Simulated Effects of Climate Change on Summertime Nitrogen Deposition in the Eastern US

Item

Title
Simulated Effects of Climate Change on Summertime Nitrogen Deposition in the Eastern US
Description
It is anticipated that climate change may impact regional-scale air quality and atmospheric deposition in the coming decades. To simulate the effects of climate change on nitrogen (N) deposition across numerous watersheds in the eastern US, we applied the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies General Circulation Model (GISS-GCM), Fifth Generation Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5), Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) modeling system, and the US Environmental Protection Agency Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model. Keeping chemical initial and boundary conditions, land use, and anthropogenic area and point source emissions fixed, this modeling system was applied over five summers (June–August) from 1993 to 1997 and five summers from 2053 to 2057. Over these eastern US watersheds, the modeling system estimated 3–14% increases in summertime N deposition as a result of climate change. This increase is primarily due to the direct effects of climate change on atmospheric conditions and chemistry. Wet N deposition is predicted to increase as a result of increased precipitation, while dry N deposition is predicted to increase as higher surface temperatures favor gas-phase nitric acid to particulate nitrate. The simulated increase suggests that additional reductions in N oxides and/or ammonia may be needed to fully realize the anticipated benefits of planned reduction strategies, including the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR).
Version of Record
Creator
Civerolo, Kevin L.
Hogrefe, Christian
Lynn, Barry
Rosenzweig, Cynthia
Goldberg, Richard
Klein-Rosenthal, Joyce Ellen
Knowlton, Kim
Kinney, Patrick L.
Subject
Atmospheric deposition
Climate change
CMAQ
MM5
Nitrogen
Publisher
Date
2015-07-17T14:22:30Z
2008
Type
Journal Article
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
Civerolo, Kevin L., Christian Hogrefe, Barry Lynn, Cynthia Rosenzweig, Richard Goldberg, Joyce Rosenthal, Kim Knowlton, and Patrick L. Kinney. 2008. Simulated Effects of Climate Change on Summertime Nitrogen Deposition in the Eastern US. Atmospheric Environment 42, no. 9: 2074–2082.
1352-2310
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17462975
10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.11.049
Language
en_US
Relation
doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.11.049
Atmospheric Environment