Local Atmospheric Chemistry and Ozone Model (LACOM)

Abstract

LACOM (Local Atmospheric Chemistry and Ozone Model) is a chemistry box model that can be applied to teaching and learning atmospheric chemistry at high schools, especially GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) schools, and at universities. The program code is written in Fortran and can be run on a PC under Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT, in MS-DOS prompt or using MS-Excel 97. Commercial graphic programs are used for data analysis. Using LACOM as a tool, students learn about the chemical complexity of the troposphere, the importance of solar radiation and photochemistry, the significant influence of emissions and depositions of gases, and the impact of meteorological parameters. Special attention is paid to tropospheric ozone. LACOM is appropriate for (i) simulating main features of a particular day, (ii) understanding the coupling between individual parameters, and (iii) predicting impacts of environmental problems such as increased pollution and ozone depletion in the lower atmosphere. As input the program needs meteorological data and information about local emissions. For the days simulated students can make environmental observations (e.g., daily minimum and maximum temperatures, and temperature, relative humidity, and cloudiness at noon) as GLOBE schools do continuously and use these data in the simulations.