- Principal Investigators: Sebastian W. Hoch, Erik Crosman (UU)
- Funded for: $19,510
- Study Period: 12/1/2018 – 6/30/2019
- DAQ Contact: Chris Pennell (cpennell@utah.gov)
This study will provide wintertime meteorological observations, analysis, and forecasts in support of the concurrent Wasatch Front Ammonia and Particulate Chloride Observation (WaFACO) Study.
This study is a follow-on to the January 2017 Utah Winter Fine Particulate Study (UWFPS). UWFPS was a collaborative effort between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Utah Division of Environmental Quality (UDEQ), the University of Utah and other universities to investigate meteorological and chemical processes driving the wintertime fine particulate pollution in the Salt Lake, Cache, and Utah Valleys. One of the outcomes of the UWFPS study (Brown et al. 2018 report) was that a better understanding of ammonia sources and concentrations in the Salt Lake Valley is needed, including improved understanding of the role of air mass exchange and ammonia transport between the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys. This study will provide key meteorological support for the chemistry observations during the upcoming 2018-2019 winter season focusing on ammonia transport and air mass exchange between the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys.
Basic meteorological guidance through observations, analysis, and weather forecasts of air mass exchange through the Jordan Narrows gap between the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys are necessary for 1) successful intensive observation planning and decision making, 2) characterization of persistent cold-air pool (PCAP) evolution, 3) identification of meteorological processes within the evolving PCAPs affecting air mass exchange, with a focus on the gap flows between the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys, but also including such processes as surface-based mixing and PCAP erosion.