scholarly journals ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF WIND SPEED AND MIXING-LAYER HEIGHT ON AIR QUALITY IN KRAKOW (POLAND) IN THE YEARS 2014-2015

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert OLENIACZ ◽  
Marek BOGACKI ◽  
Adriana SZULECKA ◽  
Mateusz RZESZUTEK ◽  
Marian MAZUR
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Mixing Layer Height ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Vertically-resolved Characteristics of Air Pollution during Two Severe Winter Haze Episodes in Urban Beijing, China

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingqing Wang ◽  
Yele Sun ◽  
Weiqi Xu ◽  
Wei Du ◽  
Libo Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
Vertical Profiles ◽  
Severe Winter ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Mixing Layer Height ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Beijing China

Abstract. We conducted the first real-time continuous vertical measurements of particle extinction (bext), gaseous NO2, and black carbon (BC) from ground level to 260 m during two severe winter haze episodes at an urban site in Beijing, China. Our results illustrated four distinct types of vertical profiles: 1) uniform vertical distributions (37 % of the time) with vertical differences less than 5 %; 2) higher values at lower altitudes (29 %); 3) higher values at higher altitudes (16 %), and 4) significant decreases at the heights of ~ 100–150 m (14 %). Further analysis demonstrated that vertical convection as indicated by mixing layer height, temperature inversion, and local emissions are three major factors affecting the changes in vertical profiles. Particularly, the formation of Type 4 was strongly associated with the stratified layer that was formed due to the interactions of different air masses and temperature inversions. Aerosol composition was substantially different below and above the transition heights with ~ 20–30 % higher contributions of local sources (e.g., biomass burning and cooking) at lower altitudes. A more detailed evolution of vertical profiles and their relationship with the changes in source emissions, mixing layer height, and aerosol chemistry was illustrated by a case study. BC showed overall similar vertical profiles as those of bext (R2 = 0.92 and 0.69 in November and January, respectively). While NO2 was correlated with bext for most of the time, the vertical profiles of bext/NO2 varied differently for different profiles, indicating the impact of chemical transformation on vertical profiles. Our results also showed that more comprehensive vertical measurements (e.g., more aerosol and gaseous species) at higher altitudes in the megacities are needed for a better understanding of the formation mechanisms and evolution of severe haze episodes in China.

Application of continuous remote sensing of mixing layer height for assessment of airport air quality

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Schäfer ◽  
Costas Helmis ◽  
Stefan Emeis ◽  
George Sgouros ◽  
Ralf Kurtenbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Mixing Layer Height

scholarly journals A Model Chain Application to Estimate Mixing Layer Height Related to PM10 Dispersion Processes

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
F. Guarnieri ◽  
F. Calastrini ◽  
C. Busillo ◽  
G. Messeri ◽  
B. Gozzini
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Mixing Layer Height

The mixing layer height (MLH) is a crucial parameter in order to investigate the near surface concentrations of air pollutants. The MLH can be estimated by measurements of some atmospheric variables, by indirect estimates based on trace gases concentration or aerosol, or by numerical models. Here, a modelling approach is proposed. The developed modelling system is based on the models WRF-ARW and CALMET. This system is applied on Firenze-Prato-Pistoia area (Central Italy), during 2010, and it is compared with in situ measurements. The aim of this work is to evaluate the use of MLH model estimates to characterize the critical episodes for PM10 in a limited area. In order to find out the meteorological conditions predisposing accumulation of PM10 in the atmosphere’s lower level, some indicators are used: daily mean wind speed, cumulated rainfall, and mean MLH estimates from CALMET model. This indicator is linked to orography, which has important consequences on local weather dynamics. However, during critical events the local emission sources are crucial to the determination of threshold exceeding of PM10. Results show that the modelled MLH, together with cumulative rainfall and wind speed, can identify the meteorological conditions predisposing accumulation of air pollutant at ground level.

Impact of mixing layer height on air quality in winter

2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 105157 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.S. Murthy ◽  
R. Latha ◽  
Arpit Tiwari ◽  
Aditi Rathod ◽  
Siddhartha Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Mixing Layer Height

scholarly journals Mixing layer height as an indicator for urban air quality?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Geiß ◽  
Matthias Wiegner ◽  
Boris Bonn ◽  
Klaus Schäfer ◽  
Renate Forkel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Emission Sources ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Diurnal Cycles ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Mixing Layer Height

Abstract. The mixing layer height (MLH) is a measure for the vertical turbulent exchange within the boundary layer, which is one of the controlling factors for the dilution of pollutants emitted near the ground. Based on continuous MLH measurements with a Vaisala CL51 ceilometer and measurements from an air quality network, the relationship between MLH and near surface pollutant concentrations have been investigated. In this context the uncertainty of the MLH retrievals and the representativeness of ground-based in-situ measurements are crucial. We have investigated this topic by using data from the BAERLIN2014 campaign in Berlin, Germany, conducted during June and August 2014. To derive the MLH three versions of the proprietary software BL-VIEW and a novel approach COBOLT were compared. It was found that the overall agreement is reasonable if mean diurnal cycles are considered. The main advantage of COBOLT is the continuous detection of the MLH with a temporal resolution of 10 minutes and a lower number of cases when the residual layer is misinterpreted as mixing layer. We have calculated correlations between MLH as derived from the different retrievals and concentrations of pollutants (PM10, O3 and NOx) for different locations in the metropolitan area of Berlin. It was found that the correlations with PM10 are quite different for different sites without showing a clear pattern, whereas the correlation with NOx seems to depend on the vicinity of emission sources in main roads. In case of ozone as a secondary pollutant a clear correlation was found. We conclude that the effects of the heterogeneity of the emission sources, chemical processing and mixing during transport exceed the differences due to different MLH retrievals. Moreover, it seems to be unrealistic to find correlations between MLH and near surface pollutant concentrations representative for a city like Berlin, in particular when traffic emissions are dominant. Nevertheless it is worthwhile to use advanced MLH retrievals for ceilometer data, e.g. for the validation of chemical transport models.

scholarly journals Mixing layer height as an indicator for urban air quality?

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2969-2988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Geiß ◽  
Matthias Wiegner ◽  
Boris Bonn ◽  
Klaus Schäfer ◽  
Renate Forkel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Emission Sources ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Diurnal Cycles ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Mixing Layer Height

Abstract. The mixing layer height (MLH) is a measure for the vertical turbulent exchange within the boundary layer, which is one of the controlling factors for the dilution of pollutants emitted near the ground. Based on continuous MLH measurements with a Vaisala CL51 ceilometer and measurements from an air quality network, the relationship between MLH and near-surface pollutant concentrations has been investigated. In this context the uncertainty of the MLH retrievals and the representativeness of ground-based in situ measurements are crucial. We have investigated this topic by using data from the BAERLIN2014 campaign in Berlin, Germany, conducted from June to August 2014. To derive the MLH, three versions of the proprietary software BL-VIEW and a novel approach COBOLT were compared. It was found that the overall agreement is reasonable if mean diurnal cycles are considered. The main advantage of COBOLT is the continuous detection of the MLH with a temporal resolution of 10 min and a lower number of cases when the residual layer is misinterpreted as mixing layer. We have calculated correlations between MLH as derived from the different retrievals and concentrations of pollutants (PM10, O3 and NOx) for different locations in the metropolitan area of Berlin. It was found that the correlations with PM10 are quite different for different sites without showing a clear pattern, whereas the correlation with NOx seems to depend on the vicinity of emission sources in main roads. In the case of ozone as a secondary pollutant, a clear correlation was found. We conclude that the effects of the heterogeneity of the emission sources, chemical processing and mixing during transport exceed the differences due to different MLH retrievals. Moreover, it seems to be unrealistic to find correlations between MLH and near-surface pollutant concentrations representative for a city like Berlin (flat terrain), in particular when traffic emissions are dominant. Nevertheless it is worthwhile to use advanced MLH retrievals for ceilometer data, for example as input to dispersion models and for the validation of chemical transport models.

scholarly journals Vertically resolved characteristics of air pollution during two severe winter haze episodes in urban Beijing, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 2495-2509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingqing Wang ◽  
Yele Sun ◽  
Weiqi Xu ◽  
Wei Du ◽  
Libo Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
Vertical Profiles ◽  
Severe Winter ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Mixing Layer Height ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Beijing China

Abstract. We conducted the first real-time continuous vertical measurements of particle extinction (bext), gaseous NO2, and black carbon (BC) from ground level to 260 m during two severe winter haze episodes at an urban site in Beijing, China. Our results illustrated four distinct types of vertical profiles: (1) uniform vertical distributions (37 % of the time) with vertical differences less than 5 %, (2) higher values at lower altitudes (29 %), (3) higher values at higher altitudes (16 %), and (4) significant decreases at the heights of ∼ 100–150 m (14 %). Further analysis demonstrated that vertical convection as indicated by mixing layer height, temperature inversion, and local emissions are three major factors affecting the changes in vertical profiles. Particularly, the formation of type 4 was strongly associated with the stratified layer that was formed due to the interactions of different air masses and temperature inversions. Aerosol composition was substantially different below and above the transition heights with ∼ 20–30 % higher contributions of local sources (e.g., biomass burning and cooking) at lower altitudes. A more detailed evolution of vertical profiles and their relationship with the changes in source emissions, mixing layer height, and aerosol chemistry was illustrated by a case study. BC showed overall similar vertical profiles as those of bext (R2=0.92 and 0.69 in November and January, respectively). While NO2 was correlated with bext for most of the time, the vertical profiles of bext ∕ NO2 varied differently for different profiles, indicating the impact of chemical transformation on vertical profiles. Our results also showed that more comprehensive vertical measurements (e.g., more aerosol and gaseous species) at higher altitudes in the megacities are needed for a better understanding of the formation mechanisms and evolution of severe haze episodes in China.

Mesoscale variability of the aerosol distribution as determined from ceilometer measurements

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Wiegner ◽  
Alexander Geiß ◽  
Ina Mattis ◽  
Fred Meier ◽  
Thomas Ruhtz
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Transport Models ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Aerosol Distribution ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
Mixing Layer Height ◽  
Highly Correlated

<p>The spatial distribution of aerosol particles is relevant for studies on the radiation budget, for the verification of chemistry transport models, or for air quality studies just to name a few. As the distribution is highly variable the requirements to measurements are very demanding. As a consequence it is often assumed that the aerosol distribution is "relatively homogeneous", i.e., measurements at one site are representative for a larger area.</p><p>By exploiting 2 years of measurements from 12 ceilometers located in the area of Munich and Berlin, Germany, we have investigated the spatial differences between locations separated between 3~km and 50~km. For this purpose we have used the mixing layer height (MLH), a quantity often used when the vertical aerosol distribution should be described by a single parameter. The MLH was determined by the COBOLT-algorithm (Geiß et al., 2017). It was found that the MLHs at different locations inside the two cities are highly correlated and agree within a few tens of meters. However, the maximum extension of the mixing layer from April to September was found to be significantly larger in Berlin compared to Munich.</p><p><br>Geiß, A., Wiegner, M., Bonn, B., Schäfer, K., Forkel, R., von Schneidemesser, E., Münkel, C., Chan, K. L., and Nothard, R. (2017): Mixing layer height as an indicator for urban air quality?  Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2969-2988, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2969-2017, 2017.</p>

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