Several federal agencies employ air quality models to develop an understanding of the effects of various policy instruments. By using models, these agencies can determine the sources and receptors of air pollution, the atmospheric factors in the creation of air pollution, and the transportation of pollution.
Models serve as tools to illustrate the success of a policy instrument in achieving a policy goal.
The results illustrate the spatial and temporal characteristics of ozone pollution given the emissions and meteorology. In addition to sulfur oxide deposition and ozone pollution, RADM has been used to model visibility in the eastern United States. As with all models, one should be cautious of the assumptions and uncertainties in these air quality models. Given that a model is a simplification of reality, one should expect a reliable range of outcomes, not a definitive outcome at one point in space and time. These air quality models afford policy-makers information about the utility of various policy instruments.