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3.1.1 Objectives for Siting

Representativeness has been defined as "the extent to which a set of measurements taken in a space-time domain reflects the actual conditions in the same or different space-time domain taken on a scale appropriate for a specific application" [10]. The space-time and application aspects of the definition as relates to site selection are discussed in the following.

In general, for use in air quality modeling applications, meteorological data should be representative of conditions affecting the transport and dispersion of pollutants in the “area of interest” as determined by the locations of the sources and receptors being modeled. In many instances, e.g. in complex terrain, multiple monitoring sites may be required to adequately represent spatial variations in meteorological conditions affecting transport and/or dispersion.

In steady-state modeling applications, one typically focuses on the meteorological conditions at the release height of the source or sources, or the plume height in the case of buoyant sources. Representativeness for steady-state modeling applications must necessarily be assessed in concert with the steady-state assumption that meteorological conditions are constant within the space-time domain of the application; as typically applied, measurements for a single location, somewhere near the source, are assumed to apply, without change, at all points in the modeling domain. Consistency would call for site selection criteria consistent with the steady-state assumption; i.e., to the extent possible, sites should perhaps be selected such that factors which cause spatial variations in meteorological conditions, are invariant over the spatial domain of the application, whatever that might be. Such factors would include surface characteristics such as ground cover, surface roughness, the presence or absence of water bodies, etc. Similarly, the representativeness of existing third-party data bases should be judged, in part, by comparing the surface characteristics in the vicinity of the meteorological monitoring site with the surface characteristics that generally describe the analysis domain.

Representativeness has an entirely different interpretation for non-steady-state modeling applications which commonly employ three dimensional gridded meteorological fields based on measurements at multiple sites. The meteorological processors which support these applications are designed to appropriately blend available NWS data, local site-specific data, and prognostic mesoscale data; empirical relationships are then used to diagnostically adjust the wind fields for mesoscale and local-scale effects [11], [12] . These diagnostic adjustments can be improved through the use of strategically placed site-specific meteorological observations. Support for such applications is provided to the extent that this guidance can be used for selecting sites to monitor the significant meteorological regimes that may need to be represented in these applications. Site selection for such applications (often more than one location is needed) falls in the category of network design and is beyond the scope of this document. Model user’s guides should be consulted for meteorological data requirements and guidance on network design for these applications.

3. SITING AND EXPOSURE 
 3.1 Representativeness 
     3.1.1 Objectives for Siting 
     3.1.2 Factors to Consider  
 3.2 Simple Terrain Locations 
     3.2.1 Speed and Wind Direction  
     3.2.2 Temperature, Temperature Difference, and Humidity
     3.2.3 Precipitation  
     3.2.4 Pressure 
      3.2.5 Radiation 
 3.3 Complex Terrain Locations  
     3.3.1 Wind Speed  
     3.3.2 Wind Direction 
     3.3.3 Temperature Difference 
  3.4 Coastal Locations
 3.5 Urban Locations 
 3.6 Recommendations


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