Open AccessNumerical simulation of atmospheric CO2 concentration and flux over the Korean Peninsula using WRF-VPRM model during Korus-AQ 2016 campaign
Author(s) -
Changhyoun Park,
Soon-Young Park,
K. R. Gurney,
Christoph Gerbig,
Joshua P. DiGangi,
Yonghoon Choi,
Hwa Woon Lee
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0228106
Subject(s) - weather research and forecasting model , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , planetary boundary layer , flux (metallurgy) , peninsula , air quality index , boundary layer , daytime , meteorology , climatology , geology , geography , physics , chemistry , organic chemistry , archaeology , turbulence , thermodynamics
We conducted regional scale CO 2 simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) coupled with the Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (VPRM). We contrasted simulated concentrations with column, ground and aircraft observations during the Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) 2016 field campaign. Overall, WRF-VPRM slightly underestimates CO 2 concentrations at ground and column monitoring sites, but it significantly underestimates at an inland tower measurement site, especially within the stable (nocturnal) boundary layer in nighttime. The model successfully captures the airborne vertical profiles but showed a large offset within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) in the areas surrounding Seoul and around the Taeahn point source emissions in the west coastal area of the Korean Peninsula. A case study flight intended to capture Chinese influence observed no clear signals of long-range transport of CO 2 , due mainly to the much larger magnitude of background CO 2 concentrations. The calculated Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) with flux measurements at a tower site in the South Korean Peninsula has also been evaluated comparing with CO 2 flux measurements at a flux tower site, resulting in the underestimation by less than a factor of 1.