A Three-Dimensional Simulation of HO x Concentrations Over East Asia During TRACE-P

Abstract

The Models-3 Community Multi-scale Air Quality modeling system (CMAQ) coupled with the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) is used to simulate three-dimensional concentration distributions of hydroxyl (OH) and hydroperoxyl (HO2) radicals over the western Pacific Ocean during the NASA Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) field campaign. Modeled values of OH and HO2 and their closely related chemical species and photolysis rates are compared with observational data collected onboard the DC-8 aircraft. Comparison shows that the model reasonably reproduced these observed values over a broad range of conditions with an overall tendency to overestimate the measured OH and HO2 by a factor of 1.56 and 1.24, respectively. A case study of OH, HO2 and their closely related chemical species and photolysis rates along the DC-8 flights 11 and 12 conducted on 17–18 March 2001 shows that the model reproduces the temporal and spatial variations reasonable well, and produces more reliable OH and HO2 concentrations in the polluted environment than in the clean marine boundary layer.