Air Quality Research: Recent Advances and Future Needs

Deterministic air quality models provide a numerical representation of current understanding of the underlying science. Their predictive skill is directly linked to the degree to which we understand the controlling processes and how well they are represented in the model. In recent years NOAA has conducted a number of intensive field studies focused on key atmospheric processes that are not well represented in current models.

The presentation will describe the planning and execution of recent intensives and will review some of the most significant findings. The discussion will include results from the New England Air Quality (NEAQS) and Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation (ITCT) field studies conducted in 2002 as well as the ICARTT (International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation) experiment conducted during the summer of 2004. These research programs were designed to support the goals of NOAA's Air Quality and Climate Programs. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of remaining information gaps and the kinds of research that is required to fill those gaps.