United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and Development
Environmental Sciences Research £.;
Laboratory -~j ,
Research Triangle Park NC 27711 ^f j%\
EPA-600/S3-83-103 Dec. 1983
v>ERA Project Summary
Green River Air Quality
Model Development—Related
Studies, General Information
and Bibliography
R. L Drake
This report identifies meteorological
and air quality data sources for the oil
shale areas of Western Colorado. East-
ern Utah and Southern Wyoming. The
general and bibliographic information
identified in this report consists of the
material collected during 1980-1982
as part of the Green River Ambient
Model Assessment Project: 1) generic
information applicable to the oil shale
areas, 2) general information for the
Rocky Mountain West, and 3) informa-
tion specific to the oil shale areas. The
evaluation and analysis of these materi-
als, although not exhaustive, has been
sufficiently complete to gain a picture
of the existing terrain, its surface
cover, its meteorology and climate, and
the chemical and visual quality of the
atmosphere over the region. From this
picture of the region, a list of informa-
tion and data needs required of local
and mesoscale air quality models for the
Green River area has been derived.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Environmental Sciences Re-
search Laboratory, Research Triangle
Park. NC. to announce key findings of
the research project that is fully docu-
mented in a separate report of the same
title (see Project Report ordering infor-
mation at back).
Introduction
This report provides bibliographic and
general information collected during 1980-
1982 as part of the Green River Ambient
Model Assessment (GRAMA) Project.
The GRAMA Project's overall objective rs
to develop dispersion models for eval-
uating the air quality impacts of develop-
ment in the region of the Green River Oil
Shale deposits. The text of the report is
divided into three main sections: back-
ground information, identification and
evaluation of data and information
sources, and research needs. Three appen-
dices provide literature and data appli-
cable to the oil shale area, information on
land-surface forms, and information on
terrain profiles and maps.
The background information section
describes the region of interest, the oil
shale tracts, and the companies and
agencies involved in oil shale develop-
ment. The location and extent of the oil
shale reserves are discussed and the
topography, meteorology and climate of
the region are summarized. Finally, the
air quality issues are discussed and a
general framework is presented for the
development of a modular air quality
model. The data input requirements nec-
essary for a comprehensive model are
specified.
Section 2 identifies and evaluates
information and data that had been
collected for the mesoscale domain con-
taining the oil shale deposits of Utah,
Colorado and Wyoming. Terrain data,
pollutant emission data, meteorological
data, and air quality data are discussed.
The final section discusses the re-
search needs considered important in
assessing the pollutant carrying capacity
over the oil shale region. Progress in
meeting these research needs will lead to
improved air quality modeling over the
area. Research needs include:
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1) determining the representativeness
of existing upper air stations in the
region,
2) conducting a thorough review, synthe-
sis, and inventory of oil shale tract
data,
3) accelerating research programs deal-
ing with locally developed flows,
temperature inversions, and scale
interactions,
4) initiating research to study the coupl-
ing and decoupling of local flows
with the upper air,
5) conducting investigations of convec-
tive boundary layer development
over the region,
6) studying air pollutant diffusion in
local and regional flows,
7) installing a network of meteorological
and air quality monitoring sites, and
8) developing a coordinated research
management plan.
Conclusions and
Recommendations
The following summary items and
conclusions result from the current study:
• This report summarizes the current
knowledge of the terrain and its
cover, the meteorology and climate,
and the air quality and visual charac-
teristics for the oil shale region of
Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.
• This report shows the location of the
major oil shale tracts in Colorado and
Utah and lists the major companies
and agencies (Federal, state and
local) involved in the development of
this resource.
• This report discusses the air quality
issues important to the developers,
regulators, interested parties, and
the general public in the Green River
Area. The issues include National
Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS) and Prevention of Signifi-
cant Deterioration (PSD) regula-
tions, state regulations, air quality
related values over Class I areas,
town growth, and global climate
concerns (such as the airborne accu-
mulation of CO3).
• The components, or modules, of an
air quality model are outlined and
their data and information needs are
discussed.
• To aid in the identification of relevant
information and data, a bibliography
containing 760 references and a
special annotated bibliography con-
taining 88 references are given as
appendices to the report. Both bibli-
ographies are organized according to
topical areas, such as terrain data,
meteorological data, chemistry data,
and instrument systems.
• The information and data identified
and evaluated in the main part of the
report is divided into emissions,
terrain, meteorology, and air quality
data. In this discussion, 144 refer-
ences are considered.
• A list of data and information needs
for the Green River Area resulted
from comparing our analysis of the
above references to the air quality
modeling requirements for this area.
Based on the evaluation of informa-
tion and data available for the Green
River Area, a number of recom-
mendations have been made for
further study. These recommenda-
tions include:
1. Determining the seasonal "areas
of influence" for the four upper air
stations (Denver, Grand Junction,
Salt Lake City, Lander) in the
vicinity of the mesoscale domain.
2. Thoroughly reviewing, taking in-
ventory, and synthesizing the
available oil shale tract data and
other pertinent data from the
region to guide future research
plans and air quality model develop-
ment.
3. Establishing a long-term upper
air station between the Piceance
Basin and the Flat Tops Wilder-
ness Area of Colorado.
4. Providing more valley meteoro-
logical stations in the White and
Colorado drainages so that drain-
age winds throughout the area
can be better predicted.
5. Promoting cooperation between
the various agencies and com-
panies taking meteorological and
air quality data in the Green
River Area.
6. Investigating the potential of
transferring data from other major
field programs throughout the
country and the world to the oil
shale area.
7. Setting up a priority system for
carrying out the needed research.
8. Promoting a comprehensive mete-
orological and air quality field
program for the oil shale area
that can be used for model valida-
tion over diurnal and seasonal
cycles.
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R. L Drake is with Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99532
Alan H. Huber is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Green River Air Quality Model Development—
Related Studies, General Information and Bibliography," (Order No. PB 84-
120 492; Cost: $32.50, subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Environmental Sciences Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
6US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1983-759-015/7244
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
-------
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Sciences Research
-------
purposes. This should hold true for vehi-
cles such as the Celebrity which have
large inertia load components relative to
aerodynamic load components. When the
aerodynamic load component becomes a
significant portion of the total road load,
dynamometer absorbed power theoreti-
cally deviates with speed from the actual
road load. The tendency for this occur-
rence, which makes simulation of road
loads with water brake dynamometers
more difficult, increases for extremely
lightweight cars.
Because most data collected for use in
MOBILE2 have been from vehicles roughly
equal in size to or larger than the Celeb-
rity, inaccuracies in load simulation have
no significant effect on the accuracy of
MOBILE2. However, should minicars
(<2000 Ib) ever occupy a significant
percentage of the vehicle miles traveled
(VMT), a re-evaluation of dynamometer
load simulation will become necessary.
With regardto the Modal Model evalua-
tion, results in tests on only one vehicle
cannot in themselves disprove the model.
This is true because the model was
recommended for prediction of vehicle
group emissions and not individual vehi-
cle emissions. However, because high
tech emission control systems have
changed the relationship between vehicle
speed and emissions since the model's
development, the Modal Model should be
updated.
The EPA author. Peter Gabere (also the EPA Project Officer, see below), is with
Environmental Sciences Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC
27711, and Richard Snow is with Northrop Services Inc., Research Triangle
Park. NC 27701.
The complete report, entitled "Effect of Load Simulation on Auto Emissions and
Model Performance," fOrder No. PB 84-120 369; Cost: $8.50, subject to
change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Environmental Sciences Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
AUS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1983-759-015/7248
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
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