input to various models.
A summary chapter (Bellasio and Bianconi, 2010) from the book Air Quality Modeling - Theories, Methodologies, Computational Methods, and Available Databases and Software, Vol IV (Zannetti, Ed. 2010) is included as pdf file.
Material
Guide prepared by P. Zannetti (9/2020). For corrections or expansions please contact us.