Mesoscale atmospheric flow-field simulations for air quality modeling over complex terrain region of Ranchi in eastern India using WRF

In the present study mesoscale meteorological flow and planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameters over the complex topographic region of Jharkhand state of tropical India are simulated using high resolution Advanced Research WRF (ARW) mesoscale model to study their role in the air pollution dispersion characteristics using a Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Model (FLEXPART). Eight fair weather days in different seasons (winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon) are chosen. Sensitivity experiments are conducted with two non-local [Yonsei University (YSU), Asymmetric Convective Model version 2 (ACM2)] and three local turbulence kinetic energy(TKE) closure [Mellor-Yamada Nakanishi and Niino Level 2.5 PBL (MYNN2), Mellor-Yamada-Janjic (MYJ), and quasi-normal scale elimination (QNSE)] PBL parameterisations to study the evolution of PBL parameters and thermodynamic structure. Simulated parameters are validated with available in situ meteorological observations at three stations in the study region. Results indicate that the low-level flow field is highly influenced by the topography and widely varies in different seasons. Simulated vertical PBL structure varied across seasons with shallow boundary layers (1-1.7 km) during winter, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, deep mixed layers (2-2.7 km) in pre-monsoon season. Simulations in various seasons revealed that ACM2 followed by MYNN2 and YSU reproduced various PBL features such as topographic flows, surface layer fluxes, meteorological variables and the thermo-dynamical structure reasonably well indicating the suitability of the above PBL schemes for air quality simulations over the region. This is corroborated with the error statistics as well. Simulations with FLEXPART using ARW derived meteorology revealed higher dilution potential of the atmosphere in monsoon and pre-monsoon compared to post monsoon and winter seasons over the region. Results also indicate the ACM2, MYNN2 and YSU produce relatively larger dispersion than the QNSE and MYJ. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.