CAMx Snow Cover Treatment

• Principal Investigator:
  • Greg Yarwood, RAMBOLL-ENVIRON
  • Chris Emery, RAMBOLL-ENVIRON
• DAQ Contact: Chris Pennell (cpennell@utah.gov)

Wintertime ozone is a serious air quality issue in the Uinta Basin. The situation is unique and requires improvements to the photochemical models used for winter conditions. High concentrations of wintertime ozone occur over snow-covered surfaces. Snow cover influences wintertime ozone by increasing surface albedo and thus increasing photolysis rates, inhibiting the surface deposition of ozone and other chemical species, and possibly introducing important chemistry processes onto the snow surface. Current air models need to improve their treatment of this snow cover in their simulations.

In addition, the chemical mechanisms used in the photochemical models will benefit from modifications so they can better handle cold temperature chemical reactions. Current mechanisms account for only some of the temperature dependency of the chemical products formed by reactions of organic molecules that are emitted by oil and gas operations.