Simulation of precipitation scavenging in a three-dimensional global model

Conference · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5039496

Sperber, K R; Penner, J E; Walton, J J ^[1]; Hameed, S ^[2]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
2. State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY (United States). Inst. for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres

We investigate the wet deposition of nitrate in a three-dimensional model of the reactive nitrogen cycle using the Lagrangian transport scheme of Walton et al (1988). Known sources of reactive nitrogen are included and meteorological fields from the Lawrence Livermore version of the NCAR CCM are input to the Lagrangian transport model for January and July simulations. Two scavenging rate parameterizations are used, one in which removal depends upon the simulated precipitation rates, and an alternate Monte Carlo scheme which reproduces the frequency distribution of observed removal rates (Sperber and Hameed 1986a). The precipitation rate dependent scheme results in a substantial underestimate of nitrate deposition in regions where observations are available. The Monte Carlo scheme generally results in deposition which is more comparable to observations. The more effective removal results in lower surface air NO{sub x} concentrations. In July, this scheme overestimates deposition over the United States and western Europe. However, it is believed that the overestimate is related to inadequate sampling of precipitation duration statistics due to the twelve hour timestep at which precipitation is updated. Simulations to investigate this hypothesis are currently being planned. 27 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; EPA; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5039496
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JC-106107-Rev.1; CONF-9107104--1-Rev.1; ON: DE92002173
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200 -- Mathematics & Computers
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CLIMATE MODELS
COMPILED DATA
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DATA
DATA ANALYSIS
DEPOSITION
GREENHOUSE GASES
INFORMATION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METEOROLOGY
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN CYCLE
NITROGEN OXIDES
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRECIPITATION SCAVENGING
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SIMULATION
VARIATIONS