Editing Numerical weather prediction (section)

===Air quality modeling===
{{see also|Atmospheric dispersion modeling}}
[[Air pollution forecasting|Air quality forecasting]] attempts to predict when the concentrations of pollutants will attain levels that are hazardous to public health. The concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere is determined by their ''transport'', or [[Arithmetic mean|mean]] velocity of movement through the atmosphere, their [[diffusion]], [[chemical transformation]], and ground [[Deposition (aerosol physics)|deposition]].<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.envirocomp.org/books/chapters/2aap.pdf|page=16|title=Ambient Air Pollution|author1=Daly, Aaron  |author2=Paolo Zannetti |name-list-style=amp |publisher=The Arab School for Science and Technology and The EnviroComp Institute|year=2007|access-date=2011-02-24}}</ref> In addition to pollutant source and terrain information, these models require data about the state of the [[fluid flow]] in the atmosphere to determine its transport and diffusion.<ref name="Baklanov">{{cite journal|last=Baklanov|first=Alexander|author2=Rasmussen, Alix |author3=Fay, Barbara |author4=Berge, Erik |author5= Finardi, Sandro  |title=Potential and Shortcomings of Numerical Weather Prediction Models in Providing Meteorological Data for Urban Air Pollution Forecasting|journal=Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus|date=September 2002|volume=2|issue=5|pages=43–60|doi=10.1023/A:1021394126149|s2cid=94747027}}</ref> Meteorological conditions such as [[thermal inversion]]s can prevent surface air from rising, trapping pollutants near the surface,<ref>{{cite book|last=Marshall|first=John|title=Atmosphere, ocean, and climate dynamics: an introductory text|url=https://archive.org/details/atmosphereoceanc00mars|url-access=limited|year=2008|publisher=Elsevier Academic Press|location=Amsterdam|isbn=978-0-12-558691-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/atmosphereoceanc00mars/page/n64 44]–46|author2=Plumb, R. Alan }}</ref> which makes accurate forecasts of such events crucial for air quality modeling. Urban air quality models require a very fine computational mesh, requiring the use of high-resolution mesoscale weather models; in spite of this, the quality of numerical weather guidance is the main uncertainty in air quality forecasts.<ref name="Baklanov"/>