EMEP Workshop on Particulate Matter Measurement & Modeling

April 20-23, 2004, New Orleans, LA

Leading Questions to guide discussion:

Time-Integrated Measurements (12/24-hours or longer)

• What have we (can we) learned about the PM problems from time-integrated measurements?
• What sort of hypothesis testing is being supported by these measurements? Or how do these measurements support hypothesis testing?
• What are the advantages of time-integrated measurements?
• What are the most serious issues vis a vis representing what is actually in the air?
• Which issues confound our ability to test hypotheses, to explain PM concentrations? (e.g., is particle-bound water skewing/biasing mass measurements using cut points?)
• Are critical variables missing that are needed for the support of hypothesis testing/interpretation of mass and species composition measurements?
• Are the issues/problems intractable in the near term? Can programs be (or have programs been) established to address these issues?
• How is confidence in the values created in lieu of standards?

Continuous Measurements (minutes to 1-2 hours)

• What have we (can we) learned about the PM problems from continuous measurements?
• What sort of hypothesis testing is being supported by these measurements? Or how do these measurements support hypothesis testing?
• What are the advantages of continuous measurements?
• What are the most serious issues vis a vis representing what is actually in the air?
• Which issues confound our ability to test hypotheses, to explain PM concentrations?
• Are the issues/problems intractable in the near term? Can programs be (or have programs been) established to address these issues?
• Should continuous measurements replace time-integrated measurements; if so, over what time scale? Are continuous measurements ready for prime time?
• How is confidence in the values created in lieu of standards?

New Directions

• What can we learn about the PM problems from “new direction” measurements?
• What sort of hypothesis testing is being supported by these measurements? Or how do these measurements support hypothesis testing?
• What role do such special measurements play? Will they always be special or should some move into mainstream monitoring?
• What are issues relating to these measurements and their use or interpretation? Are these issues intractable in the near term? Can programs be established to address these issues?
• What other new directions should there be (key missing components; developments or emerging directions not included in this workshop)? What other programs should be leveraged or should we coordinate with?
• Where should priorities be placed:
  Improve current time-integrated sampling
  Get continuous sampling on line
  Move new directions ahead as quickly as possible

Air Quality Models

• What is the state of our current air quality tools?
  Emissions-based models
  Receptor-based models
• What is the degree of confidence for predicting the mass of each of the major species or species categories being predicted? Are the air quality models for fine particulate matter ready for “prime time”? Are there some components that are ready?
• What is the degree of confidence in attributing fine particle mass to different emissions sources?
• What are the most serious issues or the components with the least confidence? Are these issues intractable? What should be done to address these issues?
• How do we further establish trust or confidence in the models?

User Needs

• What suite of measurements are needed to support control strategy (SIP) development?
• What suite of measurements are needed to support model evaluation? For each category of species.
  Operational evaluation
  Diagnostic evaluation
• How do we treat the point-measurement vs. grid-prediction incommensurability?
• How does measurement error affect model evaluation? What are model evaluation goals?
• What suite of measurements are needed to establish that we have met the requirements of the control programs in terms of achieving the target reductions in air concentrations?
• What suite of measurements are needed to support health effects accountability studies?
• How do we define accountability?
• How should accountability be approached in terms of its goals? How should accountability and measurement programs be approached or linked?
• Are critical measurement elements missing from the perspective of being able to address accountability?