HR: 0800h
AN: A51E-0127    [Abstracts]
TI: Modeling the fate and transport of naphthalene emissions over a continental and urban scales
AU: * Hutzell, W T
EM: hutzell.bill@epa.gov
AF: Atmospheric Modeling Division US EPA, Atmospheric Modeling Division US EPA MD-243-03, RTP, NC 27711 United States
AB: Naphthalene is a volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and believed to have toxic effects on human health. Health concerns focus on urban areas that have large emission rates. However, naphthalene emissions can have effects over regional and continental scales when its atmospheric lifetime exceeds several hours. To assess these effects from urban to continental scales, the United States Environmental Protection Agency developed an air quality model to predict air concentrations based on naphthalene emissions. We applied the model over a continental domain and evaluated predictions against observations. Results show poor agreement with observations. Predictions underestimate concentrations over urban areas and overestimate in more pristine areas. One probable cause for under predictions is poor horizontal resolution of emissions and local meteorology while model parameterizations, such as dry deposition velocity and gas to particle interactions, are suspect for over predictions by omitting loss processes. Other causes include errors in sources of naphthalene emissions from simulations. These causes are investigated and conclusions support model revisions. Further simulations determine whether these revisions improve model predictions. Disclaimer: The research presented here was performed under the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and under agreement number DW13921548. This work constitutes a contribution to the NOAA Air Quality Program. Although it has been reviewed by EPA and NOAA and approved for publication, it does not necessarily reflect their policies or views.
DE: 0345 Pollution: urban and regional (0305, 0478, 4251)
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
DE: 0478 Pollution: urban, regional and global (0345, 4251)
DE: 4251 Marine pollution (0345, 0478)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005