Simplified conceptual framework.
RAL continues to work with the Climate Change Research Group in support of the Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi’s efforts to develop a research program to assess climate change impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation at the city, national (UAE), and regional (Arabian Gulf) scales. RAL scientists are conducting regional climate modeling studies aimed at determining how temperature, precipitation, winds, radiation and humidity are expected to change in the region due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. Self-organizing map techniques are being used to identify weather systems that produce the poorest air quality in Abu Dhabi, allowing us to use a small number of highly representative inputs to the air quality model. These inputs, along with pollutant source emissions developed by CCRG, will be used to drive the Community Multi-scale Air Quality model in examining different time periods and emission scenarios. A database for meteorological conditions, source emissions and air quality attributes associated with GHG mitigation strategies is also being produced to ultimately estimate public health co-benefits from differing policy responses to changes in GHG. The major accomplishment has been the development of a report with the EAD and the CCRG group on the potential public health co-benefits of reducing local sources of greenhouse gases. This report was finalized in fall of 2015 and published by the EAD in the spring of 2016.
