Anetta Drzeniecka-Osiadacz

Modelling meteorological conditions for the episode (December 2009) of measured high PM 10 air concentrations in SW Poland – application of the WRF model

The weather research and forecasting model has been applied to derive information on meteorological variables for the period with high concentrations of PM 10 (1–30 December 2009) in SW Poland. Three one-way nested domains have been used and the results for the innermost domain have been compared with surface and radiosonde meteorological measurements for pressure (PRES), air temperature (TMP), specific humidity (SPFH), wind speed (WIND) and direction (WDIR). The model results are in good agreement with the surface measurements for TMP, PRES and SPFH, with the index of agreement (IOA) above 0.9. The model underestimate the observed PRES, TMP and SPFH except for the mountainous site Śniezka. The WIND is biased high, the overall IOA is 0.62, and range from 0.41 to 0.73 for all stations. The IOA is above 0.73 for TMP and SPFH for radiosonde measurements and the errors decrease with height.

The dynamics of the Corylus, Alnus, and Betula pollen seasons in the context of climate change (SW Poland)

The changes in the main features of early spring tree or shrub pollen seasons are important due to the significant impact on the occurrence of pollen-related allergy symptoms. This study shows the results of pollen monitoring for a period of eleven years (2003-2013) using a Burkard volumetric spore trap. The main characteristics of the hazel, alder, and birch pollination season were studied in Wrocław (SW Poland). The statistical analyses do not show a significant trend of annual total pollen count or shift in timing of the pollen season in the period of analysis. The research confirms a great impact (at the statistically significant level of 0.05) of the heat resources on pollination season (the value of the correlation coefficient ranges from -0.63 up to -0.87). Meteorological variables (e.g. sum of temperature for selected period) were compiled to 5-year running means to examine trends. Changes in the pollination period features due to climate change including both timing and intensity of pollen productivity, would have important consequences for allergy sufferers.

Forecasting the Ozone Concentrations with WRF and Artificial Neural Network Based System

The WRF model has been used to make forecasts for ozone, using an artificial neural network.

Verification of SBL models by mobile SODAR measurements

Models of atmospheric pollutant transport need information about the structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The most important characteristics for such applications are the parameterisation of the stable boundary layer (SBL) and the mixing layer height (MLH). Recently, many different schemes have been employed to calculate the SBL height, but there are many problems with applying these models in environmental studies. Remote sensing of the atmospheric boundary layer using an acoustic sounder provides an opportunity to assess the mixing height based on analysis of SODAR echo strength. During the night, with a steady state of the stable boundary layer, the mixing height is associated with the range of the inversion layer. In the present study, an attempt is made to assess the stable boundary layer height over an urban area based on seven different schemes. Furthermore, the relationship between the mixing height obtained from SODAR measurements and that obtained from models is examined. Data gathered during field experiments in Wroclaw and Cracow are employed for the evaluation of these models.

Mobile SODAR measurements as a source of information about spatial variability of nocturnal thermal inversion height

The paper presents results of mobile SODAR measurements of spatial variability of inversion layer height during fair weather conditions. Variability of the inversion reached over 50% compared to the reference station. There was neither decay of inversion in the centre of the city, nor a significant increase of its height.