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Title: Performance of a new wind updating system for a prognostic meteorological model in the environs of Mexico City

Abstract

Los Alamos National Laboratory and Institute Mexicano del Petroleo are completely a joint study of options for improving air quality in Mexico City. The US Department of Energy supported the efforts of the Los Alamos investigators, while PEMEX supported the efforts of the Mexican researchers. One of the first steps in the process was to develop an understanding of the existing air quality situation. In this context we have modified a three-dimensional, prognostic, higher order turbulence model for atmospheric circulation (HOTMAC) to treat domains which include an urbanized area. This sophisticated meteorological model is required because of the complexity of the terrain and the relative paucity of meteorological data. Mexico City lies at an elevation of approximately 7500 feet above sea level in a ``U`` shaped basin which opens to the north. The city occupies a major part of the southwest portion of the basin. Upper level winds are provided by rawinsondes at the airport, while low-level winds are measured at several sites within the city. Many of the sites have obstructed upwind fetches for a variety of directions. During the wintertime when the worst air quality episodes occur, the winds are frequently light, and out of the northeast atmore » lower levels, while above 1000 meters above the surface they are usually from the southwest. This means the winds are light within the city, but significant slope winds develop which influence the behavior of the pollutants. Frequently, the winds in the basin change as a seabreeze penetrates the basin from the northeast. The seabreeze produces a much different wind regime after its arrival in the late afternoon or early evening. This makes it important to update the winds in a realistic fashion.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
10120534
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-94-229; CONF-931251-1
ON: DE94006243
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-36
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: IMP workshop,Mexico City (Mexico),Dec 1993; Other Information: PBD: [1993]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE; ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION; H CODES; URBAN AREAS; AIR QUALITY; MEXICO; TURBULENCE; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; WIND; METEOROLOGY; 540150; 540120; 990200; SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES; CHEMICALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT; MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS

Citation Formats

Williams, M D. Performance of a new wind updating system for a prognostic meteorological model in the environs of Mexico City. United States: N. p., 1993. Web.
Williams, M D. Performance of a new wind updating system for a prognostic meteorological model in the environs of Mexico City. United States.
Williams, M D. 1993. "Performance of a new wind updating system for a prognostic meteorological model in the environs of Mexico City". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10120534.
@article{osti_10120534,
title = {Performance of a new wind updating system for a prognostic meteorological model in the environs of Mexico City},
author = {Williams, M D},
abstractNote = {Los Alamos National Laboratory and Institute Mexicano del Petroleo are completely a joint study of options for improving air quality in Mexico City. The US Department of Energy supported the efforts of the Los Alamos investigators, while PEMEX supported the efforts of the Mexican researchers. One of the first steps in the process was to develop an understanding of the existing air quality situation. In this context we have modified a three-dimensional, prognostic, higher order turbulence model for atmospheric circulation (HOTMAC) to treat domains which include an urbanized area. This sophisticated meteorological model is required because of the complexity of the terrain and the relative paucity of meteorological data. Mexico City lies at an elevation of approximately 7500 feet above sea level in a ``U`` shaped basin which opens to the north. The city occupies a major part of the southwest portion of the basin. Upper level winds are provided by rawinsondes at the airport, while low-level winds are measured at several sites within the city. Many of the sites have obstructed upwind fetches for a variety of directions. During the wintertime when the worst air quality episodes occur, the winds are frequently light, and out of the northeast at lower levels, while above 1000 meters above the surface they are usually from the southwest. This means the winds are light within the city, but significant slope winds develop which influence the behavior of the pollutants. Frequently, the winds in the basin change as a seabreeze penetrates the basin from the northeast. The seabreeze produces a much different wind regime after its arrival in the late afternoon or early evening. This makes it important to update the winds in a realistic fashion.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10120534}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1993},
month = {Fri Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1993}
}

Conference:
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