A Proof-of-Concept for Linking the Global Meteorological Model, MPAS-a with the Air Quality Model, CMAQ

Researchers who perform air quality modeling studies usually do so on a regional scale. Typically, the boundary conditions are generated by another model which might have a different chemical mechanism, spatial resolution, and/or map projection. Hence, a necessary conversion/interpolation takes place which introduces additional error. In a broader sense, air pollution is a global issue, thus, limited area modeling on the regional scale is not well suited to represent long-range transport from key source regions in other parts of the world. We have developed a prototype system to link the Model for Prediction Across Scales—Atmosphere (MPAS-A) with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to address these shortcomings. Pollutant transport is conducted within MPAS-A, rather than in CMAQ, to provide consistency with the meteorological processes. A coupler has been constructed to facilitate data exchange between the two models. Initial test simulations show reasonable results when compared with observational data.