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Deborah J. Luecken

Deb
AMAD Staff

Education:

Areas of Expertise:

Performing scientific research involving computer modeling of air chemistry, with an emphasis on ozone and other oxidants, for a variety of regulatory and research applications. Use of chemical and meteorological principles to solve complex and varied problems related to air quality issues. Experience in planning, budgeting, managing, and executing research programs to conduct research on issues in atmospheric chemistry. Background in writing FORTRAN programs, and in implementing a variety of other software packages, including statistical, graphical, and GIS programs.

Individual Research Mission:

To participate in developing and implementing improved, multipollutant, multiphase descriptions of atmospheric chemistry in order to answer questions relating to the production and control of secondary photochemical pollutants in the troposphere. To use these mechanisms to analyze and improve our understanding of the behavior of complex chemical interactions that occur in the atmosphere.

Relevance of Research to Agency Mission:

When we understand the processes by which secondary pollutants, such as ozone, air toxics and organic particulate matter are formed in the atmosphere, we will be able to better define their sources. This will help us to develop strategies for decreasing the concentrations of atmospheric pollutants in an efficient, accurate, and cost effective manner. By understanding the complex interactions of multiple, co-existing pollutants, we will be better able to develop efficient strategies that will address a number of pollutants simultaneously, and avoid situations where actions we take for one pollutant might adversely affect concentrations of other pollutants.

Experience:

1993 to current - Physical Scientist and Acting Branch Chief of the Process Modeling Research Branch. Performed research on photochemical mechanisms for application in regional and global air chemistry modeling. Analyzed production pathways for atmospheric oxidant species, reactants, and intermediates, and their temporal concentration distributions in atmospheric models. Obtained and analyzed new chemical mechanisms and facilitated their incorporation into EPA's research and regulatory models.  

1992-1993 - Environmental Programs Group and the North Carolina Supercomputing Center, MCNC. Lead a team of scientists responsible for applying the Urban Airshed Model for use in the ozone State Implementation Plan process for the state of North Carolina.  

1990-1991 - Radian Corporation. Implemented regulatory air quality models, including the Industrial Source Complex Model (ISC2), the Fugitive Dust Model (FDM), and the Human Exposure Model (HEM), to perform both screening and refined simulations.  

1984-1990 - Research Engineer, Atmospheric Sciences Department, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory. Analyzed pollutant chemical reaction, transport, and removal by developing in-house computer models for pollutants over a variety of scales to study acid production in precipitation, global transport, and non-linearities in atmospheric acid due to secondary reactions.

Awards and Honors:

Publications:

Sarwar, G., Luecken, D., and G.Yarwood, “Development of an updated chlorine mechanism and assessment of the effect of industrial chlorine emissions on ozone predictions in the western United States.” Submitted to Environmental Modeling and Software, April, 2008.

Luecken, D.J., Phillips, S., Sarwar, G., Jang, C. “Effects of using the CB05 vs. SAPRC99 vs. CB4 chemical mechanism on model predictions: ozone and gas-phase photochemical precursor concentrations,” Atmospheric Environment, 42: 5805-5820, 2008.

Hutzell, W.T. and D.J. Luecken, “Fate and transport of emissions for several toxic metals over the United States,” submitted to Science of the Total Environment, 396: 164-179, 2008.
Luecken, D.J. and M.R. Mebust, “Technical challenges involved in implementation of VOC reactivity-based control of ozone,” Env. Sci. Tech., 42: 1615-1622, 2008.

Luecken, D.J. and A.J. Cimorelli, “Co-dependencies of reactive Air Toxic and criteria pollutants on emission reductions,” accepted pending minor revision, J. of Air and Waste Management Assoc, 58: 693-701, 2008.

Sarwar, G., D.J. Luecken, G. Yarwood, G.Z. Whitten, and W.Carter. “Impact of an Updated Carbon Bond Mechanism on Predictions from the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model,” Journal of Applied Meteorology, 47: 3-14, 2008.

Luecken, D.J. and W.T. Hutzell, “Concentrations of toxic air pollutants in the U.S. simulated by an air quality model,” in Air Pollution Modeling and its Application XVII, eds. C. Borrego and A.-L. Norman, Springer publishing, New York, NY, pp. 87-96, 2007.

Luecken, D.J., W.T. Hutzell and G.L. Gipson, “Development and analysis of air quality modeling simulations for hazardous air pollutants,” Atmospheric Environment, 40: 5087-5096, 2006.

G. S. Tonnesen and D. J. Luecken, "Intercomparison of Photochemical Mechanisms using Response Surfaces and Process Analysis," in preparation for submission to Atmospheric Environment, 2002.  

Luecken, D. J., G. S. Tonnesen, and J. E. Sickles, "Differences in NOy Speciation Predicted by Three Photochemical Mechanisms," Atmospheric Environment, 33: 1073-1084, 1999.  

Luecken, D., K. E. Pua, and K. Galluppi, "The Design and Implementation of a Graphical, User-Friendly System for Running the Regulatory Urban Airshed Model," Transactions of the A&WMA Conference on Regional Photochemical Measurement and Modeling Studies, ed. P.A. Solomon, 1994.

Chapman, E. G. and D. J. Luecken, "Associations Between Pollutant Emissions and Precipitation Chemistry: An Empirical Analysis," J. Geophys. Res., 98(D1): 1113-1122, 1993.  

Luecken, D. J., C. M. Berkowitz, and R. C. Easter, "Influences of Cloud and Rain Processes on the Transatlantic Transport of Sulfur Species," In Precipitation Scavenging and Atmosphere-Surface Exchange, ed. S.E. Schwartz, pp. 1771-1782. Hemisphere Publishing Corp., Washington, 1992.  

Scott, B. C. and D. J. Luecken. "The Sensitivity of Modeled Sulfate Wet Deposition to the Meteorological Values Used as Input." Atmospheric Environment, 26A(4): 559-569, 1992.  

Luecken, D. J., C. M. Berkowitz, and R. C. Easter. "Use of a Three-Dimensional Cloud-Chemistry Model to Study the Trans-Atlantic Transport of Soluble Sulfur Species." Journal of Geophysical Research, 96: 22477-22490, 1991.  

Boatman, J. F., N. Laulainen, J. Ray, C. Van Valin, L. Gunter, R. Lee, D. Luecken, and K. Busness, "Acid Precursor Concentrations Above the Northeastern United States During Summer 1987: Three Case Studies," Journal of Geophysical Research, 95(D8): 11831-11845, 1990.  

Luecken, D. J., N. S. Laulainen, D. L. Payton, and T. V. Larson. "Pollutant Scavenging from Plumes: A Case Study from the ASARCO Smelter." Atmospheric Environment, 23: 1063-1071, 1989.  

Easter, R. C. and D. J. Luecken. "A Simulation of Sulfur Wet Deposition and its Dependence on the Inflow of Sulfur Species to Storms." Atmospheric Environment, 22: 2715-2739, 1988.  

Chapman, E. G., D. J. Luecken, M. T. Dana, R. C. Easter, J. M. Hales, N. S. Laulainen, and J. M. Thorp. "Inter-Storm Comparisons from the OSCAR High-Density Network." Atmospheric Environment, 21: 531-549, 1987.  

Luecken, D. J. and J. M. Hales. "The Effect of Precipitation on the Vertical Profiles of Atmospheric Ammonia." Atmospheric Environment, 20: 2381-2388, 1986.  

Selected Technical Reports:  

Luecken, D. J. Recommendations for Ozone Modeling in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Report on visit to Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental (CETESB), Sao Paulo, Brazil, November 16-20, final report delivered April 22, 1999.  

Luecken, D. J., "Ground Level Ozone", a chapter in the Mid-Atlantic Stressor Profile Atlas, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, October 1, 1998.  

Luecken, D. J., E. G. Chapman, and E. A. Bittner. Empirical Associations Between Emissions in the 1985 NAPAP Emissions Inventory and Precipitation Analyte Concentrations. Technical Report to Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), 1991.  

Luecken, D. J., C. D. Whiteman, E. G. Chapman, G. L. Andrews, and D. C. Bader. Description of the Mountain Cloud Chemistry Program Version of the PLUVIUS Mod. 5.0 Reactive Storm Simulation Model. PNL-6292, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA, 1987.  

Luecken, D. J. The Dry Deposition of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons to Rough Surfaces and Vegetation. M.S. Thesis, University of California,

Atmospheric Modeling

Research & Development | National Exposure Research Laboratory

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