A Lagrangian model of air-mass photochemistry and mixing using a trajectory ensemble: the Cambridge Tropospheric Trajectory model of Chemistry And Transport (CiTTyCAT) version 4.2

Pugh, Thomas and Cain, Michelle and Methven, J. and Wild, O. and Arnold, S. R. and Real, E. and Law, K. S. and Emmerson, K. M. and Owen, S. M. and Pyle, J. A. and Hewitt, C. N. and Mackenzie, Rob (2012) A Lagrangian model of air-mass photochemistry and mixing using a trajectory ensemble: the Cambridge Tropospheric Trajectory model of Chemistry And Transport (CiTTyCAT) version 4.2. Geoscientific Model Development, 5 (1). pp. 193-221. ISSN 1991-9603

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Abstract

A Lagrangian model of photochemistry and mixing is described (CiTTyCAT, stemming from the Cambridge Tropospheric Trajectory model of Chemistry And Transport), which is suitable for transport and chemistry studies throughout the troposphere. Over the last five years, the model has been developed in parallel at several different institutions and here those developments have been incorporated into one "community" model and documented for the first time. The key photochemical developments include a new scheme for biogenic volatile organic compounds and updated emissions schemes. The key physical development is to evolve composition following an ensemble of trajectories within neighbouring air-masses, including a simple scheme for mixing between them via an evolving "background profile", both within the boundary layer and free troposphere. The model runs along trajectories pre-calculated using winds and temperature from meteorological analyses. In addition, boundary layer height and precipitation rates, output from the analysis model, are interpolated to trajectory points and used as inputs to the mixing and wet deposition schemes. The model is most suitable in regimes when the effects of small-scale turbulent mixing are slow relative to advection by the resolved winds so that coherent air-masses form with distinct composition and strong gradients between them. Such air-masses can persist for many days while stretching, folding and thinning. Lagrangian models offer a useful framework for picking apart the processes of air-mass evolution over inter-continental distances, without being hindered by the numerical diffusion inherent to global Eulerian models. The model, including different box and trajectory modes, is described and some output for each of the modes is presented for evaluation. The model is available for download from a Subversion-controlled repository by contacting the corresponding authors.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Geoscientific Model Development
Additional Information:
© Author(s) 2012. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/environmentalscience
Subjects:
?? tropical rain-forestvolatile organic-compoundshenrys law constantsground-level ozoneisoprene oxidation mechanismsabsorption cross-sectionshydroxy alkyl nitratesbiogenic nox emissionslong-range transportatmospheric chemistryenvironmental sciencemodelling a ??
ID Code:
53440
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
12 Apr 2012 09:40
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
27 Feb 2024 00:50