DRAFT Technical Status Report
July 8, 2005
Contact: Tom Moore, Technical Coordinator (970.491.8837) or
Background
The purpose of this status report is to periodically describe what and when technical work products from WRAP Forums and Workgroups or other sources will be available for use in the regional haze planning process. Descriptions of the methods and details about the data (how and why the work was done) are available from contractor websites or the Technical Coordinator.
The status report is organized as follows:
· Access and content of existing data nodes;
· Content of available work products, and the schedule and planned content for future work products; and
· Updates and brief descriptions of the approach used for processing data which affect regional haze analyses.
A) Existing Data Nodes
Updates and changes to this section will be noted in italics in future reports.
Visibility Information Exchange Web System (VIEWS) - http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/views/ – this system provides ongoing access to IMPROVE and other visibility monitoring data, research results, and special studies related to the Regional Haze Rule. Downloads of the IMPROVE data, custom displays of spatial, chemical, and temporal patterns, as well as information about applying monitoring data for regional haze planning are available. This information will be used in the Phase II Attribution of Haze (AoH) project during 2005-06. This system was originally sponsored by the Ambient Monitoring & Reporting Forum, and now has national coverage through sponsorship by all 5 RPOs.
Causes of Haze Assessment project (CoHA) - http://coha.dri.edu/index.html - this ongoing project of the Ambient Monitoring & Reporting Forum project is completing detailed analyses of IMPROVE and meteorological monitoring data in the WRAP region. Work to date includes multi-year back trajectory wind plots for each monitored Class I area, trajectory regression analyses’ results used in the Phase I AoH project, and extensive descriptive information about the monitoring data and each Class I area. Planned work for 2005-06 will be used include trend analyses and receptor modeling using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) technique to relate source types and regions to the 2000-04 baseline period monitoring data, also to be used in AoH Phase II.
Emissions Data Management System (EDMS) - http://wrapedms.org/default_login.asp - this ongoing project of the Emissions Forum is an emission inventory data warehouse and web-based GIS application that provides a consistent, complete, and regional approach to emissions data tracking to meet the requirements for SIP and TIP development, periodic progress reviews, and data updates. The EDMS serves as a central regional emissions inventory database for all types of emissions, and uses associated software to facilitate the data collection efforts for regional modeling, emissions tracking and associated data analyses. Baseline and future years’ emissions data will be stored and accessed here, with the displays and regional summaries to be used in AoH Phase II. Use of the EDMS is based on user registration and periodic listserv updates, requires a password for ad-hoc data queries, but is open to all interested users.
Regional Modeling Center (RMC) - http://pah.cert.ucr.edu/aqm/308/ - the objective of this ongoing project of the Air Quality Modeling Forum is to provide the necessary technical and policy tools needed by states and tribes for the Regional Haze Rule. The substantial effort by the RMC is intended to support State and Tribal agencies in conducting regional haze analyses in the western United States. This analysis is being performed by operating regional scale, three-dimensional regulatory air quality models that simulate the emissions, chemical transformations, and transport of criteria pollutants and fine PM and consequent effects on visibility in Class I areas in the WRAP region and across North America. Responsibilities of the RMC include: 1) Emissions processing and modeling; 2) Air quality and visibility modeling simulations; 3) Analysis, display, and reporting of modeling results, and 4) Storage/quality assurance of the modeling input and output files. The RMC offers periodic listserv updates, provides data and technology transfer support, and uses monthly conference calls to review work products. Results from the RMC work will be used extensively in the AoH Phase II project.
B) Work Products
Incomplete, more entries for current and planned work products are needed
Currently available work products from Forums and Workgroups are described next:
Monitoring
In addition to the work displayed and planned in the VIEWS and CoHA sites discussed above, a Regional Haze Data Analysis workshop was held June 8, 2005. There were presentations and discussion of the Natural Haze Levels Sensitivity Analysis project, and the IMPROVE Steering Committee’s review of their light extinction equation. See: http://wrapair.org/forums/aamrf/meetings/050608den/index.html. Please contact Tom Moore or Marc Pitchford for next steps or more information.
Emissions
Dust Emissions Joint Forum -
Emissions Forum -
Fire Emissions Joint Forum –
Stationary Sources Joint Forum -
Modeling
Attribution of Haze
Tribal Data Development
C) Data Processing & Analysis
Incomplete, only 2 entries at this time
RMC Emissions Modeling Status
Through our weekly emissions modeling conference calls, the RMC determined how we would group the emissions sectors for the Base 2002 simulation. We will model the following 20 sectors as separate sources that will be merged to create the final emissions for the Base 2002 simulation:
• WRAP fires (combined ag, rx, wf, etc)
• non-WRAP point fires
• CENRAP area fires
• stationary point (non WRAP)
• stationary point (WRAP, including CA offshore)
• stationary area (all U.S. and VISTA fires)
• non-WRAP on-road mobile
• WRAP on-road mobile
• non-road mobile (all U.S., including west coast port/near port shipping)
• west coast shipping lanes
• offshore point (Gulf)
• offshore area (Gulf)
• anthropogenic dust (agricultural, construction, mining, road)
• windblown dust
• biogenic
• anthropogenic NH3 (WRAP and CENRAP only, other RPO’s in stationary area)
• all Mexico (area like)
• Mexico point
• all Canada (area like, including fires)
• Canada point
The EI workplan (v6) shows that things are getting clearer about the status of the inventories that will make up the Base02a simulation. At this point we're pretty much being held up by the WRAP and CENRAP inventories for most categories, as indicated by the yellow cells in the Base02a_36 tab of the spreadsheet. I've added a grey key to indicate those inventories for which the modeling is completed and ready for CMAQ. There is also a pink key now for those EI's that have pending corrections (that we know about obviously, like the Mexico data).
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Technical Report on Ambient Particulate Matter - Characterization of Ambient PM10 and PM2.5 in California - http://www.arb.ca.gov/pm/pmmeasures/pmch05/pmch05.htm
A. Objectives
Reducing particulate matter (PM) air pollution is one of the California Air Resources Board’s (ARB or Board) highest public health priorities. Exposure to particulate pollution is linked to increased frequency and severity of asthma attacks, pneumonia and bronchitis, and even premature death in people with preexisting cardiac or respiratory disease. Those most sensitive to particle pollution include infants and children, the elderly, and persons with heart and lung disease. Particulate matter pollution consists of very small liquid and solid particles suspended in the air and includes particles smaller than 10 microns in size (PM10), as well as the subset of fine particles smaller than 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5). Particles with a size between 2.5 and 10 microns are often referred to as coarse particles.
In 2003, the Legislature enacted Senate Bill 656 (SB 656, Sher), to reduce public exposure to PM10 and PM2.5. The legislation requires the ARB, in consultation with air pollution control and air quality management districts (air districts), to adopt a list of the most readily available, feasible, and cost-effective control measures that can be implemented by air districts to reduce PM10 and PM2.5.
The legislation establishes a process for achieving near-term reductions in PM throughout California, especially in those areas that have not had federal planning requirements. This will ensure continuing focus on PM and progress towards attaining California’s health protective air quality standards. The ARB approved the list of control measures on November 18, 2004, which can be found at the following web site: http://www.arb.ca.gov/pm/pmmeasures/pmmeasures.htm
Over 100 possible measures covering a broad spectrum of sources are included on the list. Air districts must now develop implementation schedules by July 31, 2005. The implementation schedules will identify a subset of measures from the list that are appropriate to the severity and nature of the PM problem in each area.
The purpose of this report is to assist air districts in evaluating the nature of their PM problem. The report describes the characteristics of PM10 and PM2.5 in each of California’s air districts within each air basin including: ambient concentrations; spatial, seasonal, and hourly variations; and indication of broad source categories leading to the observed ambient particle concentrations.
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