1. Aerosol & Atmospheric Optics: Visual Air Quality and Radiation
The Western Regional Air Partnership Technical Support System as a Model for Technical Data Sharing
Aerosol & Atmospheric Optics: Visual Air Quality and Radiation
AWMA Specialty Conference
Moab, Utah
April 30, 2008
Patrick Barickman, Brock LeBaron, Utah Division of Air Quality
Shawn McClure, CIRA, Tom Moore, WRAP
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

2. Extending the Regional Haze Tools
1) Distribution of Large Datasets
Archive, Manage and Distribute Data in Manageable Bytes
2) Climate Change – Mitigation Strategies and Costs
Collecting and Analyzing Greenhouse Gas Inventories
3) Expanding and Adding Observational Data
Integration Of Satellite-based Observational Data
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

3. Large Datasets 2003 – Clean Air Corridors
Perl program to extract and prepare gridded inventory
2006 – Oil and gas development in N.E. Utah
Adapt Perl to extract subsets of emissions and modeling data
Extend scripting for further analysis
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

4. Large Datasets 2008 – New desktop GIS tools Handle netCDF directly
Still use Perl scripts for analysis
Relevant needs now are for temporal subsets rather than spatial subsets of data
netCDF files are already in single-day format
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

5. Large Datasets Why Is This Capability Important? 1) As time moves On
IPAMS 12 km ozone study
Counties potentially affected by new PM2.5 NAAQS
Additional counties very near the new NAAQS
Counties exceeding new ozone NAAQS
RPO Unified Grid/WRAP 36 km domain
WRAP 12 km domain
Why Is This Capability Important?
4-Corners 4 km ozone study (CAMx)
1) As time moves On
So do modeling needs and the capability to address them
2) Regionally Consistent Emission Inventories
State agencies
International
Windblown dust
Fire
3) Comprehensive Emission Inventories
Natural/anthropogenic
Controllable/uncontrollable
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

6. Use of the TSS for Housing and Analyzing GHG Inventories
Climate Change
Use of the TSS for Housing and Analyzing GHG Inventories
Leveraging existing analysis tools to address new regional questions; same sources, different pollutants.
Discussion of long lived globally well mixed greenhouse gases, not aerosols. Aerosols are spatially heterogeneous and have uncertain global magnitudes.
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

7. States are Establishing GHG Inventories
Climate Change
States are Establishing GHG Inventories
Historical trends and projected growth
Identify best areas to reduce emissions
Registering emissions to establish baseline – TCR
Response to public demand for action
All western/WRAP states now have a GHG inventory
Most developed by CCS and utilize a consistent methodology
Include the same GHGs listed by the IGCC
Cover the same historical and projection years
* Reasons why states are interested in establishing inventories of their GHG emissions
* The result is that all Western States now have a current inventory that is consistent
* Problem is that there is no capability for analysis
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

8. Need Tools for Tracking GHGs and Evaluating Reduction Strategies
Climate Change
Need Tools for Tracking GHGs and Evaluating Reduction Strategies
Analysis by sector using totals, percentages and apportionment
Traceability and support for certification
Regional, state, sector, or source focus
Same sources as for Criteria or RH pollutants
Some differences from Criteria pollutants or RH pollutants:
Consumption or Production Based
Indirect vs. direct sources
Sector based not SCC code based
While State have the GHG inventories they need an analytical framework to examine these inventories and evaluate reduction strategies
* TSS already provides many of the functions that would be needed to examine GHGs
* For GHGs it’s the same sources as RH but different pollutants
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

9. TSS Could Add Value With Limited Development Cost
Climate Change
TSS Could Add Value With Limited Development Cost
Government, public and industry review of emissions for all sources
Spatial mapping of emissions and sources using GIS
Ability to view totals by source sector, geography, GHG species or other characteristics
Links to current understanding of GHG forcing; absorption, scattering, secondary effects
Cross sector comparisons of cost and energy efficiency
TSS currently has many of the tools needed for examining GHGs and incorporating GHGs should not be difficult.
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

10. TSS Data Links Climate Change
GHG inventories - State, Federal and Registry
GHG radiative equivalency calculations - IPCC
GHG accounting protocol – WRI ISO14064
GHG scenario cost comparison -WCI
In a fashion similar to how the TSS is dynamically linked to databases that support RH analysis, it could be linked to available data supporting GHGs and the evaluation of control strategies
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

11. TSS Enhancement of The Climate Registry
Climate Change
TSS Enhancement of The Climate Registry
View emissions trends over time
Geographic mapping of participants and reductions
Comparisons of emissions calculation methodologies
Compare composite changes by source type
An example of how the TSS could add value would be through a link to The Climate Registry. The Registry’s current emissions review tool, CARROT, is limited and the TSS could enhance the user’s access to Registry information.
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

12. Expanding and Adding Observational Data Continuing Improvements Integration Of Satellite-based Observational Data
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

13. VIEWS/TSS Data Inventory
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

14. VIEWS/TSS Project: Future Near-Term Plans
Add satellite data in conjunction with NASA ROSES contract
Add additional NAAQS (ozone, for example) and global data
Develop more tools that offer region- and locale-specific analyses
Develop appropriate new functionality as web services
Refine decision tools for making interpretations and recommendations
Expand and refine guidance documentation
Establish case studies from the user community as guidance
Allow users to upload and immediately work with their data
Develop modular, reusable, components for other developers
Establish reusable precedents for air quality decision support
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality

15. Acquisition and Import of NASA Satellite Data into VIEWS/TSS
2007 NASA ROSES Solicitation for “Enhancing a Decision Support System” with NASA satellite data
End users for project are WRAP, EPA, NPS, + others
Awarded to CIRA and UNC Chapel Hill as Co-P.I.s
3-year project starts May 2008 – activities include:
Acquire and import relevant satellite data into the TSS database
Quantitative concentration values, aerosol optical depth, other
Qualitative satellite vertical profiles, maps
Incorporate and use satellite data in CMAQ - utilize for model evaluation
Enhance/build upon recent work in the scientific community to integrate ground-based and satellite data for fire activity and emissions as input to air quality models
Enhance TSS tools to provide access to and visualization of satellite data
Display vertical profiles for a given site to investigate aerosol events
“Fill in” sparse monitoring data to produce better contour maps
Correlate satellite data to ground-based monitoring data
Investigate long-term transport, evaluate substituted data, additional QA of monitored data, etc.
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Division of Air Quality