The contribution of marine organic emissions to the air quality in coastalareas of the western United States is studied using the latest version ofthe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional-scale CommunityMultiscale Air Quality (CMAQv4.7) modeling system. Emissions of marineisoprene, monoterpenes, and primary organic matter (POM) from the ocean areimplemented into the model to provide a comprehensive view of the connectionbetween ocean biology and atmospheric chemistry and air pollution. Modelsimulations show that marine organics can increase the concentration ofPM2.5 by 0.1–0.3 μg m?3 (up to 5%) in some coastal citiessuch as San Francisco, CA. This increase in the PM2.5 concentration isprimarily attributed to the POM emissions, with small contributions from themarine isoprene and monoterpenes. When marine organic emissions areincluded, organic carbon (OC) concentrations over the remote ocean areincreased by up to 50% (25% in coastal areas), values consistent withrecent observational findings. This study is the first to quantify the airquality impacts from marine POM and monoterpenes for the United States, andit highlights the need for inclusion of marine organic emissions in air qualitymodels.
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