Sensitivity Analysis of AERMOD in Modeling Local Air Quality under Different Model Options

This paper gives an overview of the sensitivity of AERMOD by comparing the simulated concentrations of SO₂ under different model options with the corresponding observed concentrations. While the influence of meteorological conditions on the performance of AERMOD is noticeable, the urban/rural dispersion coefficients and the terrain conditions have only a limited influence on the results from AERMOD. This study suggests that AERMOD can use another consecutive year´s meteorological data as a substitute for a given year if the extreme end of the simulated concentrations distribution is of interest. Also, the model could still produce acceptably accurate results in the study area without terrain data or when the surface dispersion conditions (urban or rural) are difficult to determine.