Current status of air quality models for particulate matter

The current status of the mathematical modeling of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is reviewed in this paper. Simulating PM requires treating various processes, including the formation of condensable species, the gas/particle partitioning of condensable compounds, and in some cases, the evolution of the particle size distribution. The algorithms available to simulate these processes are reviewed and discussed. Eleven 3-dimensional (3-D) Eulerian air quality models for PM are reviewed in terms of their formulation and past applications. Results of past performance evaluations of 3-D Eulerian PM models are presented. Currently, 24-hr average PM2.5 concentrations appear to be predicted within 50% for urban-scale domains. However, there are compensating errors among individual particulate species. The lowest errors tend to be associated with SO42-, while NO3-, black carbon (BC), and organic carbon (OC) typically show larger errors due to uncertainties in emissions inventories and the prediction of the secondary OC fraction. Further improvements and performance evaluations are recommended.