Air quality over Europe: modelling gaseous and particulate pollutants

Abstract. Air quality over Europe using Models-3 (i.e., CMAQ, MM5, SMOKE) modelling system is performed for winter (i.e., January 2006) and summer (i.e., July 2006) months with the 2006 TNO gridded anthropogenic emissions database. Higher ozone mixing ratios are predicted in southern Europe while higher NO₂ levels are simulated over western Europe. Elevated SO₂ values are simulated over eastern Europe and higher PM_2.5 concentrations over eastern and western Europe. Regional average results suggest that NO₂ and PM_2.5 are underpredicted, SO₂ is overpredicted, while Max8hrO₃ is overpredicted for low mixing ratios and is underpredicted for the higher mixing ratios. However, in a number of countries observed and predicted values are in good agreement for the pollutants examined here. Speciated PM_2.5 components suggest that NO₃ is dominant during winter over western Europe and in a few eastern countries due to the high NO₂ mixing ratios. During summer NO₃ is dominant only in regions with elevated NH₃ emissions. For the rest of the domain SO₄ is dominant. Low OC concentrations are simulated mainly due to the uncertain representation of SOA formation.