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GEM/POPs: a global 3-D dynamic model for semi-volatile persistent organic pollutants – 1. Model description and evaluations
1Air Quality Research Division, Science & Technology Branch, Environment Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, Ontario M3H 5T4, Canada
2Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3E5, Canada
3Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
4Atmospheric Research and Environment Program, World Meteorological Organization, 7 bis, avenue de la Paix, BP2300, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
5Centre for Atmosphere Watch & Services (CAWAS), Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Beijing 100081, China
Abstract. GEM/POPs was developed to simulate the transport, deposition and partitioning of semi-volatile persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the atmosphere within the framework of Canadian weather forecasting model GEM. In addition to the general processes such as anthropogenic emissions, atmosphere/water and atmosphere/soil exchanges, GEM/POPs incorporates a dynamic aerosol module to provide the aerosol surface areas for the semi-volatile POPs to partition between gaseous and particle phases and a mechanism for particle-bound POPs to be removed. Simulation results of three PCBs (28, 153 and 180) for year 2000 indicate that the model captured the main features of global atmospheric PCBs when compared with observations from EMEP, IADN and Alert stations. The annual averaged concentrations and the fractionation of the three PCBs as a function of latitudes are agreed reasonably well with observations. The impacts of atmospheric aerosols on the transports and partitioning of the three PCBs are reasonably simulated. The ratio of particulate to gaseous PCBs ranges from less than 0.1 for PCB28 to as high as 100 for PCB180, increasing from the warm lower latitudes to the cold high latitudes. Application of GEM/POPs in a study of the global transports and budgets of various PCBs accompanies this paper.
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Citation: Gong, S. L., Huang, P., Zhao, T. L., Sahsuvar, L., Barrie, L. A., Kaminski, J. W., Li, Y. F., and Niu, T.: GEM/POPs: a global 3-D dynamic model for semi-volatile persistent organic pollutants – 1. Model description and evaluations, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 7, 3397-3422, 2007. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager
