Simulating δ15N of NOx emission within Midwestern United States

A new emission dataset of NOx, which incorporates the 15N isotope in all emission sectors of SMOKE (Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emission) outputs, before merging into CMAQ (The Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling System)-ready emission input dataset. Using this dataset to simulate the δ15N values in the 3-D photochemical transport models, such as CAMQ, and compare to the corresponding measurements, researchers could explore the evolution of δ15N values along the “journey” of atmospheric NOx, thus evaluating and improving the accuracy of the NOx emission inventory using 15N.