Critical load exceedances for North America and Europe using an ensemble of models and an investigation of causes of environmental impact estimate variability: an AQMEII4 study
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Air quality models show significant decreases in sulfur and nitrogen deposition exceedances in North American ecosystems between 2010 and 2016. European models indicate static acidification and slightly increased eutrophication risks, highlighting areas for model improvement.
Area Of Science
- Atmospheric chemistry and deposition modeling
- Ecosystem critical loads assessment
- Environmental risk assessment
Background
- Critical loads for sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) deposition are crucial for assessing ecosystem harm.
- Air quality models are used to estimate deposition and identify areas at risk.
- The Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative Phase 4 (AQMEII4) aimed to improve these estimates.
Purpose Of The Study
- To estimate exceedances of critical loads for S and N deposition across European and North American ecosystems.
- To identify regions at risk of ecosystem harm based on model deposition predictions.
- To analyze model-to-model variability and identify causes of differences in critical load exceedance estimates.
Main Methods
- Utilized ensembles of North American and European air quality models under AQMEII4.
- Drove models with common emissions and boundary conditions, regridding output to standard resolutions.
- Calculated critical load exceedances for acidity and eutrophication, analyzing deposition diagnostics and comparing with recent literature.
Main Results
- North American critical load exceedances for acidity decreased substantially (forest soils: 13.2% to 6.1%; aquatic ecosystems: 21.2% to 11.4%) between 2010 and 2016.
- Eutrophication exceedances in the USA also decreased for epiphytic lichen (81.5% to 75.8%) and herbaceous richness (13.9% to 3.9%), though with high model uncertainty.
- European models showed static acidification exceedances (4.48% to 4.32%) and a slight increase in eutrophication exceedances (60.2% to 62.2%) between 2009 and 2010.
Conclusions
- Significant reductions in ecosystem risk from S and N deposition were observed in North America.
- Model biases related to scavenging, dry deposition, and ammonia fluxes were identified, suggesting areas for improvement.
- Recommendations include enhanced process research on multiphase hydrometeor scavenging, deposition pathways, and ammonia bidirectional fluxes, alongside common land use databases.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
Related Concept Videos
In the ever-evolving field of public health, statistical analysis serves as a cornerstone for understanding and managing disease outbreaks. By leveraging various statistical tools, health professionals can predict potential outbreaks, analyze ongoing situations, and devise effective responses to mitigate impact. For that to happen, there are a few possible stages of the analysis:
Predicting Outbreaks
Predictive analytics, a branch of statistics, uses historical data, algorithmic models, and...
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
Past Periods of Warming and Cooling
In...
Flood risk assessment involves careful planning and analysis to ensure the safety of communities near water retention structures. Capacity contours are a vital tool in this process, as they illustrate the potential spread of water at specific levels in a given area. In the context of building a bund across a small valley, these contours play a critical role in evaluating the safety of nearby residential areas.In this example, the bund is intended to store stormwater in the valley. The engineers...
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
Weather and Climate
Weather and climate are related, though they differ in terms of time scale and predictability. Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, whereas climate...
Fluid mechanics model studies often utilize scaled-down systems to predict fluid behavior in full-scale environments, such as river flows, dam spillways, and structures interacting with open surfaces. Maintaining Froude number similarity in river models is crucial, as it replicates surface flow features like wave patterns and velocities.
Practical constraints, however, can introduce geometric distortions, impacting how accurately these models represent the real system. Adjustments, such as...