Abstract
<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> We present a WRF-Chem simulation over central Europe with a high spatial resolution of 3 km × 3 km and a focus on nitrogen dioxide (NOâ). A regional emission inventory, issued by the German Environmental Agency, with a spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km is used. We demonstrate, that by precise temporal modulation of the emission data (use of "temporal profiles"), significant improvement in model accuracy over existing simulations is achieved. Simulated NOâ surface concentrations are compared to measurements from a total of 275 in-situ measurement stations in Germany, where the model was able to reproduce average noontime NOâ concentrations with a bias of +0.9 % and <em>R</em> = 0.76. A comparison between modelled NOâ vertical column densities (VCDs) and satellite observations from TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) is conducted, where crucial aspects of the observation process, such as altitude-dependent NOâ sensitivity as well as the influence of clouds and a priori assumptions of the retrieval, are taken into account. Simulations and satellite observations are shown to agree with a model bias of −6.6 % and <em>R</em> = 0.84 for monthly means. Lastly, simulated NOâ concentration profiles are compared to profiles obtained from Multiaxis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements of five European ground stations using the profile retrieval algorithms from the Mexican MAX-DOAS fit (MMF) and the Mainz Profile Algorithm (MAPA). For stations within Germany, biases of −5.9 % to +50.3 % were obtained when comparing average noontime NOâ concentrations at different altitudes. Outside of Germany, where lower resolution emission data was used, biases of up to +78.6 % were observed. Overall, the study demonstrates that temporal modulation of emission data is crucial for modelling tropospheric NOâ realistically.
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