45 Overview of the 2018 Canadian Operational Regional Air Quality …
289
Analysis of additional sensitivity tests (not shown) in which only one major change
was introduced at a time (e.g., new RDPS6 only, new GEM-MACH code only, new
input emissions files only) suggests that the differences seen in Figs. 45.1, 45.2, 45.3
and 45.4 arise primarily from the emissions changes. Changes to the GEM-MACH
code had some impact, particularly for surface O 3 levels in the winter, whereas
switching to the new RDPS version had only minor impacts.
45.4 Summary and Conclusion
A number of significant changes were made to the ECCC RAQDPS in 2018. Test
runs for summer 2016 and winter 2017 periods suggested that the new version
(RAQDPS020) outperforms the previous operational version (RAQDPS019), including improved NO 2 and O 3 forecasts. The performance of this new version was also
evaluated for a 2018 period, and the RAQDPS020 subsequently became the new
ECCC operational AQ forecast system in September 2018 [4].
References
1. J.-F. Caron, T. Milewski, M. Buehner, L. Fillion, M. Reszka, S. Macpherson, J. St-James,
Implementation of deterministic weather forecasting systems based on ensemble-variational
data assimilation at Environment Canada. Part II: the regional system. Mon. Wea Rev. 143,
2560–2580 (2015)
2. M.D. Moran, A. Lupu, J. Zhang, V. Savic-Jovcic, S. Gravel, A comprehensive performance
evaluation of the next generation of the Canadian operational regional air quality deterministic
prediction system. In: Air Pollution Modeling and its Application XXV, Springer, pp. 75–81
(2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57645-9
3. M.D. Moran, Q. Zheng, J. Zhang, R. Pavlovic, M. Sassi, Importance of inventory representativeness for air quality forecasting: a recent North American example. This volume (2019)
4. M.D. Moran, R. Pavlovic, Regional Air Quality Deterministic Prediction System (RAQDPS):
Update from version 019 to version 020. Canadian Meteorological Centre Technical Note,
September, Montreal, 48 pp (2018). http://collaboration.cmc.ec.gc.ca/cmc/cmoi/product_guide/
submenus/raqdps_e.html
5. A. Robichaud, R. Ménard, Y. Zaitseva, D. Anselmo, Multi-pollutant surface objective analyses
and mapping of air quality health index over North America. Air Qual. Atmos. Health 9, 743–759
(2016)
6. A. Robichaud, A. Cole, M.D. Moran, A. Lupu, M. Shaw, G. Roy, M. Beauchemin, V. Fortin,
R. Vet, Total deposition maps evaluated from measurement-model fusion in North America
(ADAGIO project). This volume (2019)
7. D.M. Stieb, R.T. Burnett, M. Smith-Dorion, B. Orly, H.H. Shin, V. Economou, A new multipollutant, no-threshold air quality health index based on short term associations observed in daily
time-series analyses. J Air Waste Manage Assoc 58, 435–450 (2008). https://doi.org/10.3155/
1047-3289.58.3.435
289
Analysis of additional sensitivity tests (not shown) in which only one major change
was introduced at a time (e.g., new RDPS6 only, new GEM-MACH code only, new
input emissions files only) suggests that the differences seen in Figs. 45.1, 45.2, 45.3
and 45.4 arise primarily from the emissions changes. Changes to the GEM-MACH
code had some impact, particularly for surface O 3 levels in the winter, whereas
switching to the new RDPS version had only minor impacts.
45.4 Summary and Conclusion
A number of significant changes were made to the ECCC RAQDPS in 2018. Test
runs for summer 2016 and winter 2017 periods suggested that the new version
(RAQDPS020) outperforms the previous operational version (RAQDPS019), including improved NO 2 and O 3 forecasts. The performance of this new version was also
evaluated for a 2018 period, and the RAQDPS020 subsequently became the new
ECCC operational AQ forecast system in September 2018 [4].
References
1. J.-F. Caron, T. Milewski, M. Buehner, L. Fillion, M. Reszka, S. Macpherson, J. St-James,
Implementation of deterministic weather forecasting systems based on ensemble-variational
data assimilation at Environment Canada. Part II: the regional system. Mon. Wea Rev. 143,
2560–2580 (2015)
2. M.D. Moran, A. Lupu, J. Zhang, V. Savic-Jovcic, S. Gravel, A comprehensive performance
evaluation of the next generation of the Canadian operational regional air quality deterministic
prediction system. In: Air Pollution Modeling and its Application XXV, Springer, pp. 75–81
(2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57645-9
3. M.D. Moran, Q. Zheng, J. Zhang, R. Pavlovic, M. Sassi, Importance of inventory representativeness for air quality forecasting: a recent North American example. This volume (2019)
4. M.D. Moran, R. Pavlovic, Regional Air Quality Deterministic Prediction System (RAQDPS):
Update from version 019 to version 020. Canadian Meteorological Centre Technical Note,
September, Montreal, 48 pp (2018). http://collaboration.cmc.ec.gc.ca/cmc/cmoi/product_guide/
submenus/raqdps_e.html
5. A. Robichaud, R. Ménard, Y. Zaitseva, D. Anselmo, Multi-pollutant surface objective analyses
and mapping of air quality health index over North America. Air Qual. Atmos. Health 9, 743–759
(2016)
6. A. Robichaud, A. Cole, M.D. Moran, A. Lupu, M. Shaw, G. Roy, M. Beauchemin, V. Fortin,
R. Vet, Total deposition maps evaluated from measurement-model fusion in North America
(ADAGIO project). This volume (2019)
7. D.M. Stieb, R.T. Burnett, M. Smith-Dorion, B. Orly, H.H. Shin, V. Economou, A new multipollutant, no-threshold air quality health index based on short term associations observed in daily
time-series analyses. J Air Waste Manage Assoc 58, 435–450 (2008). https://doi.org/10.3155/
1047-3289.58.3.435