Maria Tombrou

Development and evaluation of an urban parameterization scheme in the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5)

[1] In the present study, the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) was modified by considering recent advances in the urban boundary layer. In particular, the modifications were carried out in two directions: (1) With respect to the thermal properties of an urban surface the surface energy balance was modified by taking into account the anthropogenic heat released in urban areas and the urban heat storage term to account for urban/building mass effects, including hysteresis; and (2) the surface stress and fluxes of heat and momentum were modified following recent advances in the atmospheric boundary layer over rough surfaces under unstable conditions. The whole process was supplemented by detailed information on land use cover, derived from satellite image analysis. The modifications were applied to the high-resolution nonlocal medium-range forecast planetary boundary layer parameterization scheme, based on work by Troen and Mahrt (1986). The improvements seen with the modified model, after comparison with available measurements of temperature and fluxes, refer to (1) the strengthening of the nocturnal urban heat island; (2) the changes in the temperature, which proved to be favorable through the whole diurnal cycle, resulting in decreasing the temperature amplitude wave; (3) the decrease of turbulence and fluxes during the daytime; and (4) the diffusion coefficient and potential temperature profiles that are reduced during daytime and are increased at the lower levels during the night and thus affect accordingly the mixing height.

Investigating the Surface Energy Balance in Urban Areas – Recent Advances and Future Needs

Recent advances in understanding of the surface energy balance of urban areas, based on both experimental investigations andnumerical models, are reviewed. Particular attention is directedto the outcome of a COST-715 Expert Meeting held in April 2000,as well as experiments initiated by that action. In addition, recentcomplete parameterisations of urban effects in meso-scalemodels are reviewed. Given that neither the surface energybalance, nor its components, normally are directly measuredat meteorological stations, nor are there guidelines for theset-up of representative meteorological stations in urbanareas, this paper also provides recommendations to closethese gaps.

SOME MEASUREMENTS OF TURBULENCE CHARACTERISTICS OVER COMPLEX TERRAIN

Results are presented from a windturbulence measurements campaign at the summit of ahill in complex terrain in Andros island (Greece)where a wind turbine park has been constructed. Meanturbulence parameters and power spectra from three 30 mmasts located at the summit, upwind and downwind ofthe hill are analysed to ascertain the differencesfrom respective parameters in flat terrain and toassess the influence of the irregular topography. Thevariances of the horizontal (vertical) wind components are found tobe smaller (larger) than the onesfrom flat terrain. Of the available correlations forthe power spectra, the Von Karman one was found togive better results, although the low frequency partsshow pronounced lags. The asymmetry of the upwindterrain for different wind directions and especiallyits slope is clearly felt both by variances and byspectra. This influence, as expected, is found toincrease with increasing stability. These results havean important significance for wind turbine design andwind energy utilisation.

Groundwater drainage flow in a soil layer resting on an inclined leaky bed

We study subsurface storm flow from a planar hill slope, a problem that is similar hydraulically to lateral flow toward drains in landfills. Our analysis is based on the linearized one-dimensional Boussinesq equation (Dupuit-Forchheimer approximation), which is extended to allow for leakage through the underlying barrier. This linear advection-diffusion equation has a greater range of validity than the kinematic wave equation. Stating it in terms of the discharge, the variable of primary hydrologic interest, we integrate it numerically, using an adaptation of the Muskingum-Cunge routing scheme. A single-step computation of the outflow hydrograph, which combines the convenience of an analytical solution formula with acceptable accuracy, is proposed as a design tool and as a means of parameterization of drainage from hill slopes. Depth profiles are determined afterwards by a simple integration of Darcys law. Examples of the buildup and recession phases, with and without leakage, demonstrate the application of the computational method.

ICAROS: An Integrated Computational Environment for the Assimilation of Environmental Data and Models for Urban and Regional Air Quality

Integrated environmental management in urban areas is nowadaysconsidered a sine qua non objective of Community and nationalenvironmental and development policies. A large amount ofscientific information on the state of the environment is nowavailable from a large pool of data sources. This work presentsan innovative method for integration of these data sources andeffective coupling of environmental information with appropriatemodels and decision-support tools. State-of-the-art Earthobservation techniques, ground-based air quality measurements,atmospheric transport and chemical modelling, and multi-criteriadecision-aid systems are used in an integrated information fusionenvironment in support of environmental and health impactassessment and decision-making at the urban and regional scales. Results of the pilot application of the method in the area ofLombardy in Northern Italy demonstrate the validity andusefulness of this novel approach.

A Comparative Study and Evaluation of Mixing-Height Estimation Based on Sodar-RASS, Ceilometer Data and Numerical Model Simulations

A comparative study and evaluation of mixing-layer height estimation was conducted, using data from remote sensing and in-situ instrumentation, radiosondes, synoptic analyses and model simulations. The data were collected during an experimental campaign conducted at the Athens International Airport, Greece, from 15 to 26 September 2007. Mixing-layer height from the sodar dataset was estimated taking into account the backscatter signal, temperature, Richardson number profiles and surface-based measurements, while for the ceilometer data, the optical attenuated aerosol backscatter intensity first derivative was utilized. Numerical simulations using the Penn State/NCAR MM5 numerical mesoscale model and the Weather Research and Forecast numerical model were also performed. Comparative results under different meteorological conditions (local flows, moderate to strong background flows) are presented and discussed. According to our results under moderate to strong winds the existing mechanical turbulence creates good signal conditions for the two remote systems leading to a good overall agreement between the two methodologies, while both models give reliable estimations of the mixing height. The sodar-RASS system is more suitable under low to moderate winds or when local flows are developed with weak stability, while the ceilometer system is more suitable for moderate to strong winds, which is associated with a homogeneous atmosphere and weaker low-level temperature inversions. In the models, the existing approach for atmospheric boundary-layer depth simulation usually provides higher compared to remote sensing values, especially during local flow events. An alternative approach for the estimation of mixing height by the models, the estimation and use of the diffusion coefficient profiles, is a promising methodology regarding the comparison with the sodar-RASS mixing-height estimations.

Study of CO surface pollution in Europe based on observations and nested-grid applications of GEOS-CHEM global chemical transport model.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is studied over Europe for 2001 using measurements from 31 rural-background stations and the nested-grid application of the global CTM GEOS-CHEM. The model reveals lowest (highest) biases in warm (cold) periods, tracking observations in most cases more closely than the global model. The role of CO production and destruction processes and the atmospheric conditions are investigated. A rotated Principal Component Analysis is applied to all stations, based on daily CO modelled concentrations in 2001, yielding three principal components (PCs) with stations of common characteristics. CO concentrations are studied for these groups in relation to the circulation patterns prevailing over Europe in 2001, at mean sea level and 850 hPa. The nested-grid model improves results in comparison to those calculated by the global model by up to ∼22% for first principal component subregion, where emissions are high and elevation is low. Improvement reaches∼17 and∼7%, respectively, for second and third principal component subregions, where emissions are lower and altitudes are higher. Better performance is achieved for patterns associated with westerly flow, whereas poor skills are revealed during stagnant conditions. During pollution events, the nesting model’s ability in capturing CO surface concentrations improves by up to ∼40% in comparison to the global simulation.

Adapting the Speciation of the VOCs Emission Inventory in the Greater Athens Area

An adaptation procedure of a new emission inventory of theGreater Athens Area is attempted, based on a sensitivityanalysis on the treatment of the VOC emissions. Throughthis procedure the impact that a more detailed treatment ofthe VOCs emissions might have on the atmospheric chemistrysimulations, is examined. For this analysis three differentchemical mechanisms were applied for two differentlocations (urban and city plume) with different VOC andNOx mixture characteristics. Finally, this studyrecommends new carbon fractions, reflecting the localconditions in Athens basin.

Satellite-derived determination of PM10 concentration and of the associated risk on public health

Recent studies worldwide have revealed the relation between urban air pollution, particularly fine aerosols, and human health. The current state of the art in air quality assessment, monitoring and management comprises analytical measurements and atmospheric transport modeling. Earth observation from satellites provides an additional information layer through the calculation of synoptic air pollution indicators, such as atmospheric turbidity. Fusion of these data sources with ancillary data, including classification of population vulnerability to the adverse health effects of fine particulate and, especially, PM10 pollution, in the ambient air, integrates them into an optimally managed environmental information processing tool. Several algorithms pertaining to urban air pollution assessment using HSR satellite imagery have been developed and applied to urban sites in Europe such as Athens, Greece, the Po valley in Northern Italy, and Munich, Germany. Implementing these computational procedures on moderate spatial resolution (MSR) satellite data and coupling the result with the output of HSR data processing provides comprehensive and dynamic information on the spatial distribution of PM10 concentration. The result of EO data processing is corrected to account for the relative importance of the signal due to anthropogenic fine particles, concentrated in the lower troposphere. Fusing the corrected maps of PM10 concentration with data on vulnerable population distribution and implementation of epidemiology-derived exposure-response relationships results in the calculation of indices of the public health risk from PM10 concentration in the ambient air. Results from the pilot application of this technique for integrated environmental and health assessment in the urban environment are given.

Estimation and Mapping of Aerosol Optical Thickness over the City of Brescia - Italy Using Diachronic and Multiangle SPOT-1, SPOT-2 and SPOT-4 Imagery

Abstract In this paper we process diachronic SPOT satellite images acquired with different viewing angles in order to assess the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) spatial distribution over Brescia. This urban area, located in Northern Italy, is subject to frequent visibility‐reducing smog episodes. AOT was calculated by using the Differential Textural Analysis (DTA) code on a satellite data series consisting by one pollution‐free and various pollution‐loaded SPOT images. The resulting maps showed the horizontal distribution of AOT with a resolution of 500 metres. These maps can be readily integrated with the results obtained by mesoscale modelling, ground measurements, and respond to local scale application requirements. Satellite AOT retrieval compared successfully with available AOT ground‐based measurements and with pollution measurements in the ambient air. In this study the use of diachronic multiangle SPOT imagery allowed us to analyse the effect of the viewing angle variation on AOT retrieval accuracy based on the contrast reduction method.