Hello.
I am curious if CMAQ-ISAM can tag for particle numbers.
In the isam_control.txt file,
I can choose only 9 options.
e.g. !!! Choose any/all from the list of nine: SULFATE, NITRATE, AMMONIUM, EC, OC, VOC, PM25_IONS, OZONE, CHLORINE
Unfortunately, number and surface area are currently not included, and it is not clear how the ISAM source-tagging approach could be extended to handle these metrics since they are not conserved like mass is.
For example, if a small particle and large particle from to sources collide, what is the source allocation of the resulting particle? Surface area would in theory be more tractable since it is a continuous quantity, but it would be difficult to determine how one thinks about particle morphology and source distribution. It would not be a very meaningful prediction at this point.
My recommendation (if you have a limited number of sources you are considering) would be to zero out each source of concern and quantify the impact on particle number.
Hello Ben, I hope this message finds you well. I had the same question. I imagine that until now (CMAQv5.5), we have only calculated source apportionment for particle number using the Brute Force Method, right?