Regional chemical weather forecasting system CFORS: Model descriptions and analysis of surface observations at Japanese island stations during the ACE-Asia experiment

The Chemical Weather Forecast System (CFORS) is designed to aid in the design of field experiments and in the interpretation/postanalysis of observed data. The system integrates a regional chemical transport model with a multitracer, online system built within the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) mesoscale model. CFORS was deployed in forecast and postanalysis modes during the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE)-Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P), International Global Atmospheric Chemistry project (IGAC)-International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation of Anthropogenic Pollution 2002 (ITCT 2K2) field studies. A description of the CFORS model system is presented. The model is used to help interpret the Variability of Maritime Aerosol Properties (VMAP) surface observation data. The CFORS model results help to explain the time variation of both anthropogenic pollutants (sulfate, black carbon, and CO) and natural constituents including radon and mineral dust. Time series and time-height cross-section analysis of gases and aerosols are presented to help identify key processes. Synoptic-scale weather changes are found to play an important role in the continental-scale transport of pollution in the springtime in East Asia. The complex vertical and horizontal structure of pollutants in these outflow events is also presented and discussed.