WRF-Chem Model Sensitivity Analysis to Chemical Mechanism Choice

A comparison between two WRF-Chem simulations has been performed in the framework of the AQMEII modeling initiative for the calendar year 2010. Model configurations shared the same physics options, but different chemical parameterizations were selected. The first run adopted RADM2-MADE/SORGAM chemical mechanisms, whereas the second one employed the CBMZ-MOSAIC chemical option. Comparisons between two simulations show that CMBZ is higher than RADM2 for gas concentrations. On the contrary, MADE-SORGAM reproduces higher aerosol values than MOSAIC, especially over land. The same behaviour is observed in comparison against ground – based measurements. Both simulations underestimate observed values of NOx and PM2.5.