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| Joint Center for Transportation & Air Quality |
| Project Title: | Texas Air Quality Study II - Seasonal Transport Modeling, PM Emissions Inventories and Satellite Data Assimilation |
| Organization: | University of Texas at Austin |
| Investigators: | David Allen |
Decades of air quality research, in Texas and elsewhere, have dramatically improved understanding of the local factors that control air quality in urban areas. Increasingly, however, air quality is influenced by more than just local emissions. Regional, continental and even global factors now have a significant influence on air quality in Texas, and in many other regions. Identifying the most effective and efficient balance between local, regional and national air quality improvement actions will require a new body of scientific information. To assemble this new body of scientific information, researchers from universities, state and federal agencies, private industry, and local governments are joining forces to conduct a major field study to address air quality issues in the eastern half of Texas, referred to as the second Texas Air quality Study (TexAQS II). TexAQS II will examine regional ozone formation, transport of ozone and ozone precursors, fine particulate matter and haze formation and transport, meteorological and chemical modeling, and issues related to ozone formation by highly reactive emissions. The field measurements will be conducted in 2005 and 2006, and a study team consisting of more than one hundred investigators has been assembled. Support will come from a variety of sources, including the State of Texas and in-kind support from national laboratories; the work to be funded through the one-year program outlined in this proposal will focus on the following specific tasks in support of the overall TexAQS II goals:
- Perform seasonal modeling of air quality to assess transport of air pollutants
- Improve emission inventories for particulate matter and particulate matter precursors
- Assimilate satellite data into air quality modeling
Expected benefits from the program during the first year are:
- Seasonal modeling of ozone transport within Texas that will assist air quality decisionmakers evaluating the relative benefits of regional and local air quality control strategies; the modeling results will also be of value to in the selection of aircraft flight patterns
- Improved emission inventories for fine particulate matter is a necessary prerequisite for modeling of fine particulate matter formation and transport, and will assist in the selection of aircraft flight patterns; emission inventory improvements will be focused on the portions of the inventory with the greatest local uncertainty
- Conversion of satellite data into air quality model inputs will augment the assimilation of satellite data in TexAQS II
In anticipation of multi-year funding, a mechanism for evaluating progress and selecting future projects will be established. An advisory committee for the field program will be formed and will meet annually to review progress on current projects, evaluate proposals for project continuation and evaluate new project proposals.
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| Page Updated/Reviewed: 05/10/2006 3:31 PM |
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