Report on the Task Force on
Modelling and measurement
activity
Laurence Rouïl, Oksana Tarasova
Main activities in 2014

Annual meeting held in Bologna , Italy (April2014)
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Monitoring strategy :
 How to maintain the EMEP network with a high quality level
 Intensive observation Periods : what has been achieved and the next
steps
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Pilot studies on heavy metals
 Fruitful cooperation with national experts to investigate
inconsistencies between emission, measurement and modelling data

Modelling activities
 EMEP models development and national expertise
 EURODELTA 3 model intercomparison project

Trend analyses in measurement and modelling
Implementation of the EMEP monitoring
strategy : QA/QC principles

30 years of hard work to establish a robust and reliable
framework for measuring atmospheric chemical compounds
 Quality and comparability are the main characteristics of the
EMEP network
 Guidelines were published by the CCC, workshops and
laboratories intercomparison exercises were organized
 Since 2009, all results are published on the website and CCC
reports that those pages are the most commented on the site
 In 2013, 84 laboratories (almost 35 from EMEP) participated to
round 31.
 And the quality of the results does not improved over the
past years !
Exemple : Inorganics in precipitations
Synthesis from From the CCC
Implementation of the EMEP monitoring
strategy : QA/QC principles (ii)

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It is very important to understand this stagnant situation (in terms
of quality) when the technologies improve :

Less involvement ?

Diversity of efforts?

Cost savings and use of commercial labs with mass production?

A matter of priorities ?
Funding remains a recurrent concern, for the Parties and also for
the Coordinating Center
Need for re-vitalizing interest and initiative to improve analytical
performance. Use for modeling and trends analysis should justify
such an effort


Task force workshop to discuss this issue ?
Monitoring priorities should be clear : CC looked for relevant
indicators to check how far are the national EMEP networks from
the strategy requirements
Next Intensive Observation period

Use of the IOPs to improve knowledge and understanding
◦ Objective: 2016
◦ Close cooperation with European Research networks
◦ PM compounds
◦ Coupling IOPs with other initiatives (if possible) more
focused on the urban environment
◦ Extension towards Eastern Europe
◦ Near real time capacities to catch episodes
Heavy metal pilot studies
•
Launched in 2010 under the coordination of MSC-East : indepth investigation of inconsistencies between heavy metals
emissions, measurement and modelling
•
Currently pilot studies involve 3 volunteer countries involved:
• Croatia and Czech Republic : achieved
• the Netherlands : on-going
• Belarus: started
•
Successful initiatives which allowed to highlight countryspecific issues for a better management of air pollution thanks
to an in-depth involvement of national experts
Modelling activities

Grid transformation of the EMEP model
◦ Evaluation of the impact of improved resolution
◦ Progress in the GLEMOS code
(global model for HM and POPs)
Ready to be released on the web

EURODELTA3 project
◦ Launched in spring 2012
◦ Report of for the first phase
published in 2014
Eurodelta 3 (field campaign) : main
conclusions

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Ozone and nitrogen dioxide : good consistency of model results .
Underestimation of observed values mainly due to sensitivity to
boundary conditions
PM10 and PM2.5 : variability between model results partly
explained by natural contribution (sea salt and dusts). Good models’
behavior although some improvements to reproduce spatial
variability could be expected
Sulfur compounds : good consistency between model results which
are quite satisfactory. Some efforts can be done on deposition
Nitrate and ammonium : very good consistency between model
results except in the Benelux and the Pô Valley
Carbonaceous species : many lessons learnt ; general
overestimation of elemental carbon and underestimation of organic
carbon species. Need to work on harmonization of secondary
processes and POA emissions
Deposition : promising investigations but need for measurements
EURODELTA 3: next steps

Start the retrospective analaysis :
◦ Capacity of current models to reproduce monitored changed in air
quality
◦ Retro. analysis 2008  1999 1990
Pre-crisis yr.
Current period
Signature of the GP.
Baseline yr GP.
◦ Response of models to sharp emission trend (1990- 1999 – 2008)
 Link with the TFHTAP work plan , especially the intercomparison
modelling exercise
New objective : trends analysis

A contribution to the up-coming CLRTAP assessment report (2016)

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The TFMM meeting gave the opportunity to highlight the large
amount of work and material in the countries and in the Centers to
elaborate relevant air pollution trends in Europe (presentation on
Wednesday afternoon)
Experts from other bodies (EEA, GAW, ACTRIS project) were
invited to present their findings
Observations and modeling results are available.

Need for consistency in the practices :

 A TFMM workshop is organized in Paris on the 17-18 November 2014
 Sharing and agreeing on practices to elaborate a framework for trends analysis
 National contributions together with input from the EMEP centers (and other
programs)
 Heavy metals and POPs will be covered by the TFMM work
New objective : trends analysis (ii)

Besides the EMEP Centers several parties already expressed their
interest for participating :
◦ Czech Republic
◦ France
◦ Italy
◦ Germany
◦ Netherlands
◦ Poland
◦ Russia
◦ Switzerland
◦ And the EEA
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Link with the Working Group on Effects must be made
Time line :
◦ November 2014 : work plan for the national experts
◦ December 2014 : agreement on the methodologies, the data used, etc…
◦ April 2015 : TFMM meeting : discussion on the results delivered
◦ December 2015 : TFMM report and contribution to the assessment report
TFMM Work plan : main issues

Investigating on the quality of analysed data provided by the EMEP
networks. What are the drivers for improving the system?

Next IOP (2016)

Follow-up of the heavy metals pilot studies Belarus and Poland

EURODELTA3 : next phase= retrospective analysis

Trends study : workshop in November 2014, and high priority for
2015 (investigate the links with the EURODELTA 2nd phase for the
modelling part, and with WGE)

To fulfil all these objectives contributions from national
experts are highly expected !!!
Next TFMM meeting :
5-8 may 2015 in Krakow (Poland)
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