Modeling Photochemical Pollution in the Northeastern Iberian Peninsula

The Western Mediterranean Basin (WMB) is surrounded by high coastal mountains and is influenced by the Mediterranean sea. In summer it becomes isolated from the traveling lows and their frontal systems. The meteorology and the origin of the air masses arriving at the Iberian Peninsula are highly influenced by the Azores high pressure system which is located over the Atlantic Ocean and that intensifies during the warm season inducing very weak pressure gradient conditions all over the region. A number of studies have shown that during this period, layering and accumulation of pollutants such as ozone and aerosols were taking place along the northeastern Iberian Peninsula (NEIP) (Millán et al., 1992, 1997).