Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net 1680-7367 1680-7375 7 3 2007 10.5194/acpd-7-6487-2007 http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/7/6487/2007/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/7/6487/2007/acpd-7-6487-2007.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/7/6487/2007/acpd-7-6487-2007.pdf 6487 6525 2007-05-14 Sensitivity of PM_2.5 to climate in the Eastern U.S.: a modeling case study J. P. Dawson P. J. Adams S. N. Pandis spyros@andrew.cmu.edu Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA University of Patras, Patra, Greece The effects of various meteorological parameters on PM_2.5 concentrations in the Eastern US are examined using the PMCAMx chemical transport model. A suite of perturbations in temperature, wind speed, absolute humidity, mixing height, cloud cover, and precipitation are imposed on base case conditions corresponding to periods in July 2001 and January 2002 in order to determine the sensitivities of PM_2.5 concentrations and composition to these meteorological parameters. Temperature had a major effect on average PM_2.5 in January (–170 ng m^−3 K^−1) due largely to the evaporation of ammonium nitrate and organic aerosol at higher temperatures; increases in sulfate production with increased temperature counteracted much of this decrease in July. Changes in mixing height also had major effects on PM_2.5 concentrations: 73 ng m^−3 (100 m)^−1 in January and 210 ng m^−3 (100 m)^−1 in July. Changes in wind speed (30 to 55 ng m^−3 %^−1) and absolute humidity (15 to 20 ng m^−3 %^−1) also had appreciable effects on average PM_2.5 concentrations. 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