Chemical data assimilation with aqueous chemistry in WRF-Chem coupled
with WRFDA (V4.4.1)
Abstract
This study introduces a new chemistry option in the Weather Research and
Forecasting model data assimilation (WRFDA) system, coupled with the
WRF-Chem model (Version 4.4.1), to incorporate aqueous chemistry
(AQCHEM) in the assimilation of ground-level chemical measurements. The
new data assimilation capability includes the integration of
aqueous-phase aerosols from the Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism
(RACM) gas chemistry, the Modal Aerosol Dynamics Model for Europe (MADE)
aerosol chemistry, and the Volatility Basis Set (VBS) for secondary
organic aerosol (SOA) production. The RACM-MADE-VBS-AQCHEM scheme
facilitates aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions by activating
aerosol particles in cloud water during the model simulation. With the
goal of enhancing air quality forecasting in cloudy conditions, this new
implementation is demonstrated in the weakly coupled three-dimensional
variational data assimilation (3D-Var) system through regional air
quality cycling over East Asia. Surface particulate matter (PM)
concentrations and four gas species (SO$_2$, NO$_2$, O$_3$, and
CO) are assimilated every 6 h for the month of March 2019. The results
show that including aqueous-phase aerosols in both the analysis and
forecast can represent aerosol wet removal processes associated with
cloud development and rainfall production. During a pollution event with
high cloud cover, simulations without aerosols defined in cloud water
exhibit significantly higher values for liquid water path (LWP), and
surface PM$_{10}$ (PM$_{2.5}$) concentrations are
overestimated by a factor of 10 (3) when wet scavenging processes
dominate. On the contrary, aqueous chemistry proves to be helpful in
simulating the wet deposition of aerosols, accurately predicting the
evolution of surface PM concentrations without such overestimation.