The Influence of Pbl Parameterizations On The Distributions of Chemical Species In A Mesoscale Chemical Transport Model, WRF-CHEM

Abstract

The turbulent mixing and chemical transformation in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) play a crucial role in the distribution of chemical species. Thus, the reasonable representation of the PBL processes in a mesoscale chemical transport model is a key to the accurate prediction of concentrations of chemical species, e.g., ozone. In this study, we utilize WRF-Chem model (Weather Research and Forecasting – Chemistry model) to examine the effects of the PBL modeling on the distribution of the chemical species, such as carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), odd nitrogen species (NOy), and isoprene (C5H8). WRF-Chem simulations are evaluated with the NOAA P3 aircraft observation during 7/15/04?8/15/04 ICARTT (International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation) field campaign (www.al.noaa.gov/ICARTT). Two PBL models are tested: YSU (K-profile method, Hong, 2005) and MY (2.5 turbulence closure, Mellor and Yamada, 1982) PBL models.