Numerical and Analytical Investigation of Meteorological Characteristics Over the Northeastern United States during Episodes of Poor Air Quality

摘要

The North American Research Strategy for Tropospheric Ozone (NARSTO) was established to develop the scientific basis for better understanding of the meteorological and chemical processes associated with high concentrations of ozone. In the summer of 1995, the NARSTO consortium conducted a field program in the Northeast U.S. to provide the observational data base necessary to better study the regional ozone problem. With support from the Coordinating Research Council (CRC) through contract A-12, Penn State University performed meteorological analysis and numerical modeling with the following objectives: (1) Identify the key meteorological structures over the Northeast U.S. that led to the most intense high-ozone episode of 1995 (the NARSTO episode of 12-15 July 1995), and (2) Assess the ability of a mesoscale numerical model (the Penn State/NCAR MM5) to simulate those structures, including an Appalachian Lee Trough (APLT) lying just east of the mountain chain.