Simulating δ15N of NOx emission within Midwestern United States

A new emission dataset of NO_x, 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 NO_x, thus evaluating and improving the accuracy of the NO_x emission inventory using ¹⁵N.