Skip to main content
Log in

Potential and Shortcomings of Numerical Weather Prediction Models in Providing Meteorological Data for Urban Air Pollution Forecasting

  • Published:
Water, Air and Soil Pollution: Focus

Abstract

The last decade progress in numericalweather prediction (NWP) modelling and studies of urbanatmospheric processes for providing meteorological data forurban air pollution forecasting is analysed on examples ofseveral European meteorological centres. Modern nested NWP models are utilising land-use databasesdown to 1 km resolution or finer, and are approaching thenecessary horizontal and vertical resolution suitable forcity scale. The recent scientific developments in the fieldof urban atmospheric physics and the growing availabilityof high-resolution urban surface characteristics datapromise further improvements of the capability of NWPmodels for this aim. A strategy to improve NWP data forthe urban air pollution forecasting is suggested.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baklanov, A.: 2000, ‘Application of CFD methods for modelling in air pollution problems: Possibilities and gaps’, J. Environ. Monitor. Assess. 65, 181–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berge, E., Walker, S.-E., Sorteberg, A., Lenkopane, M., Eastwood, S., Jablonska, J. and Ødegaard, M.: 2002, ‘A real-time operational forecast model for meteorology and air quality during peak air pollution episodes in Oslo, Norway’, Water, Air and Soil Pollut. this issue.

  • Byun, D. W. and Ching, J. K. S.: 1999, Science Algorithms of the EPA Models-3 Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Modelling System, EPA/600/R-99/030, Washington, DC.

  • Clean City Air Status Report: 1999, ‘Development and Testing of a Pilot Model for Air Quality in Oslo and Bergen’, Results from Oslo. DNMI, Norway.

  • De Ridder, K.: 2000, ‘Modelling the Impact of Urban/Regional Scale Land-use Patterns on At-mospheric Flow and Pollutant Dispersion’, in SIMPAQ-2000, VIT 2000/TAP/55, Antwerp, pp. 32–37.

  • Fay, B., Schrodin, R., Jacobsen, I. and Engelbart, D.: 1997, ‘Validation of Mixing Heights Derived from the Operational NWP Models at the German Weather Service’, in EURASAP Workshop Proc. on the Determin. of the Mixing Height – Current Progress and Problems, Risø-R-997(EN), pp. 55–58.

  • Fenger, J., Hertel, O. and Palmgren, F.: 1998, Urban Air Pollution – European Aspects,Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, B. E. A., Erbrink, J. J, Finardi, S., Jeannet, P., Joffre, S., Morselli, M. G., Pechinger, U., Seibert, P. and Thomson, D. J.: 1998, ‘Harmonisation of the Pre-processing of Meteorological Data for Atmospheric Dispersion Models. COST Action 710’, Fin. Rep., EUR 18195. EC/92/72: Directive 92/72/EC of 21 Sept on Air Pollution by Ozone, J. Europ. Comm. L297/1. EC/96/62: Directive 96/62/EC of 27 Sept on Ambient Air Quality Assess. a. Managem., J. EC L296/55. EC/99/30: Directive 99/30/EC of 22 April Relating to Limit Values for Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Oxides of Nitrogen, Particulate Matter and Lead in Ambient Air, J. EC L163/41.

  • Grimmond, C. S. B. and Oke, T. R.: 1999, ‘Aerodynamic properties of urban areas derived from analysis of surface form’, J. Appl. Met. 38, 1262–1292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guilloteau, E. and Mestayer, P. G.: 2000, ‘Numerical simulations of the urban roughness sublayer: A first attempt’, J. Environ. Monitor. Assess. 65(1/2), 211–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanna, S., Yang, R. and Yin, X.: 1998, ‘Evaluations of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models from the point of view of inputs required by atmospheric dispersion models’, Int. J. of Environ. and Pollut.

  • Herrmann, H., Ervens, B., Jakobi, H.-W., Wolke, R., Nowacki, P. and Zellner, R.: 2000, ‘CAPRAM.3:A chemical aqueous phase radical mechanism for tropospheric chemistry’, J. Atmosph. Chem. 36(3), 231–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, Q. and Bornstein, R.: 1999, ‘Summary of Urban Effects on Precipitation’, in Proc. of Int. Conf. on Biomet. a. Urban Climat. at the Turn of the Millennium, Sydney, 8–12 November 1999, ICUC16.1.

  • LM: 1999, Quarterly Report of the Operational NWP-models of the Deutscher Wetterdienst, No. 20, 1–63, Department of Research and Development, DWD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martilli, A., Clappier, A. and Rotach, M. W.: 2001, ‘An urban surface exchange parameterisation for mesoscale models’, submitted to Bound.-Layer Meteor.

  • Masson, V.: 2000, ‘A physically-based scheme for the urban energy budget in the atmospheric models’, Bound.-Layer Meteor. 94, 357–397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parlow, E.: 1999, ‘Remotely Sensed Heat Fluxes of Urban Areas’, Int. Conf. on Biomet. and Urban Climatol. at the Turn of the Millennium, Sydney, Australia, 8–12 November 1999, ICUC13.3.

  • Pielke, R. A. and Uliasz, M.: 1998, ‘Use of meteorological models as input to regional and mesoscale air quality models – Limitations and strengths’, Atmosph. Environ. 32(8), 1455–1466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pielke, R. A., Cotton, W. R. et al.: 1992, ‘A comprehensive meteorological modeling system – RAMS’, Meteorol. Atmos. Physics 49, 69–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piringer, M., Baklanov, A., De Ridder, K., Ferreira, J., Joffre, S., Karppinen, K., Mestayer, P., Middleton, D., Tombrou, M. and Vogt, R.: 2001, ‘The surface energy budget and the mixing height in urban areas: Status report of Working Group 2 of Cost-Action 715’, in Proc. of the Third Urban Air Quality Conference, Loutraki, Greece. CD-ROM, paper Pl 1.3. 8 pp.

  • Pirovano, G., Brusasca, G., Calori, G., Desiato, F., Finardi, S., Lena, F., Longhetto, A. and Morselli, M. G.: 1999, ‘Meteorological input for photochemical modelling in the Milan Region’, in P. M. Borrel and P. Borrel (eds), Proc. EUROTRAC Symp.' 98, WIT Press, Southampton, pp. 767–771.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen, A., Sørensen, J. H. and Nielsen, N. W.: 1997, ‘Validation of Mixing Height Determined from Vertical Profiles of Wind and Temperature from the DMI-HIRLAM NWP Model in Com-parison with Radiosoundings' in EURASAP Workshop Proc. on the Determination of the Mixing Height – Current Progress and Problems, Risø-R-997(EN), pp. 101–105.

  • Rasmussen, A., Sørensen, J. H., Nielsen, N. W. and Amstrup, B.: 1999, Uncertainty of Meteorolo-gical Parameters from DMI-HIRLAM, RODOS(WG2)TN(99)12.

  • Saito, K., Doms, G., Schaettler, U. and Steppeler, J.: 1998, ‘3-D Mountain Waves by the Lokal-Modell of DWD and the MRI Mesoscale Nonhydrostatic Model’, Met. a. Geophys. 49(1), 7–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sattler, K.: 1999, ‘New high resolution physiographic data and climate generation in the HIRLAM forecasting system at DMI, an overview’, HIRLAM Newsletter 33, 96–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scire, J. S., Insley, E. M., Yamartino, R. J. and Fernau, M. E.: 1995, A User's Guide for the CALMET Meteorological Model.

  • Seaman, N. L.: 2000, ‘Meteorol. Model. for Air-quality Assessments’, Atm. Env. 34, 2231–2259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silibello, C., Calori, G., Pirovano, G. and Carmichael, G. R.: 2001, ‘Development of STEM-FCM Modeling System: Chemical Mechanisms Sensitivity Evaluated on a Photochemical Episode’, in Proc. of 2nd Int. Conf, on Air Pollution Modell. a. Simul., Champs-sur-Marne (F), 9–12 April 2001.

  • Sistla, G., Zhou, N., Hao, W., Ku, J. Y., Rao, S. T., Bornstein, R. and Freedman, F.: 1996, ‘Effects of uncertainties in meteorological inputs on urban airshed model predictions and ozone control strategies’, Atmosph. Environ. 30, 2011–2025.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorteberg, A.: 2001, ‘The Sensitivity of Inversion Strength to the Formulation of the Non-dimensional Momentum and Heat Profiles’, Research Rep. No. 117, Norwegian Met. Inst., Oslo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tana, H. and Bornstein, R.: 1999, ‘Urbanisation of Meteorological Models and Implications on Simulated Heat Islands and Air Quality’, in Proc. of Int. Conf. on Biometeorology and Urban Climatology at the Turn of the Millennium, Sydney, Australia, 8–12 November 1999, ICUC1.1.

  • Zilitinkevich, S. and Baklanov, A.: 2001, ‘Calculation of the height of stable boundary layers in operational models’, Bound.-Layer Meteorol. (accepted).

  • Zilitinkevich, S., Johansson, P.-E., Mironov, D. V. and Baklanov, A.: 1998, ‘A similarity-theory model for wind profile and resistance law in stably stratified planetary boundary layers’, J. Wind Engineer. Industr. Aerodyn. 74–76, 209–218.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Baklanov, A., Rasmussen, A., Fay, B. et al. Potential and Shortcomings of Numerical Weather Prediction Models in Providing Meteorological Data for Urban Air Pollution Forecasting. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus 2, 43–60 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021394126149

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021394126149

Navigation