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  • Comparing Vertical Profiles of Trace Gases To Weather Model Planetary Boundary Layer Height

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    Thomas Mazzetti, Florida State University Trace gases, including criteria pollutants and their chemical precursors, can be horizontally confined by mountains and vertically confined by the planetary boundary layer (PBL); this is common in the LA basin. The PBL is the turbulent, well-mixed lowest layer of the atmosphere. PBL depth varies and ranges from approximately 1-3 km, thickest in the afternoon. Gases emitted from Earth’s surface are trapped in the PBL because the free troposphere above is stably stratified and resists vertical motion. Knowing PBL height is necessary for models to calculate the volume which pollutants will dilute into. Using UC Irvine’s whole air sampler onboard the NASA DC-8, samples were collected during the Student Airborne Research Program. High-frequency discrete whole air sampling was performed when the DC-8 executed vertical profiling maneuvers (missed approaches, spirals, and other low-level objectives). Sample analysis was performed at UC Irvine which quantified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with gas chromatography. Vertical profiles of selected hydrocarbons and other anthropogenic trace gases were used to calculate local height of the PBL. PBL height was indicated by abrupt decrease in concentration with altitude. These calculated PBL heights were compared to outputs from the NOAA North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM). The precision of the trace gas PBL height is dependent on the vertical spacing of samples. In regions where ground elevation rapidly changes, the NAM failed to accurately compute the PBL height, and large discrepancies between the model and observations were observed. Chemical tracers are a robust way to identify the PBL height even in regions where numerical models struggle. Trace gas PBL height can be used to make parameterization of numerical model PBL calculations more accurate.

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    Thomas Mazzetti, Florida State University Trace gases, including criteria pollutants and their chemical precursors, can be horizontally confined by mountains and vertically confined by the planetary boundary layer (PBL); this is common in the LA basin. The PBL is the turbulent, well-mixed lowest layer of the atmosphere. PBL depth varies and ranges from approximately 1-3 km, thickest in the afternoon. Gases emitted from Earth’s surface are trapped in the PBL because the free troposphere above is stably stratified and resists vertical motion. Knowing PBL height is necessary for models to calculate the volume which pollutants will dilute into. Using UC Irvine’s whole air sampler onboard the NASA DC-8, samples were collected during the Student Airborne Research Program. High-frequency discrete whole air sampling was performed when the DC-8 executed vertical profiling maneuvers (missed approaches, spirals, and other low-level objectives). Sample analysis was performed at UC Irvine which quantified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with gas chromatography. Vertical profiles of selected hydrocarbons and other anthropogenic trace gases were used to calculate local height of the PBL. PBL height was indicated by abrupt decrease in concentration with altitude. These calculated PBL heights were compared to outputs from the NOAA North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM). The precision of the trace gas PBL height is dependent on the vertical spacing of samples. In regions where ground elevation rapidly changes, the NAM failed to accurately compute the PBL height, and large discrepancies between the model and observations were observed. Chemical tracers are a robust way to identify the PBL height even in regions where numerical models struggle. Trace gas PBL height can be used to make parameterization of numerical model PBL calculations more accurate.

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    203 views19 pages

    Comparing Vertical Profiles of Trace Gases To Weather Model Planetary Boundary Layer Height

    Uploaded by

    jpeterson1
    Thomas Mazzetti, Florida State University Trace gases, including criteria pollutants and their chemical precursors, can be horizontally confined by mountains and vertically confined by the planetary boundary layer (PBL); this is common in the LA basin. The PBL is the turbulent, well-mixed lowest layer of the atmosphere. PBL depth varies and ranges from approximately 1-3 km, thickest in the afternoon. Gases emitted from Earth’s surface are trapped in the PBL because the free troposphere above is stably stratified and resists vertical motion. Knowing PBL height is necessary for models to calculate the volume which pollutants will dilute into. Using UC Irvine’s whole air sampler onboard the NASA DC-8, samples were collected during the Student Airborne Research Program. High-frequency discrete whole air sampling was performed when the DC-8 executed vertical profiling maneuvers (missed approaches, spirals, and other low-level objectives). Sample analysis was performed at UC Irvine which quantified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with gas chromatography. Vertical profiles of selected hydrocarbons and other anthropogenic trace gases were used to calculate local height of the PBL. PBL height was indicated by abrupt decrease in concentration with altitude. These calculated PBL heights were compared to outputs from the NOAA North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM). The precision of the trace gas PBL height is dependent on the vertical spacing of samples. In regions where ground elevation rapidly changes, the NAM failed to accurately compute the PBL height, and large discrepancies between the model and observations were observed. Chemical tracers are a robust way to identify the PBL height even in regions where numerical models struggle. Trace gas PBL height can be used to make parameterization of numerical model PBL calculations more accurate.

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    of 19

    Thomas Mazzetti1

    Dr. Jason Schroeder2


    Dr. Donald Blake2
    1Florida

    State University
    2UC Irvine

    Motivation

    Stratification/Planetary Boundary Layer

    Low Trace Gas Mixing Ratio

    High Trace Gas Mixing Ratio

    Numerical weather models calculate this height.


    Inaccuracies can skew air quality forecasts.
    Calibrate model PBL calculations with trace gas PBL

    measurements.

    NBC news

    Planetary Boundary Layer Time Line


    2
    Free Atmosphere
    Capping Inversion
    Entrainment

    Altitude (km)

    Noon

    Residual Layer

    Mixed
    Layer

    Mixed
    Layer

    Stable boundary layer

    Sunset

    Markowski and Richardson 2010 p 84

    Midnight
    Local Time

    Sunrise

    Noon

    NOAAs North American Mesoscale


    Forecast System (NAM)
    What is it?
    North America Only
    Numerical Weather Prediction
    Boxes 12X12km at surface
    42 boxes high
    What did I use it for?
    Get its PBL height
    Use for comparison.
    George Mason University

    Ideal AIR Sample Orientation


    Horizontal proximity

    (model grid spacing)


    Vertical spacing: broad
    range of altitudes
    All at same time
    Possibly multiple times of
    day

    12 km
    12 km

    cutedaily.com

    All Whole Air Samples Taken in SARP 2015

    Flight
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5

    Flight Segments Optimal Sample Grouping

    Harris Ranch

    Santa Barbara
    Spiral

    Approach Palmdale
    Airport Missed Approaches

    Salton Sea U-Turn

    Flight
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    Note: error
    (imprecision)

    Gas Chromatography
    Reduced Gas Detection (1 of 3 systems we have)
    H2 & CO

    Sample
    Chemical reaction
    & UV Light
    BBC 2015

    Gases to use
    Compound

    300 years
    100 years
    9 years
    1.4 years
    60 days
    47 days
    14 days
    11 days
    4.9 days
    3 days
    2.1 days
    1 day
    11 hours

    Range of Lifetimes

    Ground Sourced Anthropogenic

    CFC-114
    CFC-12
    Methane
    HFC-152a
    Carbon Monoxide
    Ethane
    Ethyne
    Propane
    n-Butane
    n-Pentane
    Toluene
    Ethene
    Propene

    Lifetime

    Simpson et al. 2011

    CFC-114 & CFC-12 Mixing Ratio vs. Altitude Above Sea


    Level Long Beach Airport Morning Profile

    Cant See PBL

    Ethene Mixing Ratio vs. Altitude Above Sea


    Level Long Beach Airport Afternoon Profile

    Cant See PBL

    Ethene

    Ethene Mixing Ratio vs. Altitude Above Sea Level


    Long Beach Airport Morning Profile

    Ethene

    Stratification=PBL
    Error (imprecision)

    Comparing the NAM PBL to the trace


    gas PBL.
    Average of all
    Trace gas PBLs
    on each Flight
    Leg

    Model &
    Trace gas
    ERROR
    (imprecision)

    Average NAM
    PBL at each can
    location on
    each Flight Leg

    Percent Difference

    Percent Difference Between Trace Gas & NAM PBL

    (+) NAM PBL > Trace Gas PBL


    (-) NAM PBL < Trace Gas PBL

    P values less than 0.05

    Results
    Some gases better than others:

    Lifetime
    less than 1
    day
    Decay

    Lifetime
    day-several
    months

    Lifetime
    Greater than
    several years

    PBL apparent Well mixed

    Concerns
    Trace Gas Method:
    Detection thresholds for

    trace gases
    Manual analysis

    12 km cant resolve all

    NAM:
    topography

    Conclusions
    Trace Gas
    Stratification

    Direct
    Measurement
    of PBL
    Height

    Applying trace gas PBL numerical models can improve

    forecasts.
    Improve constants and parameterizations
    NAM uses the Mellor-Yamada Level 2.5 Scheme

    (differential equations)

    Acknowledgements

    Blake research group: UC Irvine


    WAS group: teamwork in getting data.
    Non-scientists who make science possible.

    Jane Peterson

    Citations
    BBC, cited 2015: Gas Chromatography. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/
    gcsebitesize/science/triple_ocr_21c/further_chemistry/chromatography/revision/
    5/]
    J. Simpson1 , S. K. Akagi2 , B. Barletta1 , N. J. Blake1 , Y. Choi3 , G. S. Diskin3 ,
    A. Fried4 , H. E. Fuelberg5 , S. Meinardi1 , F. S. Rowland1 , S. A. Vay3 , A. J.
    Weinheimer4 , P. O. Wennberg6 , P. Wiebring4 , A. Wisthaler7 , M. Yang1,3, R.
    J. Yokelson2 , and D. R. Blake1, 2011 : Boreal forest fire emissions in fresh
    Canadian smoke plumes: C1-C10 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO2,
    CO, NO2, NO, HCN and CH3CN I. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 64456463,
    www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/6445/2011/ doi:10.5194/acp-11-6445-2011.
    Markowski, Paul and Yvette Richardson, 2010: Mesoscale Meteorology in
    Midlatitudes advancing weather and climate science. Wiley-Blackwell, pp 430,
    figure 4.9 p 84
    NOAA, cited 2015: NOAA National Operational Model Archive & Distribution
    System. [http://nomads.ncdc.noaa.gov/data.php#hires_weather_datasets]

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