The conductivity of the air and other electrical parameters in relation to meteorological elements and air pollution in Athens

Summary The annual and diurnal variation of the conductivity near the ground at Athens, based on long-term data, are presented. The diurnal double oscillation is a characteristic of the atmospheric electric climate of Athens. In addition, the influence of air pollution due to smoke and sulfur dioxide and of wind speed (as an element affecting the dispersion of pollulants) on large ion concentration and on conductivity has been examined. The air pollution, which is often severe in Athens area, results in decreasing conductivity and increasing large ion concentration, while the influence of wind speed is also pronounced. The results justify the use of conductivity as a pollution index. Finally the plausible influence of air temperature and relative humidity and of their rate of change on air electrical conductivity, has been examined. The results are ambiguous and depending on the season, especially for relative humidity.With 3 Figures     

The Influence of the City of Athens on the Evolution of the Sea-Breeze Front

In the present study, we examine the dynamics of a sea-breeze front and the urban heat island interacting with the heavily urbanized city of Athens. For this reason, simulations were performed with a modified version of the PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5), whereby urban features are considered, and the model results were compared with surface routine meteorological data. An unrealistic run was also performed, where the city of Athens was replaced by dry cropland and pasture surface, as in the surrounding area. A delay in the sea-breeze front was found during daytime, together with frictional retardation concerning its penetration, as well as inland displacement of the heat island as the air moved over the city of Athens. During nighttime, the wind speed increased over the lower atmosphere in the city centre due to the enhanced urban heat island.     

Ozone control strategy modeling and evaluation for Athens,Greece: ROG vs. NO x effectiveness and the impact of using different wind field preparation techniques

Summary The CIT photochemical model was used to investigate the effectiveness of ozone control strategies for Athens, Greece. A unique aspect of this study was the use of two different wind fields, one from a prognostic model, and the other derived with objective analysis procedures. This allows investigating to what degree the wind fields both derived using accepted methods, influence control strategy evaluation. Strategies investigated included reducing ROG and NO _x , and combinations of the two. For the period studied, the use of different meteorological field preparation techniques did not influence the direction of the ozone response to controls. In both cases (i.e. using prognostic or objective analysis wind fields), reducing NO _x led to predicted increases in ozone levels at the measurement stations, and ROG control lowered ozone. PAN concentrations respond similarly to ozone. However, use of the two different wind fields significantly impacted the degree and spatial locations of the responses. Use of the objective analysis fields showed greater response to emission controls because of the lower wind velocities generated. The influence of the biogenic emissions were found to be small. Also, a number of key data necessary for future studies of this kind were identified, as well as modeling domain questions.With 14 Figures     

Numerical simulations of pollutant dispersion in an idealized urban area,for different meteorological conditions

In order to estimate the impacts of buildings on air pollution dispersion, numerical simulations are performed over an idealized urban area, modelled as regular rows of large rectangular obstacles. The simulations are evaluated with the results of the Mock Urban Setting Test (MUST), which is a near full-scale experiment conducted in Utah’s West Desert area: it consists of releases of a neutral gas in a field of regularly spaced shipping containers. The numerical simulations are performed with the model Mercure_Saturne, which is a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics code adapted to atmospheric flow and dispersion simulations. It resolves complex geometries and uses, in this study, a k–∈ closure for the turbulence model. Sensitivity studies focus on how to prescribe the inflow conditions for turbulent kinetic energy. Furthermore, different sets of coefficients available in the literature for the k–∈ closure model are tested. Twenty MUST trials with different meteorological conditions are simulated and detailed analyses are performed for both the dynamical variables and average concentration. Our results show overall good agreement according to statistical comparison parameters, with a fraction of predictions for average concentration within a factor of two of observations of 67.1%. The set of simulations offers several inflow wind directions and allows us to emphasize the impact of elongated buildings, which create a deflection of the plume centerline relative to the upstream wind direction.     

Global two dimensional chemistry model and simulation of atmospheric chemical composition

1.IntroductionAgreatchangehastakenplaceinglobalatmosphericchemicalcompositionbecauseofhumanactivitiessinceindustrialrevolution.Numericalsimulationisaneffectivetooltostudythechangeoftracegases.Inthelasttwentyyears,two--dimensionalchemical/transportmodelshavebeenextensivelydevelopedtosimulatethedistributionsoftracers(GidelandCrutzen,1983;Hough,1991;LawandPyle1993).Inordertopredictthefuturepossiblechangesofatmosphericspecies,itisnecessarytohaveabetterunderstandingofprocessessuchasemission,trans…     

Simulation of meteorological fields over a land-water-land terrain and comparison with observations

A numerical two-dimensional-mesoscale model with a level 1.5 closure scheme for turbulence is described. The model is used to simulate the boundary layer over coastal complex terrain. Meteorological data available from the Øresund land-sea-land terrain experiment are used to study the performance of the model. The model could simulate generally observed complexities in the mean wind and temperature fields. Internal boundary layers over the water and land surfaces were identified by the height of lowest value in the turbulence kinetic energy profile and this showed good agreement with radiosonde (RS) observations.Some disagreements with the data were also noticed, especially near the surface. The wind speed was over-predicted. Attempts were made to improve the model performance by adopting different schemes for model initialisation. Results showed that initialisation with an early model start time and observed wind profile near the inflow boundary improved the performance. The wind speed over-prediction could be further minimised by using a more realistic objective initialisation scheme. The problem centred around the proper estimation of the turbulent diffusion coefficient K through the closure scheme. Despite using the most popular empirical relationships in the level 1.5 closure scheme, these differences persisted. While this needs further investigation, the present model can be used to supply wind fields for practical purposes such as air pollution calculations.     

The heat wave of June 2007 in Athens,Greece – Part 2: Modeling study and sensitivity experiments

In the frame of this paper a heat wave that resulted in record high temperatures in Athens Greece is analysed. Namely the analysis focuses in the ability of three widely used planetary boundary layer parameterisations to reproduce the heat wave temperatures. The simulations were performed with the Pennsylvania State University – National Center for Atmospheric Research MM5 model that is also used for operational weather forecasting at the National Observatory of Athens since 2002. The 2-m temperature at a grid increment of 1-km over the highly complex terrain of the Athens Area is statistically verified against the available surface station observations. The results of the analysis showed that the two nonlocal schemes, namely Blackadar and MRF succeeded much better than the local scheme ETA to reproduce the heat wave 2-m temperature although they considerably underestimated the maximum observed temperatures. In addition, it was found that the model grid points characterised by “urban” land-use provided better statistical verification results, with reduced cold bias. Further, in order to study the role of the initial skin temperature conditions on the 2-m temperature forecasts, satellite observed skin temperatures have been used to initialise the high resolution simulations. This sensitivity test showed that when using the satellite observed skin temperature in the model initial conditions, the simulation of the 2-m temperature is positively affected during the early stages of the simulation while later on the model physical parameterisations are decisive for the time evolution of temperature.     

Verification of a Synthesized Method for the Calculation of Low-Level Climatological Wind Fields Using a Mesoscale Boundary-Layer Model

Low-level climatological wind fields over the La Plata River region of South America are synthesized with a dry, hydrostatic mesoscale boundary-layer numerical model. The model is forced at the upper boundary with the 1200 UTC local radiosonde observations and at the lower boundary with a land-river differential heating function defined from the daily meteorological observations of the region. The climatological wind field is defined as the mean value of a series of individual daily forecasts, employing two methods. The simplified method considers a 192-member ensemble (16 wind directions and 12 wind-speed classes at the upper boundary). Each member has a probability of occurrence that is determined from the 1959–1984 observations; the daily method uses a total of 3,248 days with available data during the same period. In both methods each realization is a daily forecast from which the mean wind distributions at 0300, 0900, 1500 and 2100 local standard time are calculated and compared to the observations of five meteorological stations in the region. The validation of the climatological wind fields for both methods is evaluated by means of the root-mean-square error of the wind-direction frequency distribution and mean wind speed by wind sector. The results obtained with the two methods are similar, and the errors in wind speed are always smaller than those in wind direction. The combined errors of wind direction and wind speed show that the ensemble method is outperformed by the daily method, on average by meteorological station in only one out of five of them, and on average by the time of the day in only one out of 4 h. The conclusion of the study is that the ensemble method is an appropriate methodology for determining high resolution, low-level climatological wind fields, with the boundary-layer model applied to a region with a strong diurnal cycle of surface thermal contrast. The proposed methodology is of particular utility for synthesizing wind fields over regions with limited meteorological observations, since the 192-member matrix can be easily defined with few observing points, as well as in the case of relatively incomplete records.     

The Morning Transition of the Nocturnal Boundary Layer

Six years of observations from a surface instrument site have been analysed to determine timings and factors influencing developmental changes in the near-surface wind and turbulent heat fluxes during the morning heating of the atmospheric boundary layer. A simple relationship has been found between near-surface wind speed and screen temperature, together with a predictive equation for the morning transition air temperature. Profile measurements from a probe mounted on a tethered balloon have beenused to supplement the surface data and study the processes underlying these surface relationships. The results have confirmed earlier work and have shown that both before and immediately after morning transition, almost all heating in the surface layer is due to turbulent diffusion from above. In order to explain the mechanisms involved in the relationships, a simple finite difference model has been run and validated against the profile data. The model predictions are compared with observations during both the morning and evening and the differences related to the different temperature profiles. Numerical forecasting rules for the surface wind speed and transition temperature are derived from the results.     

Numerical simulation of sea breezes over the Auckland region,New Zealand — Air quality implications

The air pollution meteorology of a typical sea breeze day is investigated using the Colorado State University Mcsoscale Model. Results are qualitatively compared with observations and reveal a complex wind field characterised by migratory sea breeze convergence zones. Associated with these features, the model predicts enhanced upward vertical velocities and doming of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). The diurnal variation in PBL depth is shown to vary markedly at different locations and is dependent on position in relation to the migratory convergence zones. These complex spatial and temporal variations in the wind and PBL depth have important implications for air quality in Auckland and confirm that simple Gaussian or box trajectory approaches are inappropriate for air quality assessment in such environments. The inclusion in the model of variable surface properties, a dynamic synoptic state and improved PBL parameterisations, as well as coupling with a Lagrangian particle model, are recommended if the model is to be used as a tool for further air quality studies in the Auckland area.     

北京地区一次空气重污染过程的目标观测分析

针对北京市2016年12月16~21日的空气重污染过程进行了回报试验,探讨了该次事件预报的目标观测敏感区。使用新一代高分辨率中尺度气象模式（Weather Research Forecasting,WRF）和嵌套网格空气质量模式（Nested Air Quality Prediction Model System,NAQPMS）,针对初始气象场的不确定性,通过4套初始场资料识别了影响北京地区细颗粒物（PM2.5）预报水平的目标观测敏感变量及其敏感区。结果表明:当综合考虑初始气象场的风场、温度、比湿不确定性的影响时,发现改善黑龙江区域上述气象要素的初始场精度,对北京地区PM2.5预报不确定的减小最显著;当分别考察风场、温度、比湿的不确定性的影响时,发现初始风场精度的改善,尤其是黑龙江区域风场精度的改善,能够更大程度地减小北京地区PM2.5的预报误差,对北京东南地区的PM2.5预报误差的减小甚至可达到40%以上。因此,优先对黑龙江区域的气象场,尤其是该区域的风场进行目标观测,并将其同化到预报模式的初始场中,将会有效提高初始气象场的质量,进而大大减小北京地区PM2.5浓度的预报误差,提高北京地区空气质量的预报技巧。初始风场代表了北京地区该次空气重污染事件预报的目标观测变量,而黑龙江地区则是该目标观测的敏感区域。     

The atmospheric electric field in Athens-Greece

Summary In the present study, the daily, annual and seasonal variations of the electric field in Athens-Greece, for all weather as well as for fair weather conditions, for the 16-years period 1965–1980 were examined. The daily variation of the electric field follows a double oscillation. A Fourier analysis was also used for the study of its diurnal variation. The results of the Man-Kendall test showed that the electric field at National Observatory of Athens (NOA), during the 16-years period, is essentially constant. In addition, the influence of the air pollution due to smoke and of wind speed on electric field was examined. It was deduced that an increase of air pollution results in an increase of electric field, while the electric field decreases as the wind speed increases.With 4 figures     

Sensitivity analysis of planetary boundary layer schemes using the WRF model in Northern Colombia during 2016 dry season

This study conducted meteorological simulations in northern Colombia by analyzing different planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes available in the numerical Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The study area included three nested domains with horizontal resolutions of 18 km, 6 km, and 2 km, with 38 vertical levels. The evolution and structure of the PBL were analyzed during the driest months (March, April, and May 2016) and in regions with the highest particulate matter concentrations. Sensitivity analysis of the WRF model was performed with two local and two non-local PBL schemes. The results were validated using observations of the surface air temperature, relative humidity, and surface wind speed collected from three meteorological stations in the area. The PBL heights were experimentally determined using radiosonde data provided by a station located in the center of the study area. Variations in PBL heights were estimated using linear regression methods and minimization of statistical errors for the bulk Richardson number, as well as analysis of vertical temperature and wind profiles. The WRF model reliably reproduced the daily values and diurnal cycles of temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed within the PBL and accounted for the influence of topography and sea breezes. Horizontal heat advection dominates the upwelling of air masses when sea breezes are active. The onshore wind direction starts to change from east to northwest, implying a decay in the land breeze regime. All schemes overestimate the mixing height and tend to underestimate surface air temperature values at night. All show wetter conditions and underestimate wind speed. Although the non-local Yonsei University (YSU) scheme shows the best performance, it also shows the largest sources of errors when determining the behavior of the surface layer during stable conditions. Relative humidity and wind speed estimates provided by the local Mellor‐Yamada‐Nakanishi‐Niino (MYNN) scheme were closer to those recorded at the meteorological stations.     

Performance of Steady-State Dispersion Models Under Low Wind-Speed Conditions

We examine the performance of two steady-state models, a numerical solution of the advection-diffusion equation and the Gaussian plume-model-based AERMOD (the American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model), to predict dispersion for surface releases under low wind-speed conditions. A comparison of model estimates with observations from two tracer studies, the Prairie Grass experiment and the Idaho Falls experiment indicates that about 50% of the concentration estimates are within a factor of two of the observations, but the scatter is large: the 95% confidence interval of the ratio of the observed to estimated concentrations is about 4. The model based on the numerical solution of the diffusion equation in combination with the model of Eckman (1994, Atmos Environ 28:265–272) for horizontal spread performs better than AERMOD in explaining the observations. Accounting for meandering of the wind reduces some of the overestimation of concentrations at low wind speeds. The results deteriorate when routine one-level observations are used to construct model inputs. An empirical modification to the similarity estimate of the surface friction velocity reduces the underestimation at low wind speeds.     

Impact of assimilation of conventional and satellite meteorological observations on the numerical simulation of a Bay of Bengal Tropical Cyclone of November 2008 near Tamilnadu using WRF model

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of assimilation of conventional and satellite data on the prediction of a severe cyclonic storm that formed in the Bay of Bengal during November 2008 with the four-dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) technique. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF ARW) model was used to study the structure, evolution, and intensification of the storm. Five sets of numerical simulations were performed using the WRF. In the first one, called Control run, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Final Analysis (FNL) was used for the initial and boundary conditions. In the remaining experiments available observations were used to obtain an improved analysis and FDDA grid nudging was performed for a pre-forecast period of 24 h. The second simulation (FDDAALL) was performed with all the data of the Quick Scatterometer (QSCAT), Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) winds, conventional surface, and upper air meteorological observations. QSCAT wind alone was used in the third simulation (FDDAQSCAT), the SSM/I wind alone in the fourth (FDDASSMI) and the conventional observations alone in the fifth (FDDAAWS). The FDDAALL with assimilation of all observations, produced sea level pressure pattern closely agreeing with the analysis. Examination of various parameters indicated that the Control run over predicted the intensity of the storm with large error in its track and landfall position. The assimilation experiment with QSCAT winds performed marginally better than the one with SSM/I winds due to better representation of surface wind vectors. The FDDAALL outperformed all the simulations for the intensity, movement, and rainfall associated with the storm. Results suggest that the combination of land-based surface, upper air observations along with satellite winds for assimilation produced better prediction than the assimilation with individual data sets.     

对流层光化学过程中的气粒转化研究

在MM5和RADM耦合的基础上，考虑了NH3的源排放，获得了NH3的时空分布、演变特征；在此基础上，讨论了气体向粒子的转化，结果表明:干气溶胶总量分布与大气中H2SO4、NH3的浓度分布有非常好的对应，富氨环境条件下，产生干气溶胶的多少是由H2SO4浓度决定的；气溶胶中的含水量与干气溶胶的浓度分布没有太多的联系，主要取决于大气中相对湿度的大小。     

Interpretation of Mid-Stratospheric Arctic Ozone Measurements Using a Photochemical Box-Model

In this study measurements of mid-stratospheric Arctic ozone are compared with model simulations. The measurements obtained at Spitsbergen (79°N, 12°E) by ground based millimeter-wave radiometry exhibit large day to day variabilities as well as periods with low ozone. To interpret these measurements, calculations were made using the new photochemical box-trajectory model BRAPHO, with air parcel trajectories calculated from analyzed wind fields. Using a relatively simple approach, the model reproduces the observed ozone variability well, including inter-annual variations. The explanation for the observed ozone behavior is that at these altitudes ozone is determined by what we call dynamically controlled photochemistry. This means that the photochemical evolution of the ozone volume mixing ratio is mainly controlled by the atmospheric dynamics, in particular the solar zenith angle the air parcel has experienced.     

Observed and modelled “chemical weather” during ESCOMPTE

The new MOdèle de Chimie Atmosphérique à Grande Echelle (MOCAGE) three-dimensional multiscale chemistry and transport model (CTM) has been applied to study heavy pollution episodes observed during the ESCOMPTE experiment. The model considers the troposphere and lower stratosphere, and allows the possibility of zooming from the planetary scale down to the regional scale over limited area subdomains. Like this, it generates its own time-dependent chemical boundary conditions in the vertical and in the horizontal. This paper focuses on the evaluation and quantification of uncertainties related to chemical and transport modelling during two intensive observing periods, IOP2 and IOP4 (June 20–26 and July 10–14, 2001, respectively). Simulations are compared to the database of four-dimensional observations, which includes ground-based sites and aircraft measurements, radiosoundings, and quasi-continuous measurements of ozone by LIDARs. Thereby, the observed and modelled day-to-day variabilities in air composition both at the surface and in the vertical have been assessed. Then, three sensitivity studies are conducted concerning boundary conditions, accuracy of the emission dataset, and representation of chemistry. Firstly, to go further in the analysis of chemical boundary conditions, results from the standard grid nesting set-up and altered configurations, relying on climatologies, are compared. Along with other recent studies, this work advocates the systematic coupling of limited-area models with global CTMs, even for regional air quality studies or forecasts. Next, we evaluate the benefits of using the detailed high-resolution emissions inventory of ESCOMPTE: improvements are noticeable both on ozone reactivity and on the concentrations of various species of the ozone photochemical cycle especially primary ones. Finally, we provide some insights on the comparison of two simulations differing only by the parameterisation of chemistry and using two state-of-the-art chemical schemes for regional photochemical modelling. Regional air quality modelling is found to be highly sensitive to the emission inventory dataset and also to the vertical and horizontal boundary conditions and detailed representation of chemistry. Interestingly enough, they infer the same range of errors compared to total model errors.     

Case studies of spectral atmospheric transmittance in the ultraviolet and visible regions in Athens, Greece: I. Total transmittance

This work accounts for an investigation about the diurnal variation of total spectral transmittance of solar irradiance under dominant wind conditions as case studies. Such a work is carried out in Athens for the first time. The spectral transmittance values estimated were derived using ground-based spectral measurements of beam irradiance in the range 310–575 nm (UV and VIS). The data were recorded by a system consisting of an automatic solar tracker and a spectrometer. All data were recorded under clear-sky conditions in the city center of Athens and the spectral total atmospheric transmittance was estimated towards zenith to avoid optical mass effects. The comparison reveals that the total atmospheric transmittance is higher under the influence of strong Etesian compared to sea-breeze conditions. The influence of low-pressure systems also plays a depollution role in the basin. Various features of diurnal variation are discussed with respect to emission sources, topographic peculiarities and wind pattern.