Modeling PM2.5 Speciation Concentrations Over California Using the MISRV23 Aerosol Product
Modeling PM2.5 Speciation Concentrations Over California Using the MISRV23 Aerosol Product

Author: Christian Pelayo

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Public health organizations are interested in better understanding the spatiotemporal variability of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to relate exposure levels to human health effects. High levels of PM2.5 have been attributed to higher rates of human respiratory disease and premature death. While the health effects of total PM2.5 have been extensively studied, the health effects of speciated PM2.5 are poorly understood. The Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) and Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) ground monitor sites are capable of measuring speciated PM2.5. These data sets lack the necessary spatial resolution to capture the complex behavior of speciated PM2.5 because of emission, transport, and mixing processes. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard Terra have previously been incorporated into models to predict ground level PM2.5 concentrations. The newly reprocessed MISRV23 data set has a 4.4 km2 resolution for the entire global MISR record, making it useful for epidemiology studies (Chau et al., 2020).In this study, fractional AOD, spatial, and temporal variable predictors from the MISRV23 data set are coupled with North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) and colocated with CSN and IMPROVE PM2.5 data into a generalized additive model (GAM) capable of predicting speciated PM2.5 concentrations of elemental carbon, organic carbon, nitrate, and sulfate over the entire state of California. Each model has an R2 of 0.553, 0.37, 0.487, and 0.607 respectively. Model performance summaries indicate that every predictor variable is significant and that the models are capable of incorporating additional parameters to further improve performance. These models are used to generate surface maps of annual averaged speciated PM2.5 concentrations for the state of California.

The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research
The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-01-29

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 0309445655

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Our world is changing at an accelerating rate. The global human population has grown from 6.1 billion to 7.1 billion in the last 15 years and is projected to reach 11.2 billion by the end of the century. The distribution of humans across the globe has also shifted, with more than 50 percent of the global population now living in urban areas, compared to 29 percent in 1950. Along with these trends, increasing energy demands, expanding industrial activities, and intensification of agricultural activities worldwide have in turn led to changes in emissions that have altered the composition of the atmosphere. These changes have led to major challenges for society, including deleterious impacts on climate, human and ecosystem health. Climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing society today. Air pollution is a major threat to human health, as one out of eight deaths globally is caused by air pollution. And, future food production and global food security are vulnerable to both global change and air pollution. Atmospheric chemistry research is a key part of understanding and responding to these challenges. The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research: Remembering Yesterday, Understanding Today, Anticipating Tomorrow summarizes the rationale and need for supporting a comprehensive U.S. research program in atmospheric chemistry; comments on the broad trends in laboratory, field, satellite, and modeling studies of atmospheric chemistry; determines the priority areas of research for advancing the basic science of atmospheric chemistry; and identifies the highest priority needs for improvements in the research infrastructure to address those priority research topics. This report describes the scientific advances over the past decade in six core areas of atmospheric chemistry: emissions, chemical transformation, oxidants, atmospheric dynamics and circulation, aerosol particles and clouds, and biogeochemical cycles and deposition. This material was developed for the NSF's Atmospheric Chemistry Program; however, the findings will be of interest to other agencies and programs that support atmospheric chemistry research.