Preliminary Evaluation of Models-3 CMAQ Using Visibility Parameters

摘要

Ambient air concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) continue to be amajor concern for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. High concentrations of fine particles have been linked to detrimental health effects (including an increase in mortality) and visibility degradation. Accordingly, the Clean Air Act and Amendments of 1990 called for an assessment of current and future regulations designed to protect human health and welfare. The most reliable tools for carrying out such assessments are air quality models like EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ), which simulates air concentrations and deposition of PM(2.5) (along with other pollutants) and various measures of visibility associated with specified levels of emissions. These simulations can be used by EPA Program Offices and research laboratories to support both regulatory assessment and scientific studies on a myriad of spatial and temporal scales. This paper provides a preliminary evaluation of CMAQ using a visibility parameter called the deciview.