AQMEII : the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative

1. AQMEII : the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative An initiative for international coordination on the evaluation of regional air quality modelling (http://aqmeii.jrc.ec.europa.eu) • AQMEII aims at promoting research on regional air quality model evaluation across the European and North American atmospheric modelling communities, through the exchange of information on practices, the realization of inter-community activities and the identification of research priorities, keeping in focus policy needs. The activity is organized around the concept of Operational, Diagnostic, Dynamic and Probabilistic evaluation defined and discussed in the Research Triangle Park (US) EPA meeting (August 2007) and in the first AQMEII workshop held in Stresa (IT) in April 2009.AQMEII is cordinated by two chairs, one for north America and the other for Europe. It is supported by the Joint Research Center/IES, Environment Canada and US-EPA that act as regional focal points. The results of AQMEII will be available to the scientific community in general at accademic, institutional or private sector levels. To these entities a series of activites on model evaluation will be proposed in the future.

2. The objectives of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative are to coordinate research efforts being undertaken in North America (NA) and European Union (EU) and, promote: • exchanging expert knowledge in regional air quality modelling, • identifying knowledge gaps in air quality science, • developing methodologies to evaluate uncertainty in air quality modelling • building a common strategy on model development and future research priorities, • establishing methodologies for model evaluation to increase knowledge on processes and to support the use of models for policy development • preparing coordinated research projects and inter-comparison exercises.

3. EC4MACS : European Consortium for Modelling of Air Pollution and Climate Strategies • A project funded by the EU-LIFE program coordinated by IIASA (http://www.ec4macs.eu/home/index.html) • Clean air and climate change are central fields of EU environmental policy. New scientific findings demonstrate important interactions and potentially large economic synergies between air pollution control and greenhouse gas mitigation. Model analyses, based on latest scientific findings and validated data, can provide valuable information for cost-effective policy strategies. The European Commission envisages for 2011/12 a review and revisions of their air quality legislation and the European Climate Change Programme. • The EC4MACS project brings together a consortium of institutions to build and maintain a network of well established modelling tools for a comprehensive integrated assessment of the policy effectiveness of emission control strategies for air pollutants and greenhouse gases.

4. Integration of a new activity field has been agreed recently : city-scale modelling in « relation » with regional modelling -> review, update or adapt, extend (to ozone) the City-Delta methodology • Activitycoordinated by INERIS • To benefit from the progresses made in the field of air quality modelling. For instance in CHIMERE : • New chemical module for the computation of SOA • Improved vertical resolutions ([C]20-50m to [C]2m) (in progress...) • New module for computing biogenic emissions (MEGAN from NCAR) • More bins to represent the aerosol population • To account for new data now available in Europe (land cover, emission inventories...) • High resolution emission inventories (European and national) • Land cover data (in progress...) • To enhance cooperation with national experts for the development and the implementation of the new methodology

5. Regional modelling 50x50 km & 5x5 km (EMEP- CHIMERE) Urban scale estimates (statistical methods) hotspots -trafic - industrial sites New City-Delta correction