Examination of One-Hour NO2 Predictions from Photochemical Air Quality Models

摘要

This report discusses an evaluation of three photochemical air quality simulation models for predictions of 1-h NO2 concentrations in urban areas using the data from the Regional Air Pollution Study in St. Louis. There is a need for models to estimate such concentrations should a short-term National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for NO2 be promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This work is an extension of the urban-scale model evaluation study conducted by EPA for estimating 1-h O3 concentrations. The models discussed here include the Photochemical Box Model (PBM), the Lagrangian Photochemical Model (LPM), and the Urban Airshed Model (UAM). The variance in the residuals for all models was quite high and prevented an endorsement of any of the tested models for use in air quality analysis for NO2 at this time.