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Abstract
Improvement of air quality models is required so that they can be utilized to design effective control strategies for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system was applied to the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan in winter 2010 and summer 2011. The model results were compared with observed concentrations of PM2.5 sulfate (SO42-), nitrate (NO3−) and ammonium, and gaseous nitric acid (HNO3) and ammonia (NH3). The model approximately reproduced PM2.5 SO42− concentration, but clearly overestimated PM2.5 NO3− concentration, which was attributed to overestimation of production of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). This study conducted sensitivity analyses of factors associated with the model performance for PM2.5 NO3− concentration, including temperature and relative humidity, emission of nitrogen oxides, seasonal variation of NH3 emission, HNO3 and NH3 dry deposition velocities, and heterogeneous reaction probability of dinitrogen pentoxide. Change in NH3 emission directly affected NH3 concentration, and substantially affected NH4NO3 concentration. Higher dry deposition velocities of HNO3 and NH3 led to substantial reductions of concentrations of the gaseous species and NH4NO3. Because uncertainties in NH3 emission and dry deposition processes are probably large, these processes may be key factors for improvement of the model performance for PM2.5 NO3−.
Implications:
The Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system clearly overestimated the concentration of fine particulate nitrate in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan, which was attributed to overestimation of production of ammonium nitrate. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for factors associated with the model performance for nitrate. Ammonia emission and dry deposition of nitric acid and ammonia may be key factors for improvement of the model performance.
Acknowledgment
The authors are grateful to NMRI and OPRF for providing the ship emission inventories.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Hikari Shimadera
Hikari Shimadera is an assistant professor at the Center for Environmental Innovation Design for Sustainability, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
Hiroshi Hayami
Hiroshi Hayami is a senior research scientist at the Environmental Science Research Laboratory, the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Abiko, Japan.
Satoru Chatani
Satoru Chatani is a researcher at the Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., Nagakute, Japan.
Yu Morino
Yu Morino is a researcher at the Center for Regional Environmental Research, the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan.
Yasuaki Mori
Yasuaki Mori is a chief engineer at the Japan Weather Association, Tokyo, Japan.
Tazuko Morikawa
Tazuko Morikawa is a researcher at the Energy and Environment Research Division, the Japan Automobile Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan.
Kazuyo Yamaji
Kazuyo Yamaji is a scientist at the Research Institute for Global Change, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Japan.
Toshimasa Ohara
Toshimasa Ohara is the director of the Center for Regional Environmental Research, the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan.