xii
Foreword
The urban environment presents challenges to atmospheric scientists—
theoreticians, experimentalists, and modellers—because of very high roughness
elements penetrating deeply into the ABL (thus requiring the revision of such classical concepts as the surface layer, roughness length, and displacement height; see
Zilitinkevich et al., 2008), the heterogeneous distribution of surface features, and the
strong spatial and temporal variabilities of surface fl uxes of heat, moisture, momentum, and pollutants. Additionally, the structure of the conurbation may enhance vertical motions, changing the residence times of atmospheric compounds (Hidalgo
et al., 2008) and triggering local meteorological circulations (e.g., caused by “heat
islands”), and the production of condensation nuclei, thus affecting cloud formation,
precipitation patterns, and the radiation balance. The increased relevance of urban
meteorology is refl ected in the number of experimental campaigns performed in
urban areas in Europe and America during the last decade, e.g., BUBBLE (Rotach
et al., 2005), ESCOMPTE (Mestayer et al., 2005), CAPITOUL (Masson et al., 2009),
and MILAGRO (Molina et al., 2007).
The incorporation of urban effects into air pollution models is generally carried out through the “urbanization” of meso-meteorological or numerical weather
prediction (NWP) models (which act as driver models), or using special urban
meteo-pre-processors to improve non-urbanized NWP input data (COST-715,
2005).
The persistently increasing resolution in NWP models allows to reproduce more
realistically urban air fl ows and air pollution, and triggers interest in further experimental and theoretical studies in urban meteorology. Recent works performed by a
consortium of an European project, EMS-FUMAPEX 2005, on integrated systems
for forecasting urban meteorology and air pollution, and by the U.S. EPA and NCAR
communities employing the models MM5 (Dupont et al., 2004; Taha, 2008) and
WRF (Chen et al., 2006), as well as other relevant works (see COST-728, 2009),
have disclosed many options for the urbanization of NWP and meso-meteorological
models.
It goes without saying that no single book could cover the entire range of problems listed above. The scope of this book does not intend such a grand task. It rather
refl ects and summarizes some recent developments relevant to the key issues in modeling atmospheric turbulence and air pollution. Chapter 1 deals with the modelling
of deposition, transformation and remobilization of soot and diesel particulates on
building surfaces, damage to facades and decoration by air pollution, and the human
health aspect of air pollution (Brimblecombe and Grossi, 2005). Chapter 2 describes
observational studies of convective ABLs over pastures and forests in Amazonia
(Fisch et al., 2004). Chapter 3 discusses the theoretical studies of turbulence and
turbulent diffusion in convective ABLs (Degrazia and Anfossi, 1998; Goulart
et al., 2003). Chapter 4 describes the parameterization of convective turbulence and
clouds in atmospheric models based on the combination of the eddy-diffusivity and
mass-fl ux approaches (Soares et al., 2004; Siebesma et al., 2006). Chapter 5 contains a general discussion of analytical solutions to the advection-diffusion equations (Tirabassi, 1989, 2003). Chapter 6 describes analytical models for air pollution
including those for low wind conditions (Sharan et al., 1996; Sharan and Modani,
2005). Chapter 7 deals with the analytical solutions to the advection-diffusion equations using the generalized integral Laplace transform technique (GILTT) and the
© 2010 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
Foreword
The urban environment presents challenges to atmospheric scientists—
theoreticians, experimentalists, and modellers—because of very high roughness
elements penetrating deeply into the ABL (thus requiring the revision of such classical concepts as the surface layer, roughness length, and displacement height; see
Zilitinkevich et al., 2008), the heterogeneous distribution of surface features, and the
strong spatial and temporal variabilities of surface fl uxes of heat, moisture, momentum, and pollutants. Additionally, the structure of the conurbation may enhance vertical motions, changing the residence times of atmospheric compounds (Hidalgo
et al., 2008) and triggering local meteorological circulations (e.g., caused by “heat
islands”), and the production of condensation nuclei, thus affecting cloud formation,
precipitation patterns, and the radiation balance. The increased relevance of urban
meteorology is refl ected in the number of experimental campaigns performed in
urban areas in Europe and America during the last decade, e.g., BUBBLE (Rotach
et al., 2005), ESCOMPTE (Mestayer et al., 2005), CAPITOUL (Masson et al., 2009),
and MILAGRO (Molina et al., 2007).
The incorporation of urban effects into air pollution models is generally carried out through the “urbanization” of meso-meteorological or numerical weather
prediction (NWP) models (which act as driver models), or using special urban
meteo-pre-processors to improve non-urbanized NWP input data (COST-715,
2005).
The persistently increasing resolution in NWP models allows to reproduce more
realistically urban air fl ows and air pollution, and triggers interest in further experimental and theoretical studies in urban meteorology. Recent works performed by a
consortium of an European project, EMS-FUMAPEX 2005, on integrated systems
for forecasting urban meteorology and air pollution, and by the U.S. EPA and NCAR
communities employing the models MM5 (Dupont et al., 2004; Taha, 2008) and
WRF (Chen et al., 2006), as well as other relevant works (see COST-728, 2009),
have disclosed many options for the urbanization of NWP and meso-meteorological
models.
It goes without saying that no single book could cover the entire range of problems listed above. The scope of this book does not intend such a grand task. It rather
refl ects and summarizes some recent developments relevant to the key issues in modeling atmospheric turbulence and air pollution. Chapter 1 deals with the modelling
of deposition, transformation and remobilization of soot and diesel particulates on
building surfaces, damage to facades and decoration by air pollution, and the human
health aspect of air pollution (Brimblecombe and Grossi, 2005). Chapter 2 describes
observational studies of convective ABLs over pastures and forests in Amazonia
(Fisch et al., 2004). Chapter 3 discusses the theoretical studies of turbulence and
turbulent diffusion in convective ABLs (Degrazia and Anfossi, 1998; Goulart
et al., 2003). Chapter 4 describes the parameterization of convective turbulence and
clouds in atmospheric models based on the combination of the eddy-diffusivity and
mass-fl ux approaches (Soares et al., 2004; Siebesma et al., 2006). Chapter 5 contains a general discussion of analytical solutions to the advection-diffusion equations (Tirabassi, 1989, 2003). Chapter 6 describes analytical models for air pollution
including those for low wind conditions (Sharan et al., 1996; Sharan and Modani,
2005). Chapter 7 deals with the analytical solutions to the advection-diffusion equations using the generalized integral Laplace transform technique (GILTT) and the
© 2010 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC