The Influence of the Chesapeake Bay Breeze on Maryland Air Quality

The Influence of the Chesapeake Bay Breeze on Maryland Air Quality MARAMA Data Analysis Workshop Laura Landry January 20, 2011 Martin O Malley, Governor Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor Robert M. Summers, Ph.D, Acting Secretary

Outline Introduction Investigation of the interaction between Maryland s air quality and the bay breeze Methodology Overall results Case Study: August 18, 2009 Source: AIRNow Future work 2

3 Introduction

A Bay Breeze s Influence Cold air sinks Warm air rises Forms due to a large temperature difference between land and bay waters Creates a boundary, much like a small scale cold front Ozone pollution easily accumulates along this boundary 4

2009 Ozone Season Aldino Davidsonville Edgewood Essex Furley ES, Baltimore Padonia So. Carroll Air Monitoring Sites Calvert Cnty PG County Equest. Ctr Frederick County HU-Beltsville Rockville So. Maryland Fair Hill Millington Hagerstown Piney Run Daily peak 8-hour ozone concentration (ppb) Daily number of sites with an exceedance 4/25/2009 76 76 1 4/26/2009 78 78 1 6/8/2009 76 76 76 2 Bay Breeze Effect 6/25/2009 79 109 86 76 109 4 Bay Breeze Effect 6/26/2009 81 91 83 91 3 Bay Breeze Effect 7/13/2009 77 77 1 7/15/2009 82 82 1 7/16/2009 81 77 81 2 Bay Breeze Effect Bay Breeze Effect 56% of 2009 Edgewood exceedance days also observed a bay breeze 8/16/2009 85 85 1 8/18/2009 83 83 1 8/27/2009 76 76 1 Number of exceedance days 2009: 11 2 0 9 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 5

Bay Breeze Climatology Days of analysis were selected based on... 75 ppb ozone NAAQS Baltimore NAA exceedance days in June-August from 2004-2009 * High ozone days were analyzed for event types Criteria were developed using Miller and Keim (2003) Event types: bay breeze, marginal, and non-bay breeze Identified the Maximum Ozone Gradient for each day Difference between ozone at a monitoring site along the bay s coast and ozone at a site further inland Used AIRNow-Tech Navigator GIS-based tool that plots current and archived pollution and meteorological data on to customizable map 6 * No 2006 exceedance days were included in this study due to irregular wind data at the Edgewood site in June-August 2006.

* The Fort Meade monitor was discontinued in December 2004. *

Bay Breeze Climatology Ozone gradient (ppb) 65 55 45 35 25 15 5-5 -15-25 Baltimore NAA Ozone Exceedance Day Climatology Distribution by Event Type Bay Breeze Marginal Non-Bay Breeze 53% 29% 18% Maximum Ozone Gradient by Event Type Bay Breeze Marginal Non-Bay Breeze Q3 Max Median Min Q1 Based on 83 events 24 bay breeze (29%) 15 marginal (18%) 44 non-bay breeze (53%) Bay breeze events Showed much higher Max. Ozone Gradients Hour of onset: 12 PM EDT (16 UTC) Hour of dissipation: 7 PM (23 UTC) 8

Case Study: August 18, 2009 Martin O Malley, Governor Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor Robert M. Summers, Ph.D, Acting Secretary

Weather Conditions H 8 AM (EDT) August 18 th High pressure system over Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Clear skies Light and variable surface winds High temperatures in upper 80 s to lower 90 s ( F) 10

Radar Wind Profiler Vertical Wind Profile at Beltsville, MD 8 PM 11 PM 2 AM 5 AM 8 AM A nocturnal low level jet (NLLJ) formed Fast moving stream of air Shown in vertical profile measurements of wind speed and direction Known to transport ozone into Maryland 11

Ozonesonde Balloon carrying instruments that measure: Ozone Temperature Wind speed and direction GPS coordinates and height Source: Howard University Measured 100 ppb at approximately 1 km in the afternoon, 2:40 PM EDT 12

Surface Ozone Measurements Daily maximum 8-hour ozone average Highest at Edgewood with 83 ppb All other sites were 31-71 ppb Maximum ozone gradient was 60 ppb Ozone gradient = Coastal site s ozone Inland site s ozone 13

Hourly Ozone Concentrations August 18, 2009 1-hr ozone concentrations (ppb) 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 Aldino Beltsville Edgewood Essex Fair Hill Padonia Piney Run Shenandoah Edgewood peaked at 119 ppb Decrease at Edgewood at 3 PM from the bay breeze s shift inland Essex began decline around the same time Short-lived, increase at Padonia at 4 PM Major drop in ozone by nearly all sites at 5 PM due to thunderstorms 20 10 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 Hour (EDT) 14

Ozone and Wind Analysis Estimated bay breeze 10 AM (EDT) Direction wind is coming from Onshore flow Edgewood Source: AIRNow-Tech 15

Ozone and Wind Analysis Estimated bay breeze 12 PM (EDT) High values started at Edgewood Source: AIRNow-Tech 16

Ozone and Wind Analysis Estimated bay breeze 1 PM (EDT) Edgewood jumped ~20 ppb from 12 1 PM Source: AIRNow-Tech 17

Ozone and Wind Analysis Estimated bay breeze 2 PM (EDT) then ~20 ppb again by 2 PM Ozone gradient: 119 (Edgewood) 59 (Aldino) = 60 ppb 90 (Essex) 53 (Padonia) = 37 ppb Source: AIRNow-Tech 18

Ozone and Wind Analysis Estimated bay breeze 3 PM (EDT) Edgewood began its decline while surrounding sites started to rise Source: AIRNow-Tech 19

Ozone and Wind Analysis Estimated bay breeze 4 PM (EDT) Bay breeze moved inland Source: AIRNow-Tech 20

Ozone and Wind Analysis Estimated bay breeze 5 PM (EDT) Source: AIRNow-Tech 21

Ozone and Wind Analysis Estimated bay breeze 6 PM (EDT) Back to Green (Good) air quality - thunderstorms moved eastward through MD Source: AIRNow-Tech 22

Bay Breeze in the Radar Next you will see the bay breeze in an animation of radar imagery Pay close attention to the white dashed lines It will indicate where the boundary will briefly appear 23

Bay Breeze in the Radar Boundary moved inland by 3 PM Bay breeze close to Edgewood 24

End to the Episode August 18 th August 19 th Strong thunderstorms swept through the state from the west The following day brought cloudier skies Afternoon thunderstorms moved in earlier than they had on August 18 th 25

Future Work Formulate a bay breeze climatology for Edgewood only Seems most prone to its ozone being negatively affected by the bay breeze Tentative methodology Edgewood ozone exceedance days Use the NOAA MADIS mesonet of weather observations to aid in wind analysis This dataset will aid in determining how far inland the bay breeze can move More precise hour of onset/dissipation 26

Contact and References Contact Information: Laura Landry Meteorologist Air Monitoring Program / MDE Phone: 410-537-3122 Email: llandry@mde.state.md.us Acknowledgements: Duc Nguyen and Michael Woodman References: AIRNow, cited 2009: AIRNow-Tech. [www.airnowtech.org] Miller, S. T. and B. T. Keim, 2003: Synoptically-driven controls on the sea breeze of the central New England coast. Wea. Forecasting, 18, 236-248. NOAA NCDC, cited 2009: NCDC NEXRAD Data Inventory Search. [www.ncdc.noaa.gov/nexradinv/] Plymouth State University, cited 2009: Plymouth State Weather Center. [http://vortex.plymouth.edu] 27 Maryland Department of the Environment 1800 Washington Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21230 410-537-3000 TTY Users: 1-800-735-2258 www.mde.state.md.us

Appendix The appendix includes the following items: 1. Event Type Criteria 2. Additional measurements from the August 18 th ozonesonde 3. Poster presented at the 2010 AMS Annual Meeting and the 2010 National Air Quality Conference 28

Event Type Criteria Criteria were developed to identify bay breeze, marginal, and non-bay breeze events. These were an adaptation of Miller and Keim (2003) sea breeze event criteria. BAY BREEZE: 1. An onshore wind shift must occur at 1+ coastal sites. Coastal sites: Edgewood, Essex Average of morning to midday cloud cover must be < BKN to ensure a wind shift was not synoptically driven 2. 1+ inland sites must display parallel, antiparallel, or perpendicular wind flow to the shoreline. Inland sites: Aldino, Padonia 3. Wind speeds associated with the bay breeze must be 3 kts. 1 hour of lighter wind speed was allowable due to the bay breeze s light wind nature. 4. Criteria #1-3 must be sustained for 3 hrs. MARGINAL: 1. All bay breeze event criteria were met except the bay breeze duration, lasting < 3 hrs. NON-BAY BREEZE: 1. Bay breeze and marginal event criteria were not met. 29

Ozonesonde on August 18 th Ozonesonde at Beltsville, MD Launched: August 18, 2009, 2:40 PM (EDT) Wind Speed (m/s) 4 Ozonesonde at Beltsville, MD Launched: August 18, 2009, 2:40 PM (EDT) T (degc) RH (%) 3.5 3 4 3.5 4 3.5 Height (km) 2.5 2 1.5 3 3 1 Height (km) 2.5 2 2.5 2 0.5 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 1.5 1 1.5 1 Ozonesonde at Beltsville, MD Launched: August 18, 2009, 2:40 PM (EDT) Wind Direction (deg) 0.5 0.5 4 0 0-5 5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95 105 3.5 3 Height (km) 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 70 120 170 220 270 E S W 30

The Influence of the Chesapeake Bay Breeze on Maryland Air Quality Laura Landry, Michael Woodman, and Duc Nguyen Maryland Department of the Environment, Baltimore, MD OVERVIEW Maryland has greatly improved its air quality over the past several years. However, one region within the Baltimore Nonattainment Area (BNAA) presents many challenges in meeting the 2008 8-hour average groundlevel ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 75 ppb. The northern Chesapeake Bay region observes the highest ozone concentrations throughout the state, largely due to its location downwind of two major metropolitan areas as well as the development of the bay breeze. The formation of this micro-scale circulation has been known to create a sharp gradient of monitored ozone concentrations across its boundary. A climatological study of the Chesapeake Bay breeze is presented, specifically focusing on the northern bay region of the BNAA. The results of this study describe bay breeze frequency during the months of June-August, 2004-2009 with respect to days when ozone exceeded the standard. In addition, a comparison of ozone concentrations between inland and coastal air monitoring sites will help quantify the ozone load that can be attributed to the bay breeze. BAY BREEZE Onset: 1600 UTC Dissipation: 0100 UTC Maximum ozone gradient of 55 ppb at 2100 UTC Weak high pressure over Mid-Atlantic region Synoptic wind flow from WNW Mostly sunny skies Maximum temperatures in the upper 80 s ( F) June 25, 2009 1600 UTC MARGINAL Onset: 1900 UTC Dissipation: 2100 UTC Maximum ozone gradient of 21 ppb at 2000 UTC High pressure over the southern Mid-Atlantic Stationary front W-E across the Midwest and PA Mostly sunny skies Maximum temperatures in the low 90 s ( F) Aug. 4, 2004 1900 UTC NON-BAY BREEZE Onset: - Dissipation: - Maximum ozone gradient of 17 ppb at 2100 UTC High pressure over the Midwest and western Mid-Atlantic regions Synoptic wind flow from N Mostly sunny skies Maximum temperatures in the low 90 s ( F) July 31 2007 1600 UTC METHODOLOGY Criteria were developed to identify bay breeze, marginal, and non-bay breeze events. These were an adaptation of Millerand Keim (2003) sea breeze eventcriteria. KDOX, 1653 UTC NOTE: Fort Meade was closed in 2004 BAY BREEZE: 1) An onshore wind shift must occur at 1+ coastal sites. Coastal sites: Edgewood, Essex Inland sites: Aldino, Padonia 2) 1+ inland sites must display parallel, antiparallel, or perpendicular wind flow to the shoreline. 3) Wind speeds associated with the bay breeze must be 3 kts. 1 hour of lighter wind speed was allowable due to the bay breeze s light wind nature. 4) Criteria #1-3 must be sustained for 3 hrs. June 25, 2009 2100 UTC Aug. 4, 2004 2000 UTC July 31 2007 2100 UTC MARGINAL: All bay breeze criteria were met except the bay breeze duration lasts < 3 hrs. NON-BAY BREEZE: Bay breeze and marginal criteria were not met. Distribution by Event Type Bay Breeze Non-Bay 29% Breeze 53% Marginal 18% RESULTS Ozone gradient (ppb) Maximum Ozone Gradient by Event Type 65 55 45 35 25 15 5-5 Bay Breeze Marginal Non-Bay Breeze -15 Q3 Max Median Min Q1 June 26, 2009 0100 UTC Aug. 4, 2004 2100 UTC Aug. 1, 2007 0000 UTC -25 Frequency 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Hour of Onset Bay Breeze Marginal 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 Hour (UTC) Hour of Dissipation Of the 83 cases selected from 130 BNAA exceedance days, there were 24 bay breeze events, 15 marginal events, and 44 non-bay breeze events. For bay breeze events, the average hour of onset was 1600 UTC, while the typical hour of dissipation was 2300 UTC. For marginal events, most had an hour of onset and dissipation of 1800 and 2000 UTC, respectively. The maximum ozone gradient was calculated by taking the difference in ozone concentrations from coastal sites to inland sites. These gradients showed a large spread of values, especially for marginal events. However, they do show that the bay breeze s median gradient of 37 ppb was the largest while non-bay breeze events had the lowest of 13 ppb. This means that the median gradient of bay breeze events was nearly 3X greater than the non-bay breeze. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT Frequency CONTACT: ARMA / Ambient Air Monitoring Program 1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 730 Baltimore, MD 21230 Phone: (410) 537-3616 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Bay Breeze Marginal 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 2300 Hour (UTC) REFERENCES: AIRNow, cited 2009: AIRNow-Tech. [www.airnowtech.org] Miller, S. T. and B. T. Keim, 2003: Synoptically-driven controls on the sea breeze of the central New England coast. Wea. Forecasting, 18, 236-248. NASA, cited 2009: The LANDSAT Program. [landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov] Version: 12/2009 Ozone (ppb) Hourly Ozone Trends: June 25, 2009 140 Aldino 120 Davidsonville 100 Edgewood Essex 80 Furley 60 Padonia 40 South Carroll 20 0 500 800 1100 1400 1700 2000 2300 200 Hour (UTC) Ozone (ppb) Hourly Ozone Trends: August 4, 2004 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 500 800 1100 1400 1700 2000 2300 200 Hour (UTC) Aldino Davidsonville Edgewood Essex Fort Meade Padonia South Carroll Ozone (ppb) Hourly Ozone Trends: July 31, 2007 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 500 800 1100 1400 1700 2000 2300 200 Hour (UTC) Aldino Davidsonville Edgewood Essex Furley Padonia South Carroll