Sensitivity Analysis of Ozone Formation and Transport for a Central California Air Pollution Episode

We developed a first- and second-order sensitivity analysis approach with the decoupled direct method to examine spatial and temporal variations of ozone-limiting reagents and the importance of local vs upwind emission sources in the San Joaquin Valley of central California for a 5 day ozone episode (Jul 29th to Aug 3rd, 2000). Despite considerable spatial variations, nitrogen oxides (NO_x) emission reductions are overall more effective than volatile organic compound (VOC) control for attaining the 8 h ozone standard in this region for this episode, in contrast to the VOC control that works better for attaining the prior 1 h ozone standard. Interbasin source contributions of NO_x emissions are limited to the northern part of the SJV, while anthropogenic VOC (AVOC) emissions, especially those emitted at night, influence ozone formation in the SJV further downwind. Among model input parameters studied here, uncertainties in emissions of NO_x and AVOC, and the rate coefficient of the OH + NO₂ termination reaction, have the greatest effect on first-order ozone responses to changes in NO_x emissions. Uncertainties in biogenic VOC emissions only have a modest effect because they are generally not collocated with anthropogenic sources in this region.