Extended Abstract (688K)J4.4
How well can we model the Houston area for air pollution studies?
Wayne M. Angevine, CIRES, University of Colorado, and NOAA/ESRL, Boulder, CO; and M. Zagar and J. Brioude
Houston, Texas is a large urban area with some special characteristics. It is near a complex coast; it includes a high density of petrochemical industrial complexes; and it has serious air quality problems. We have run the WRF model on a 5 km grid over the Houston area for 75 days of 2006, including the entire period of the Second Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS II). The presentation will include statistical and case study evaluation of the quality of the model results, with comparisons to surface wind and temperature measurements and to wind profiles. The bay breeze - Gulf breeze complex receives special attention, and we use a novel evaluation technique for the sea breeze frequency. The WRF output has been fed to the Flexpart Lagrangian particle dispersion model, and the resulting plumes are compared to measurements from aircraft and a ship.
Joint Session 4, Modeling and Forecasting Urban Areas
Wednesday, 14 January 2009, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM, Room 124A
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