Intercomparison of Sonde, WRF/CAMx and Satellite Sounder Profile Data for the Paso Del Norte Region

Suhail Mahmud,Nicholas R Nalli,Duanjun Lu,William R Stockwell,Rosa M Fitzgerald,Nakul N Karle

doi:10.1007/s41810-020-00075-1

Abstract

The Paso Del Norte (PdN) region comprises the city of El Paso, TX, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and some neighboring cities in the state of New Mexico. Developing a regional weather model for this specific region has always been challenging due to its complex terrain. To obtain more accurate weather and pollution forecasting for the PdN region, the results of the downscaled WRF (Weather Research and Forecast) model were intercompared with meteorological satellite data, with ground and radiosonde dataset. In addition, it is critical to analyze the distributions of ozone concentrations to better understand atmospheric aerosol concentrations and predict them both more accurately. Hence, in this study the ozone results of CAMx (Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions) were extensively intercompared with ozonesonde data. The radiosonde/ozonesonde data were obtained throughout a campaign conducted during the summer of 2017 in the PdN region. Different meteorological variables such as temperature, pressure, relative humidity, wind speed, and ozone concentrations were used for comparison at several locations in the PdN region. The TCEQ (Texas Commission of Environment Quality) data from different CAMS (Continuous Ambient Monitoring Stations) were used for ground data intercomparison with the WRF results. The meteorological satellite sounding data were retrieved using an in-house satellite antenna receiver. The results of this research paper will not only provide better pollution forecasting capability for the PdN region but also for other regions with similar topography and terrain.

Highlights

Cities occupy less than 0.1% of the earth’s total surface; half of the world’s entire population inhabits cities (Lee et al 2011)
A unique geopolitical location characterizes the Paso Del Norte region. This region is comprised of three counties in southwestern Texas and southern New Mexico, United States, and the municipality of Ciudad Juarez in the northern part of the state of Chihuahua of Mexico (Garfin and Leroy 2018)
WRF and Comprehensive Air Quality Model Extensions (CAMx) simulations were performed during the summer of 2017, and the results intercompared with the ground and vertical observational data

Summary

Introduction

Cities occupy less than 0.1% of the earth’s total surface; half of the world’s entire population inhabits cities (Lee et al 2011). The Paso Del Norte (PdN) region is a binational metropolitan region on the border of Mexico and the United States This region is centered on two large cities: El Paso from the United States and the City of Juarez in Mexico. In addition to these two cities, some counties from New Mexico State (USA) are included in this region (Fig. 1). A unique geopolitical location characterizes the Paso Del Norte region This region is comprised of three counties in southwestern Texas and southern New Mexico, United States, and the municipality of Ciudad Juarez in the northern part of the state of Chihuahua of Mexico (Garfin and Leroy 2018).

Methods

Results

Conclusion