Has anyone tried coupling SMOKE outputs directly with WRF-Chem for a comparative study?

CMAQ
1

Hi all,

I’m exploring the possibility of using SMOKE-generated emissions data as input for both CMAQ and WRF-Chem in a side-by-side air quality modeling comparison.

I know SMOKE is tightly integrated with CMAQ workflows, but has anyone here attempted to adapt the outputs (especially for NEI-based inventories) into a format compatible with WRF-Chem?

Curious about any known limitations or preprocessing tips. Any insight or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

2

NCAR has a tool called EPA_ANTHRO_EMIS that adapts SMOKE-outputs for WRF-Chem. They also help to distribute versions of the SMOKE-outputs (i.e., CMAQ-inputs) to facilitate WRF-Chem community uptake. The configuration of EPA_ANTHRO_EMIS can be adapted to use different inputs. For more information, I’d refer you to:

A few things are important to be aware of.

  1. Differences in chemistry and aerosols between WRF-Chem and CMAQ,
  2. Differences in plume-rise treatment.

I am sure there are other things, but a “true apples-to-apples” comparison is going to be difficult. You can get around the plume-rise treatment by feeding both CMAQ and WRF-Chem pre-vertically allocated emissions… but that is not the default for CMAQ.