The removal of sulphur dioxide in a long-lived line echo system: A numerical study

The removal of SO₂ in precipitation systems is not only a major sink of SO₂ but is also directly related to the acidity of precipitation. However the physical and chemical processes are not well understood due to their complicated characteristics. The lack of measurements also hinders us from studying those processes. In order to investigate what mechanisms are important about the removal of SO₂ in precipitation systems, an alternative approach is to examine the simulation result from a numerical cloud model.A two-dimensional version of the Klemp-Wilhelmson numerical model (1978, J. atmos. Sci.35, 1070–1096) is used to simulate a fast-moving long-lived line echo precipitation system that occurred in the Taiwan area during Mei-Yu season. The simulation model was assumed to be perpendicular to the north-south orientated line echo. In this simulation an artificial source of SO₂ is placed in front of the line echo system in the low level. As the line echo system approaches the region of SO₂, some SO₂ is brought into the line echo system through advection and diffusion effects. A simple parameterization scheme similar to Fisher's (1982, Atmospheric Environment16, 775–783) is used to represent the removal of SO₂ by cloud and rain. The model results show that the major sink of SO₂ is removed by rain below the cloud base although some is removed by cloud and rain inside the precipitation system itself.