Rebecca Buchholz - The Centre for Australian Weather and Climate ...

Tropospheric Pollution over Wollongong 

Investigated with the Earth System Model 

ACCESS 

Rebecca Buchholz, 

Clare Paton-Walsh, Peter Hurley, 

David Griffith, Nicholas Jones 

www.tourismwollongong.com 

November 17, 2011

What’s going on in the atmosphere over Australasia? 

Comparison of atmospheric 

trace gas total column values 

Simulations: ACCESS 

GEOS-Chem 

Measurements: FTS 

Case Study: Wollongong 

◮ CO, HCHO, O3 

◮ seasonal cycles 

◮ model evaulation 

CAC, googlemaps

Tropospheric Pollution 

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Aura/Aura 3.php

Tropospheric Pollution: Some Chemistry 

Tropospheric Hydrocarbon-OX -NOX Main Pathways





Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTS) 

Wollongong is a member of the 

Measurement Networks: 

Atmospheric trace gases absorb solar 

radiation in the infrared

Models: ACCESS and GEOS–Chem 

ACCESS GEOS-Chem 

The Australian Community Climate 

and Earth System Simulator 

(v8-03-01) 

http://www.accessimulator.org.au http://www.geos-chem.org 

Resolution 1.875 ◦ x 1.25 ◦ , 38 levels (∼35 km) 2.0 ◦ x 2.5 ◦ , 47 levels (∼80 km) 

Years Run 1980 – 2000 2004 – 2009 

Meteorology simulated, driven by SST NASA GEOS5 reanalysis product 

Emissions Climatological mode: constant 

at year 2000, based on UKCA 

emission dataset for IPCC AR4. 

Chemistry 26 standard tropospheric tracers 

as output (excluding isoprene), 46 

species 

Biomass Burning, Anthropogenic, 

Biogenic etc. all based on 

referenced inventories and scaled 

for appropriate years. 

80 chemical species, 150 reactions: 

Tropospheric chemistry

Spatial Resolution 

GEOS-Chem example Wollongong Grid Box 

overlap

Comparison of ACCESS, GEOS-Chem and Measurements: 

Wollongong Carbon Monoxide 

CO tcol (molec/cm 2 ) 

5e+18 

4e+18 

3e+18 

2e+18 

1e+18 

ACCESS: Wollongong 

GEOS-Chem: Wollongong 

FTS CO 

Wollongong CO data 

0 

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 

Year



5e+18 

4e+18 

3e+18 

2e+18 

1e+18 



FTS CO 


0 

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 

Year



3e+18 

2.5e+18 

2e+18 

1.5e+18 

1e+18 

5e+17 

0 


ACCESS 1996-2000: Wollongong 

GEOS-Chem 2004-2010: Wollongong 

FTS 1996-2000: Wollongong 


Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 

Month

Comparison of ACCESS, GEOS-Chem and Measurements: 

Wollongong HCHO 

HCHO tcol (molec/cm 2 ) 

2.5e+16 

2e+16 

1.5e+16 

1e+16 

5e+15 

Wollongong HCHO data 

0 

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 

Year 



FTS HCHO



2.5e+16 

2e+16 

1.5e+16 

1e+16 

5e+15 

0 







Month

Comparison of ACCESS, and Measurements: 

Wollongong Ozone 

O3 tcol (molec/cm 2 ) 

1.4e+19 

1.2e+19 

1e+19 

8e+18 

6e+18 

4e+18 

2e+18 

Wollongong O3 data 

0 

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 

Year 


FTS O3



1.2e+19 

1.1e+19 

1e+19 

9e+18 

8e+18 

7e+18 

6e+18 


5e+18 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Year 


FTS O3



1.2e+19 

1.1e+19 

1e+19 

9e+18 

8e+18 

7e+18 

6e+18 

5e+18 



Month 


FTS 1996-2000: Wollongong



1.2e+19 

1.1e+19 

1e+19 

9e+18 

8e+18 

7e+18 

6e+18 


5e+18 

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Year 


FTS O3

Satellite data (TOMS) 

July 1997 July 1998 

Analyses and visualizations used in this slide were produced with the 

Giovanni online data system, developed and maintained by the NASA GES DISC.

Further Investigation 

Table: Summary of comparison of models with measurements. 

Trace Gas ACCESS GEOS-Chem To Investigate 

CO 

HCHO 

O3 

offset to measurements represented well 

annual cycle peaks early 

lower magnitude 

correct 

magnitude 

low variability large variability 

represented well (for 

Dec-May) 

lower magnitude - July 

inconclusive: 

absence of 

stratosphere 

Sources: BB satellite 

product in GEOS-Chem 

Compare sources, 

(HCHO and VOC), 

compare OH (loss) 

Tropospheric partial 

columns, Stratospheric 

dynamics 

◮ Emissions, surrounding pixels, tropospheric partial columns. 

◮ Extend study to include Lauder and Darwin

Acknowledgements 

◮ Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry - University of Wollongong 

◮ National Computing Infrastructure - Canberra 

◮ CSIRO - OCE scholarship

ACCESS versus GEOS–Chem: Emissions 

ACCESS GEOS-Chem 

Anthropogenic: all categories 

are based on 

UKCA emission 

dataset for 

IPCC AR4 

Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric 

Research (EDGAR) overwritten by regional 

inventories in: Europe (EMEP), Mexico/USA 

(BRAVO), China/SE Asia (Streets), Canada 

(CAC), North America (NEI2005, EPA/NEI99) 

Biofuel: Default: Yevich & Logan, 2003, overwritten 

by: China/SE Asia (Streets) and North America 

(EPA/NEI99) 

Biogenic: Model of Emissions of Gases and 

Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN 2.1, 

http://bai.acd.ucar.edu/Megan/index.shtml), 

PCEEA (canopy environment) 

Biomass 

Burning: 

Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED2–monthly)



2.5e+16 

2e+16 

1.5e+16 

1e+16 

5e+15 

0 



ACCESS adjusted: Wollongong 




Month

Profile Comparison: Wollongong Ozone 

altitude (m) 

80000 

70000 

60000 

50000 

40000 

30000 

20000 

10000 


0 

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 

ppb 



GFIT a priori: Wollongong 

Tropopause

Tropospheric Partial Column: Wollongong Ozone 


2e+18 

1.5e+18 

1e+18 

5e+17 

0 



Month 

ACCESS troposphere: Wollongong 

GEOS-Chem: Wollongong

Wollongong Ozone: Surface 

O3 tcol (v/v) 

5e-08 

4e-08 

3e-08 

2e-08 

1e-08 

0 



Month 


DECCW 1996-2000: Wollongong 

DECCW data from: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/AQMS/search.htm

Comparison of ACCESS, and Measurements: 

Wollongong Nitrogen Dioxide 

NO2 tcol (molec/cm 2 ) 

1e+17 

8e+16 

6e+16 

4e+16 

2e+16 

Wollongong NO2 data 

0 

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 

Year 



FTS NO2

Profile Comparison: Wollongong Nitrogen Dioxide 

altitude (m) 

80000 

70000 

60000 

50000 

40000 

30000 

20000 

10000 

Wollongong NO2 data 

0 

0 20 40 60 80 100 

ppb 



FTS a priori: Wollongong 

Tropopause

Rebecca Buchholz - The Centre for Australian Weather and Climate ...

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