Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net 1680-7367 1680-7375 9 5 2009 10.5194/acpd-9-19509-2009 http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/19509/2009/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/19509/2009/acpd-9-19509-2009.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/19509/2009/acpd-9-19509-2009.pdf 19509 19544 2009-09-18 Modelling surface ozone during the 2003 heat wave in the UK M. Vieno mvieno@staffmail.ed.ac.uk A. J. Dore D. S. Stevenson R. Doherty M. R. Heal S. Reis S. Hallsworth L. Tarrason P. Wind D. Fowler D. Simpson M. A. Sutton School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Penicuik, UK School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, UK Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Oslo, Norway Dept. Radio and Space Sci., Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden A high resolution (5×5 km²) UK-scale chemistry-transport model (EMEP4UK) is used to study ground-level ozone (O₃) during the August 2003 heat-wave. Meteorology is generated by the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model, nudged every six hours with reanalysis data. We focus on SE England, where hourly average O₃ reached up to 140 ppb during the heat-wave. EMEP4UK accurately reproduces observed annual and diurnal cycles of surface O₃ at urban and rural sites. Elevated O₃ and much of its day-to-day variability during the heat-wave are well captured. Key O₃ precursors, nitrogen dioxide and isoprene (C₅H₈), are less well simulated, but show generally accurate diurnal cycles and concentrations to within a factor of ~2–3 of observations. The modelled surface O₃ distribution has an intricate spatio-temporal structure, governed by a combination of meteorology, emissions and photochemistry. A series of sensitivity runs with the model are used to explore the factors that influenced O₃ levels during the heat-wave. Various factors appear to be important on different days and at different sites. Ozone imported from outside the model domain, especially the south, is very important on several days during the heat-wave, contributing up to 85 ppb. Dry deposition of O₃, when completely switched off, elevated simulated O₃ by up to 50 ppb, and this may have been an important factor on several days. Modelled C₅H₈ concentrations are generally best simulated if C₅H₈ emissions are changed from the base emissions: typically doubled, but elevated by up to a factor of five on some days. Accurately modelling the exact positions of individual plumes of anthropogenically emitted nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds is crucial for the successful simulation of O₃ at a particular time and location. 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