Sulfate over the North Atlantic and adjacent continental regions: Evaluation for October and November 1986 using a three-dimensional model driven by observation-derived meterology
- Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States)
- Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States)
A high-resolution three-dimensional Eulerian transport and transformation model has been developed to simulate concentrations of tropospheric sulfate for specific times and locations; it was applied over the North Atlantic and adjacent continental regions during October and November 1986. The model represents emissions of anthropogenic SO{sub 2} and sulfate and of biogenic sulfur species, horizontal and vertical transport, gas phase oxidation of SO{sub 2} and dimethylsulfide, aqueous phase oxidation of SO{sub 2}, and wet and dry deposition of SO{sub 2}, sulfate, and methanesulfonic acid (MSA). The meterological driver is the 6-hour output from the forecast model of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Calculated sulfate concentrations and column burdens, examined in detail for specific dates, are related to existing weather patterns. These quantities exhibit rich temporal and spatial structure. Daily average model sulfate concentrations at the lowest vertical level accurately represent the spatial variability, episodicity, and absolute magnitudes of surface concentrations measured by monitoring stations in Europe, Canada, New York state, and Barbados; over 50% of model concentrations are within a factor of 3 of the observations. Over 50% of weekly model sulfate wet deposition amounts are within a factor of 3 observations from U.S. monitoring stations. Over the 34-day period modeled, contributions from anthropogenic emissions to the sulfate over the mid North Atlantic Ocean ranged from 44 to 66%, contributions from biogenic emissions were between 6 and 12%. Calculated average yields for sulfate (47 to 72%) and MSA (13%), and turnover times for SO{sub 2} (2 to 3 days) and sulfate and MSA (4 to 8 days) are comparable to previous estimates; however, these quantities depend on meteorological conditions and on the geographical and vertical distributions of the material. 101 refs., 21 figs., 8 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 95717
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 99, Issue D10; Other Information: PBD: 20 Oct 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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