You are here: Home > For Researchers > Projects > CLIMAQs - Climate Impact and Air Quality Modelling for Policy Support

CLIMAQs - Climate Impact and Air Quality Modelling for Policy Support

From 01-01-2009 to 31-12-2012

Description

The best existing tools to assess and predict local- to regional-scale air quality and climate
impacts are 3-D prognostic numeric atmospheric models. Yet, owing to their complexity and
computation-intensive character, the use of these models for policy support in Flanders, the
Northern Region of Belgium, has been very limited. Considering this, the main objective of
the proposed research is to develop a very broad and generic knowledge platform in
advanced atmospheric modelling, building on available expertise in Flanders and aiming at
medium- to long-term applicability for policy support in the areas of climate change impacts
and urban/regional air pollution.

The methodology will focus on improving and adapting existing research-grade computer
models, and on demonstrating their suitability for policy purposes. The concerned models are
3-D prognostic meteorological and chemistry-transport models, operating at scales ranging
from the European continent down to an individual city quarter.

Following an intermediate phase focusing on technical issues such as model coupling, code
optimisation and parallellising, the final phase will be committed to performing policy-relevant
demonstration activities. These will consider specific case studies, including vegetation-
climate feedbacks and their role in maintaining heat waves; or local-scale modelling in
support for pollution mitigation strategies. At the same time, long-term (~ 10-year) regional
climate impact and air quality simulations will be carried out at resolutions down to a few
kilometres covering the Flemish Region, both for current and future climate. Among other
things, results from these simulations will be employed to derive precipitation statistics
relevant for climate change conditions. Also the use of modelling to assess the impact of
climate change on air quality will be demonstrated.

View the movies: